Current Issues
RAFTS Invasive non-native species and Biosecurity Programme.
Invasive non native species and fish diseases damage our environment, the economy, our health and the way we live. They already cost the Scottish economy and therefore us upwards of £500 million per year and the UK economy £2-£6 billion per year. The expansion of world trade and the tourism market to include more destinations coupled with the impacts of climate change have led to the increased introduction, establishment and spread of invasive non native species and fish diseases in Scotland and the UK. If nothing is done the costs to our environment, economy and health will only increase. We need your support to increase awareness and better understanding of Invasive Non Native Species and Biosecurity issues and impacts and what can be done about them.
More details can be found on the RAFTS website.
Moray Firth Sea Trout Project
The Moray Firth Sea Trout Project is now under way and Marcus Walters has been employed as the full time Project Officer. This is a collaborative project, combining the efforts of river Boards and Fishery Trusts and many angling associations within the Moray Firth catchments. The project aims to address the imbalances in sea trout management, collate existing information on sea trout stocks and identify where further data is required to facilitate improved management practices.
In the past the Deveron has been a very important river providing in some years more than 25% of all rod caught sea trout in the Moray Firth.However, in the past five years, catches have been particularly poor with the 2007 rod catch (593 sea trout) being 59% below the ten year average (1992 -2001).
Marcus is aiming to reverse this trend by researching the rivers around the Moray Firth, examining possible reasons behind the decline and creating mangement plans to redress the situation. He will be contacting all angling associations, ghillies and proprietors who may have useful historical records on sea trout and long standing experience of how sea trout numbers have declined locally.
The Water Directive
When the UK joined the EU, policies, regulations and directives have come to have a direct bearing on rural life.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) will have major implications for farmers and the rural community. The Directive came into operation in December 2000 and it's implementation will change the way water and river systems are managed and how they are viewed and protected. Recent statements by the Scottish Executive underline the importance for farming and the rural community; 'The scope of the WFD is not restricted to lochs, rivers or coastal waters - it requires consideration from any human intervention which might affect the quality of water'. The directive is not just aimed at water bodies but to any activity which will affect the quality of water.
The aims of the WFD are:
- To ensure that waters and activities are managed and controlled in a co-ordinated way.
- Ensure that statutory requirements achieve ecological targets.
- The restoration and protection of wetlands.
- Management of river basins - the area of land from which all water flows towards the sea
The river basins are the rock on which the new system will be built. Catchment management is seen as an essential principle of the directive. Successful management will be monitored by observing plants and animals which live in the natural waters - they will be the key indicators of maintaining ecological status. The task of implementing the directive will fall into the hands of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency consulting with SNH, local authorities, district salmon fishery boards, the Forest Authority and the community.
The costs of implementing this massive task in Scotland alone amounts to between £0.8bn and £1bn and the last date by which 'good status' is to be achieved is December 2027.
Benefits will be an improvement in the quality of water, recreation, angling and general amenity.
