Scotland has much to boast about when it comes to the condition of our rivers. Many are icons of the landscape – the Tweed, the Dee, the Spey and the Tay – all with internationally renowned fisheries.
The salmon is famous for its ability to swim against these powerful currents in its hunt for long remembered nursery gravels. The annual sight of their silver bodies being flung over foaming cascades delights anglers and non-anglers alike. These streamlined athletes are not alone in this incredible migration. Sea trout, eel and sea lamprey all undergo similar odysseys, between river and ocean. However, the industrial use of our rivers which has provided numerous benefits to society has sometimes left redundant and unmaintained weirs and dams in place without suitable fishways, creating barriers to these ancient migration routes. In many cases fish continue to arrive, only to butt up against unforgiving stonework.