One of Scotland’s biggest ever dam removals has been completed in Aberdeenshire, opening up part of the River Dee to Atlantic salmon for the first time in more than 100 years.
The project, delivered by the River Dee Trust and the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board, was made possible after receiving funding from Water Environment Fund (WEF). The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) administer WEF funding on behalf of the Scottish Government enabling rivers to be restored across Scotland.
The removal of the Garlogie Dam on Dunecht Estate means salmon can now access about 20 kilometres of precious spawning habitat. Opening up the five-metre high dam also restores 500 metres of burn and riverbank habitats, which were submerged below a reservoir for almost a century, as well as habitat restoration of the 3.5 hectares site further upstream of the dam.