Loch is booming after big blooming clean-up – Fisheries Management Scotland

LOCH Leven in Perthshire was once known for the algal blooms that blighted it due to pollution. It got so badly choked with slimy algae one weekend in June, 1992, that the event became known as Scum Saturday, causing a major alert and leading to questions in parliament.

Now, however, the loch’s water quality is the best it has been in more than 20 years, according to a report commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage. Both fish and bird-life have benefited from the greatly improved clarity of the water and the diversity and abundance of aquatic plant life.

Loch Leven trout fishery, which went into decline in the 1990s due to the pollution, is also improving. Last September, Michael Mackenzie of East Whitburn landed the largest brown trout to be caught in Loch Leven in a century, weighing 9lb 6oz.