Tay District
After more than 60 years of being dry due to hydro abstraction, flow was restored to the River Garry in October 2017, reconnecting 13 km of main stem habitat and 5 km of tributary to migratory salmon. Supported by the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board, SEPA and SSE, this restoration could boost salmon production by up to 1,500 annually—one of the Tay catchment’s most impactful conservation efforts for spring salmon. The next challenge? Reviving the salmon population.
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Because of uncertainty as to how well salmon would ascend natural waterfalls, under only a Q96 base flow, a saturated juvenile population was kick-started bystocking eyed ova from reconditioned salmon kelts. These were sourced from adjacent spring salmon tributaries and reared at the Tay DSFB’s hatchery at Almondbank. Tissue samples were used to create genetic profiles of all broodstock used.
Since 2018, genetic analysis has tracked over 700 juvenile salmon annually, distinguishing wild fish from hatchery stock.
Wild salmon are now spawning successfully along the length of the restored main stem, but not yet the tributary. From 2025, stocking has ceased in the main stem. The success of the unsupported wild population will continue to be monitored.
This project is among the first in Scotland to use genetic typing of hatchery broodstock to assess their role in restoring a self-sustaining salmon population.