Category: Environment

  • Culroy Burn Revisited

    Culroy Burn Revisited

    During the course of the last few years, the Doon DSFB and Ayrshire Rivers Trust have joined forces, (the Trust with their expertise and manpower and the Doon DSFB’s financial assistance) to improve watercourses that are failing within the catchment. This is a planned and prioritised approach to management that allows us to focus on addressing key issues…

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  • Himalayan Balsam control

    Himalayan Balsam control

    The River Doon DSFB and ART have been suppressing the spread of Invasive Himalayan Balsam over the last few years and while this plant is not yet extensive within the catchment, it does continue to spread. This plant is not native and it quickly takes over out competing native species on the river bank. Once…

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  • Monitoring stocking survival on the Cummock Burn

    Monitoring stocking survival on the Cummock Burn

    Ayrshire Rivers Trust staff have been monitoring smolt emigration from the Cummock Burn at Dalmellington in the last week or two for the DSFB. This is a considerable undertaking as we are required to check the trap daily but of course we don’t mind. The Cummock was stocked in 2018 and 2019 with alevins from…

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  • Identifying Farmed Salmon- A video guide

    Identifying Farmed Salmon- A video guide

    Ayrshire Rivers Trust has produced a video guide detailing the key indicators that can be used to distinguish farmed from wild salmon. The latest escape of salmon from the Carradle fish farm are beginning to turn up in our rivers so keep an eye out for them. Under the Conservation Regulations introduced in 2016 by…

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  • Wild or Farmed?

    Wild or Farmed?

    Ayrshire Rivers Trust received a video call today from an angler who had just caught a salmon on the Irvine that he thought may be a farmed fish escaped from Carradale 3 weeks ago. Impressed   by his ingenuity we  quickly were able to confirm that indeed this was an escaped farmed salmon and it…

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  • The Latest Advice on what to do you think yo’ve caught an escaped farmed salmon

    The Latest Advice on what to do you think yo’ve caught an escaped farmed salmon

    Here’s a link to the latest guidance produced by collaboration with stakeholders such as ART, Fisheries  Trusts and District Salmon Fishery Boards, FHI and MSS and published by Fishery management Scotland.   FMS Advice http://fms.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/200825-Aqua-Guidance-on-escapees.pdf

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  • Encouraging results from Chapelton Burn

    Encouraging results from Chapelton Burn

    Finally water levels have dropped back towards more fishable levels and today ART managed to perform 2 surveys on the Chapelton and Brockloch Burns within the Doon catchment. Both these burns have suffered from diffuse pollution issues in the past and the condition of the habitat has been poor for many years. Historic dredging, livestock…

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  • An invitation to watch the Patagonia film ‘Artifishal’

    An invitation to watch the Patagonia film ‘Artifishal’

    Ayrshire Rivers Trust have arranged to screen the Patagonia produced film ‘Artifishal’ at the University of the West of Scotland, Ayr Campus,  University Avenue, Ayr KA8 0SX on the 3rd July at 6.30pm. The University  is on the banks of the Ayr at Craigie and there’s plenty of parking available. This event is free to attend…

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  • Smolts at Skeldon Weir

    Smolts at Skeldon Weir

    ART checked for any problems with smolts migrating downstream at Skeldon Weir on the Doon near Hollybush. They didn’t expect to find any issues and thankfully all seems fine. However, the Trust are reporting of significant numbers of smolts building behind Catrine Dam on the Ayr which they attribute to the position of the screens…

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