“
We have developed a mutual
area” understanding in our
benefits that an environmentally sustainable aquaculture industry can bring to the Highlands,’ he said.
The challenge is to minimise the industry’s impacts in a way that ensures that wild and farmed salmon can co-exist. I think there is still a long way to go but the idea here is that by working together we’re more likely to achieve that.
We have developed a mutual understanding in our area that’s very important because if there’s an issue, we can pick up the phone and talk to each other.’
He said that in recent years our understanding of the interactions between wild and farmed salmon has improved greatly’.
In response, the aquaculture sector had significantly increased its e orts’ in the way it operates and the fishery board in the ess district believed that, although there is still much work to be done, cooperation was in the interests of everyone.
The festival had helped cement relations. During the casting competition and fair, said Conroy, there were representatives from the Sco sh government, academics from UHI, and aquaculture guys from Marine Harvest, all watching the event and interacting with each other and the local anglers’.
We have Marine Harvest facilities within our catchment, together with other industries that have the potential to impact on salmon, such as hydro. We have a good working relationship with all of them and that’s the way forward in our area,’ said Conroy.
Although the festival took a lot of organising, the steering committee will discuss repeating the event.
In future there may be room for it to get bigger and we’d like it to be a national asset,’ said Conroy. We want to keep the legacy of the event going what we have achieved here is quite unique and it is the way forward, there’s no doubt about that.’
Steve Bracken of Marine Harvest, which staged a fund-raising salmon barbecue and kitchen exhibitions in a two-day fair at Bught Park on the banks of the River ess, agreed there had been a good vibe’.
Salmon farming is here to stay so we might as well work together. Kids from local schools came on the Friday and there was a steady trickle of visitors on both days,’ he said. The wild salmon guys were given farmed salmon to taste at the barbecue and didn’t complain ’
He said it would be good to get the other Sco sh salmon companies on board for the next one.
As well as the Alexander Grant memorial casting competition on the River ess, there were y tying and casting lessons, public lectures and a student workshop, a salmon film festival, music, and a Salmon, Science and Society Symposium.
orwegians won the casting competition, with Geir Hansen, former world distance champion with a 15 rod, scooping first prize with a cast of 52 metres, and sidar ess, of Sande ord, and Jarle Strandberg, of Hemsedal, the runners-up.
Jamie McGrigor, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Conservative spokesman on fisheries, and a er dinner speaker at the festival symposium, said it was important to live together in sustainable co-existence’.
A trout farmer in the seventies, a keen fisherman and also the chairman of the Loch Awe Improvement Association since 1992, he said the festival was marvellous’.