Sepa urged to act as heatwave hits River Ericht salmon count

Businesses and anglers voice fears over water levels

I asked the fisheries board what would happen to them and they told me they were as good as dead

Environmental watchdog Sepa has been urged to act as the Scottish heatwave leaves the River Ericht’s water level dangerously low.

The east Perthshire waterway has been particularly affected by the heatwave, which has dried courses and affected salmon safety.

Anglers say the situation has become critical because of water abstraction schemes, which are impairing the passage of migratory fish.

A mill lade on the left bank of the river weir controls the flow of the river, so that most of the water is diverted to a fish farm at West Mill.

Not only does it make in nearly impossible for salmon to move up and down the river during hot weather, juvenile fish are getting stuck and left to die.

There are worries the lack of salmon will have a devastating knock-on effect for businesses.

Hotel owner Claire Mercer Nairne, a member of the Tay Salmon Fisheries Board, said: “The poor ecological state of the River Ericht in low-water conditions, aggravated by two water abstraction schemes, is certainly an issue for the Blairgowrie Rattray Angling Club but it is probably more critical for the rural businesses that depend on anglers.”

“From a green tourism point of view, the River Ericht system is important on two aspects -— firstly, it provides very affordable salmon fishing to our local community as well as visiting anglers and, secondly, it is a strategic nursery habitat for salmon, which provide internationally renowned sport to visitors on the main step of the Tay.”

River Ericht convener Robert Kellie added the river was probably one of the most important tributaries of the Tay.

“There are no dams on it and it is very healthy but our rod catches have gone right down. Some juvenile salmon were stuck under the bridge at Blairgowrie for a month.

“I asked the fisheries board what would happen to them and they told me they were as good as dead.”

He said: “There is more water going down the lade than there is going down the river and that is not acceptable.”

Sepa has pledged to take steps to resolve the situation and is considering options to raise the flow by reducing the volume abstracted.

Picture: Jamie Buchan The shallow water of the River Ericht.