River Blane Survey.
Loch Lomond Fisheries Trust/ LLAIA members and volunteers are currently carrying out surveys of the River Blane and Catter Burn.
Every run and riffle will be mapped and plotted by GPS.
This detailed examination to establish the health and habitat conditions on these waters will continue over the next few months.
Endrick Smolt Trap.
Once again the smolt trap has been carefully positioned in the River Endrick and we’d like to thank riparian owner Jimmy Bilsland, a key supporter of the Trust and smolt trapping over the years.
The Rotary Screw Trap has been run by Loch Lomond Fisheries Trust since 2008 to monitor the health of the Endrick. Wild smolt numbers are one of the best indicators of the health of salmon and sea trout populations in the river. Smolts are a key stock component and their conservation is crucial to the long term health of the system.
The results of last year’s trapping show that it was the best smolt run on the Endrick for five years, and especially significant were the number of trout smolts collected, suggesting that the current sea trout population in the Endrick is very healthy.
Total Captures:- 26 March – 12th May (see graph)
Trout Smolts:- 1107 Trout Parr: 244
Salmon Smolts:- 459
Total Smolts:- 1566
Estimated total smolt output for period:
Salmon: 2250 – 4000 (median estimate: 3000)
Trout: 5500 – 10000 (median estimate: 7500)
Trout Smolts: 10500
Trout Smolts outweigh salmon smolts 70-30 + large downstream migrations of trout parr. The bulk of the migration occurred between 11th April and 1st May.
The trap will remain in position and checked daily until the migration is over at the end of May. The help and enthusiasm of our staff and volunteers in ensuring the success of this project is very much appreciated.