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Congratulations are with a view to the River Dee Trust and the Dee Fishery Board in finishing the largest dam elimination ever in Scotland.
The huge Garlogie dam on the Dunecht Estate in Aberdeenshire has been a barrier for migrating fish and a no-go space for all wildlife for a lot of years.
It’s good to know that some individuals are listening to the smart phrases from my old pal Feargal Sharkey who warned on his go to to Boat of Garten within the spring that Atlantic Salmon are at risk of extinction except drastic motion is taken.
Regrettably a few of these individuals who had been within the room on the launch of the Spey Catchment initiative to listen to Feargal weren’t listening.
Those representing Sanjeev Gupta who owns the 114,000 acre Jahama Estate and the Spey dam are extra fascinated with hiring spin medical doctors to cover the injury their dam does than really admitting it must go.
This yr salmon catches on the Spey had been the worst ever and sure, worse than the earlier lowest recorded final yr. On the Grantown waters simply 25 salmon had been caught on the standard fly rod and, no, I wasn’t one of many few profitable anglers.
We have a selection right here both we sit again do nothing and wait till the salmon disappear altogether or we demand that these chargeable for the state of our rivers really do one thing.
This begins with the Scottish Government who haven’t solely finished nothing however made issues worse by permitting an increasing number of open cage fish farms which assist destroy the wild species. And how concerning the RSPCA who landed £700,000 from fish farms to provide assured well being certificates when everybody can see the demise of a whole lot of 1000’s of fish riddled with illness.
The RSPCA alone gave out 246 certificates which takes inexperienced washing to new ranges.
It’s arduous accountable fishery boards an excessive amount of as a result of we all know they’re attempting to do their greatest nevertheless it absolutely can’t be proper that the very homeowners of the fishing rights are the identical individuals who personal the land and farms that additionally pollute our rivers?
Organisations just like the Spey Catchment initiative are very worthy and do an excellent job however how can they genuinely combat for the river when the homeowners of the Spey dam are additionally represented?
Every day I take my canine for a walk alongside the river Dulnain however I now not have to fret about her consuming the lifeless salmon which have spawned as a result of there aren’t any!
• Before it we shall be having a General Election. With each the SNP and the Scottish Tories in meltdown will we get to see a Scottish Labour MP again within the strath?
Labour are literally additional forward within the polls than they had been in 1997 after I labored for Gordon Brown and David Stewart gained this Highlands seat for the get together.
The latest Sunday Times MRP ballot for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey has Labour main the way in which on 31 per cent the Nats second on 30 per cent and the Tories on 27 per cent.
This leaves the seat broad open although don’t be stunned to search out bogus claims from the Liberals that they’re in second place and are the one get together that may defeat the separatists.
The slight drawback for Labour is that they haven’t chosen their candidate but so any socialists out their who fancy a job in Westminster to get a greater deal for individuals who stay and work within the space get in contact with Labour and, no, I gained’t be working!
Charlie Whelan (Labour) was spokesman for Gordon Brown.
