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I’ve waited greater than 20 years to be invited to the legendary Macallan salmon beat on the River Spey and eventually an old pal rang final week to see if I wished to affix him.
A number of days later one other good friend rang to inform me that there have been dozens of useless salmon and sea trout floating down the river and much more alarmingly there have been studies of sick kids who had been swimming within the river. Others had reported sick dogs too.
So what do you assume that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency did when alerted to this downside by the Spey Fishery Board? Yes, you’ve guessed it, completely nothing.
First studies of useless salmon and sea trout got here within the weekend earlier than final and by the Monday the rely was over 50 useless fish.
Much extra worryingly there have been studies of a kid who went swimming within the Spey at Carron close to Aberlour turning into unwell.
The Spey Fishery Board suspected a significant air pollution incident and so reported it to the SEPA air pollution hotline on Monday eleventh September.
The SEPA officer on the hotline was unaware of the protocols to be adopted for such an incident and there was nobody available in Elgin on the Monday to take any motion.
The Spey board was ultimately knowledgeable that the SEPA chemistry division had been advised however had been so alarmed in regards to the inaction that they contacted all of the native political leaders.
Eventually attributable to this political strain SEPA acted however far too late to search out the reason for the air pollution.
They have issued an announcement saying that they discovered no proof of air pollution. Now there’s a shock. If you wait days to behave it’s apparent that the reason for this tragedy could have lengthy since disappeared.
By the time I got here to fish additional down the river all proof of this incident was properly gone although I did see one useless fish float previous me however I’ve to confess that was in all probability nothing to do with air pollution, simply pure causes.
Let’s all hope that our flesh pressers type out the shameful inactivity of our so referred to as surroundings safety company sooner quite than later.
• My spies in Insh inform me that they don’t seem to be too proud of the recent launch of wildcats. Apparently considered one of them savaged some chap’s hens and killed them.
When the wildcat individuals had been contacted they stated that it was impossible that the cats had been accountable and it was greater than doubtless a fox.
What they didn’t realise was the the hens proprietor had filmed the whole homicide on his wildlife digicam which confirmed that the cats had been the responsible social gathering.
• Last month I popped into the Nethy Bridge resort to listen to in regards to the plans for introducing the beaver to Badenoch and Strathspey. Anglers like me the place assured that their dams wouldn’t cease migrating fish.
Many of are sceptical particularly these of us who see the catastrophic environmental injury that the person made Spey dam has been accountable for.
I’m keen to simply accept the introduction of the beaver, although I would love extra money to be given to these preventing towards evasive species in Strathspey.
For the primary time in lots of years I’ve detected mink in my mink raft on the River Dulnain and everybody is aware of the injury the mink does within the river system.
So welcome beavers by all means however let’s do away with the mink first.
• Charlie Whelan (Labour) is a former spokesman for Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister.
