UHI Inverness researchers support ‘transformative’ River Dee salmon conservation project
The Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation (IBFC) at UHI Inverness is playing a pivotal role in an ambitious project aimed at reversing the decline of Atlantic salmon in Scotland’s iconic River Dee.
The Save the Spring programme, a collaboration between UHI Inverness, Dee District Salmon Fishery Board, River Dee Trust and the University of Stirling, could become a transformative model for wild salmon recovery across Scotland. It has captured wild juvenile salmon, known as smolts, and they being reared at the University of Stirling in an innovative smolt-to-adult supplementation (S2A) initiative.
IBFC researchers are conducting genotyping analyses on the smolts to determine sex, examine genes linked to age-at-maturity and migration timing, and check that fish have not hybridized with escaped aquaculture salmon - key factors for successful reintroduction. All genetic data and findings will be shared to support evidence-based management and adaptive conservation strategies.
Up to one million native trees will also be planted by 2035 to shade the rivers and reduce thermal stress for the released adults, to help enhance the resilience of wild populations.
The Guardian has published a feature on the project. It can be read here.