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The trust’s main goals are to protect and enhance the river’s fish populations, improve water quality, and create sustainable fishing opportunities for local communities. The trust undertakes a variety of conservation activities, including habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, and educational programmes for local schools and communities. They aim to ensure that the River Nith and its tributaries remain healthy, productive, and biodiverse for future generations to enjoy.
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Atlantic salmon play a vital role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems as both predator and prey. They are indicator species; the health of salmon populations closely reflects the status of their larger marine ecosystem. However, the number of adult salmon returning to Scottish rivers has declined steeply in the last couple of decades due to rising temperatures and rainfall levels. Climate change is having an increasing impact on the salmon’s life cycle, both in the marine and freshwater environment.
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Reversing some of the habitat degradation that has occurred on the river systems is one way of helping to ensure that Atlantic salmon continue to be part of Scottish heritage into the future. This year’s activities led by Jim Henderson from the Board, with support from Extreme E Science Committee members Professor Lucy Woodall and Professor Richard Washington, were electrofishing, aquatic kick sampling and willow spiling. All focused on protecting the riverbank and collecting data to understand the health of the salmon and the river itself.
