The Nature of Scotland â Autumn 2011 â Issue 13
The Nature of Scotland â Autumn 2011 â Issue 13 The Nature of Scotland â Autumn 2011 â Issue 13
NEWS Extra rangers help capercaillie Two national park rangers have been patrolling the islands in Loch Lomond this summer in a bid to step up conservation of threatened capercaillie there. Police have also been on hand to take action if necessary to protect the birds from disturbance. Capercaillie are vulnerable to disturbance from people and dogs, with the five Loch Lomond islands forming one area that’s affected at busy times. New signs have therefore been strategically placed at key launch locations and on the islands to educate people about the bird. Leaflets have also been distributed to boat users and other water pleasure seekers in the hope that this will avoid further disturbance issues. The action is required as the Loch Lomond capercaillie population is isolated from other Scottish populations, with no immediate likelihood of numbers being strengthened from farther north. “This is the latest in a range of initiatives designed to help the capercaillie establish a firmer foothold throughout Scotland,” explained Alan McDonnell, operations manager with SNH. “Capercaillie are under great pressure nationally due to a range of factors, including climate change, low habitat quality, predation and disturbance of breeding birds and young chicks. This means the species has a far from secure future. “We also know that recreational users may unwittingly cause disturbance by allowing dogs to roam uncontrolled through important capercaillie areas during the sensitive breeding season. We hope the signs, which are highly visible, will educate people about the plight of this magnificent bird.” Guy Keating, ranger service manager with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, said additional SNH funding had meant they’d been able to recruit two dedicated seasonal rangers to patrol the islands and engage with visitors during the summer. “We’re already seeing the benefits of this approach,” he added. “The majority of visitors have been receptive towards the rangers and the popular camping spots look much better than they did at this time last year.” 22 The Nature of Scotland
Alien salmon species found in Tweed Fishermen in the Borders have been urged to kill and report any pink salmon found in the River Tweed or its tributaries. Two males of the non-native species have been caught in the river recently. This has prompted the Tweed Foundation to issue a plea to anglers to help stop the spread of the pink salmon. The fish – which is also known as the humpback salmon – is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon family. There are fears that the alien species could colonise the river and affect stocks of the Atlantic salmon for which the River Tweed is world famous. Nick Yonge, director of the Tweed Foundation, advised anyone landing a pink salmon to kill it and report the sighting immediately. “They’re not a native species and we simply don’t know what effect they could have. We don’t think they are breeding, and indeed we don’t know if they could breed with Tweed fish, but clearly we wouldn’t want them to.” Pink salmon are a fish of the north Pacific, but were introduced to some Russian rivers in the 1960s. They’ve since spread westwards and have now colonised some northern Norwegian rivers. There is also an introduced population in Newfoundland from which some rivers in Nova Scotia and Quebec have been colonised. However, the most likely source of the fish in the Tweed is northern Norway. The species does not seem to have any great difficulty in spreading its range, as shown by the way it has colonised rivers in northern Norway and eastern Canada from the original, man-made introductions made to those areas. Any angler who catches a pink salmon in the river is asked to kill it and report the incident to the River Tweed Commission on 01896 848 294. NEWS www.snh.gov.uk 23
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Alien salmon species found in Tweed<br />
Fishermen in the Borders have been urged to kill and report any pink salmon<br />
found in the River Tweed or its tributaries.<br />
Two males <strong>of</strong> the non-native species have been caught in the river recently.<br />
This has prompted the Tweed Foundation to issue a plea to anglers to help stop<br />
the spread <strong>of</strong> the pink salmon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fish – which is also known as the humpback salmon – is the smallest and<br />
most abundant <strong>of</strong> the Pacific salmon family. <strong>The</strong>re are fears that the alien species<br />
could colonise the river and affect stocks <strong>of</strong> the Atlantic salmon for which the<br />
River Tweed is world famous.<br />
Nick Yonge, director <strong>of</strong> the Tweed Foundation, advised anyone landing a pink<br />
salmon to kill it and report the sighting immediately. “<strong>The</strong>y’re not a native species<br />
and we simply don’t know what effect they could have. We don’t think they are<br />
breeding, and indeed we don’t know if they could breed with Tweed fish, but<br />
clearly we wouldn’t want them to.”<br />
Pink salmon are a fish <strong>of</strong> the north Pacific, but were introduced to some<br />
Russian rivers in the 1960s. <strong>The</strong>y’ve since spread westwards and have now<br />
colonised some northern Norwegian rivers.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is also an introduced population in Newfoundland from which some<br />
rivers in Nova Scotia and Quebec have been colonised. However, the most likely<br />
source <strong>of</strong> the fish in the Tweed is northern Norway.<br />
<strong>The</strong> species does not seem to have any great difficulty in spreading its range,<br />
as shown by the way it has colonised rivers in northern Norway and eastern<br />
Canada from the original, man-made introductions made to those areas.<br />
Any angler who catches a pink salmon in the river is asked to kill it and report<br />
the incident to the River Tweed Commission on 01896 848 294.<br />
NEWS<br />
www.snh.gov.uk 23
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