Scotland's most abused river? - The Garry

[dunbar]

This report on the Tay Fishery Board website www.tdsfb.org/RiverGarryReport.htm
is a damning indictment (pun intended) of what hydro power has done to Scotland's salmon rivers. The Garry is an obscene example. This is reported on in the latest 'Trout & Salmon'.

There is a glimmer of hope, though, due to an opportunity to rehabilitate the Garry thanks to the Water Framework Directive, a piece of European legislation which sets targets for restoring Scotland's water resources.

Please take a moment to look at this report and write/campaign as suggested at www.tdsfb.org/Garryhelp.htm

[splash]

Full page article on Page 13 of "The Scotsman" today as well

[Yorkshire Esk]

I read and saw the pics in the Trout and Salmon. Not a good picture for the fish.
These water companies do have alot to answer for, you cannot keep taking water from a river that has not had the water to fill it.
There surely must be a limit to how water they can take from the rivers.

[victorclem]

This campaign to sort out the Garry by TDSFB is the most significant project being undertaken in the whole Tay system at present. I am surprised at the lack of response on here, given how little it often takes to get a good argument going.This IS a big thing,effectively bringing a whole new river in to play, it deserves discussion and deserves support. Lets try and get several thousand views on this one, get people talking about it and give the man some encouragement.

[castlikeaghille]

victorclem said:

This campaign to sort out the Garry by TDSFB is the most significant project being undertaken in the whole Tay system at present. I am surprised at the lack of response on here, given how little it often takes to get a good argument going.This IS a big thing,effectively bringing a whole new river in to play, it deserves discussion and deserves support. Lets try and get several thousand views on this one, get people talking about it and give the man some encouragement.

Nil Desperandum. The campaign has my support, although I (and I know several others) am/are following up on that through medium other than this forum.

Regards

CLaG

[elwyman]

I drove past the Garry in April on the way to the Spey and the river was very low indeed.

I am amazed that some people still regard hydroelectric power as a green form of energy generation. Low CO2 emissions yes, but at the cost of destroying natural river systems?

All salmon rivers should be designated as SSSIs, that would give them the protection they need.

[sagecaster]

I hope that something is done, the Garry had a great reputation in the early 1900's as a big springer river, it would be fantastic to see it back as a viable fishery once more. It beggars belief that such a scheme was allowed to happen, and I understand that there were other rivers that almost suffered a similar fate(Little Gruinard for one). Hopefully the new water frameworks directive will give the powers to at least put the Garry on a parity with other Hydro schemes.

[victorclem]

In response to post about SSSIs, the Tay is actually a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which, as a European designation, actually should have a lot more teeth than an SSSI designation.

We need a more joined-up policy on renewable energy in Scotland. eg windpower is good in theory, but you would'nt cover the whole country in turbines. Hydro energy is excellent in principle and has a proven track record, but draining a river completely so that it is in effect dead is not a reasonable balance to strike. If a river is dead, ALL the associated bio-diversity is dead too, not just the salmon. We need politicians to make some sort of change that would allow SSE to fore-go some generation capacity and acheive a better balance. Exactly what that might be, I know not, but they must surely have thought this argument through themselves before now, and will have a price in mind to start negotiating with.

[castlikeaghille]

I wrote to the four MPs and MSPs identified on the Tay Fishery Board web site. Two have written back suggesting a meeting with interested parties to discuss the situation. They seem genuinely interested.

I'll keep you posted.

Regards

CLaG

[victorclem]

Well done CLaG. I would be interested in making a contribution to that. It would be good to keep this topic towards the top of the forum for a couple of weeks and see what other points can be thrown in. I think the record on here this year is 5000-odd views. 10% of the way there already. This should be the most significant issue on the Tay this year.

[kercock]

I am told that the total monies asked for by TDSFB for the River Garry Appeal was raised on the big night at Scone Palace recently. Apparently they were £17k short of the total and my boss chipped in the balance !

[wilbert]

kercock wouldn't it be great if all beat owners were like your boss, I have never met the man and probably never will but hats off to the guy he obviously cares more about a river system than his money.

I hope that the Garry can return to its former glory and that it is not denied the water from its watershed as it appears to be happening.

Water abstraction whether it be for drinking, hydro or irrigation will only get worse on many more rivers unless there are big changes within the way we use / waste water. Although 2/3 of the earth is covered in water I can see it becoming a more valuable commodity than oil.

At the end of the day 9 out of 10 companies will go for the cheapest option to make money with little regard to their impact unless they are legally bound by restrictions.

[victorclem]

Quite a clever photograph on the TDSFB website of a warning sign warning fishermen of the danger of overhead electric lines. Of course, there can be no fishing as the river is completely dry, the water having been used to create the electric in the lines going overhead.............

[castlikeaghille]

Plans are being put in place to meet with Pete Wishart (MP for Perth) up at the Gary next week. The final time and rendezvous will be fixed this week (although hopefully it will be Friday afternoon). I hope as many forum members as possible will be able to attend to show strength of cause; this is not just about the Garry, but about the importance of salmon fishing to the Scottish Economy. I hope those South of Hadrian's will also be sympathetic.

I should post final details later today. Then I hope you will tell your friends off and on this site.

Regards

CLaG

[exerod]

castlikeaghille said:

I hope as many forum members as possible will be able to attend to show strength of cause

A bit of a trek up from Somerset so I don't think I will make it!
But I will write to support the cause and it would be nice to think most of us could manage that

Maybe it could be the start of something and some of the other hydro rivers could get their headwaters restored.

Andy

[castlikeaghille]

The plan is to meet with Pete Wishart either a.m. or p.m. next Friday to inspect the pile of stones aka the Garry. I have passed on this to David Summers of TSFB who is going to finalise a time. The probable meeting point will be House of Bruar.

I am off to the Lochy tonight so may not have a confirmed time before I go. If I do I will post, if not it will be Sunday. So in summary:

1) If you think you can physically make it next Friday your support would be welcome. If you can't but would like to support, please can you go to the Tay Salmon Fisheries Board Web Site and on the Garry report you will find pictures of MPs and MSPs who have indicated their support. It would be great if you could drop them a line by e-mail Headed "River Garry Campaign" expressing your support.

2) Macd thank you for your suggestion. Please can you warm up your contacts as per pm. I'll contact T&S to give them a progress report.

3) Would Kerrcock or Willie The Ghillie be kind enough to make the Tay Ghillies association aware of the proposed Friday plan.

4) I will make Callum Towns aware and also Fish Tay.

5) All other good ideas to raise profile welcome. Suggest if you want to involve the mainstream press you liaise with Pete Wishart's office first.

Regards

CLaG

[sagecaster]

Hats off to you ClaG, alas I will not be able to make it however I will write and I have arranged for it to be posted on SANA's (www.sana.org.uk)new web site, they have a membership of over 30,000 hopefully it will create more publicity.

[victorclem]

Discussion seems to have a stalled a bit on this one.................

[castlikeaghille]

Ok folks, a meeting with Pete Wishart MP for Perth has been set up for Friday afternoon on Tayside. After chat it has been agreed that this will be a small representative group on this occassion rather than a full Town Hall affair. So far we have invited, and have had accepted angling press, gillies and TSFB.

Am now looking for one or two people to represent paying anglers/local economic interest. If you would like to go and support this, please send me a PM. It would be helpful to know what your take on the situation is and why it is important to support such schemes.

Regards

CLaG

[victorclem]

Reports of above meeting now getting in to press. See link below:

www.commentonline.co.uk/wildlife/MPInvestigatesRiverGarryWaterIssue.htm