Cameron Chapman's video: Salmon fishing Scottish Highland River Thurso - Beat 2

During this International Year of the Salmon, it is worrying to see that water is already at a premium, on a Highland River that has had a dam in place at its headlands for over a century. History tells us that salmon can endure the harshest conditions and still return to rivers damaged by the activities of mankind, however, as was demonstrated throughout the 2018 season, they simply cannot return if there is a lack of water in those rivers and streams. It is imperative that all land and riparian owners work together to prepare the best possible environment that they can, to accommodate the return of the king of fish. Success in that area will require a level of insight and commitment that lies beyond ‘beat boundaries’ and is at odds with the concept of short term financial profit, upon which so many are singularly focussed. Water management is not just a concern for the riparian owner, it should be a common goal that sees the land and riparian owners locked in a solid partnership, working toward a shared vision; instead of the activities of the one, damaging the environment of the other. The simplest example of which is the farmer cleaning ditches in winter when there is little else to do. The resultant silt flows into the feeder streams and rivers, covering the redds, sometimes killing the entire stock. This insight was imparted to me by a former riparian owner on the Dee, who discovered the impact of winter ditch cleaning more than a decade ago, through the Dee District Salmon Fisheries Board, which he had been supporting financially. The DDSFB has still been unable to implement positive changes to this simple land management practice. If salmon are to be provided with an environment fit for a king, river and land managers need to work together to make simple, yet essential changes, for not only are they the easiest to implement, they are generally, the most effective. Last year it was encouraging to see drains that were dug during the Victorian era being blocked, in order to return headwater moors to their former glory, as the biodiverse water reserves they once were. When these disparate interests are aligned to common objectives, the salmon will be more able to complete their life cycle and their numbers will be substantially increased before they begin their migration toward the sea. If this truly is the International Year of the Salmon, I hope that this year marks a turning point during which we move away from self-interest to a genuine care for and investment in the environment, which ultimately will reap untold benefits. As Wendell Berry said ‘Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.’, because in the end, we will all pay the price if we don’t.