Salmon Spawning Problems

 

For the last few years I have really noticed one of the many problems relating to salmon spawning habitat that not many people seem to have noticed. Salmon spawning beds on the Tay are becoming seriously chocked up with silt showing in this small video clip and it’s getting worse the last few years. Salmon need clean fresh gravel to be able to cut their redds . If they are lucky enough to dig a redd how can the eggs stay alive without being chocked up with silt . Even trying to dig and rake gravel you clearly see the problem, hard compact and full of silt what chance have our fish of spawning properly when the spawning beds are in this state . It’s something I feel need to be looked at . It’s a fairly easy fix too after all the old ghillies used to go out and rake the gravel for spawning time .