Genetics Research

Overview

The Trust carries out a range of fisheries related research to feed into best management practise. Much of this is done with a range of partners such as Universities, Marine Scotland and other Trusts. We have teamed up with the University of the Highlands and Islands – Rivers and Lochs Institute to look at genetic structuring in salmon populations and to assess the degree of straying between rivers in returning adults. This will lead on to a further project identifying how many adults are involved in producing a community of juveniles. The more adults that have their genes mixing in the next generation the better, as far as genetic variability is concerned.

We have hosted Napier University Masters students looking at the impact of man-made obstructions on invertebrate assemblages and University of Stirling undergraduates looking at juvenile salmonid densities in restored sections of river and the passability of river obstacles to fish migration under seasonal flow variation. Students usually get in touch with us looking for project opportunities through their University supervisors or departments, and we provide support in supplying data, obtaining access permissions, training in biological field and analysis techniques and reviewing outputs.

We have worked with other members of the Trust network. With the Tweed Foundation, we have studied the impact of channel re-meandering on juvenile salmonid recruitment over a number of years, and with the River Dee Trust we have produced an assessment of stocking as a conservation management tool. The work with other members of the Trust network has been completed through our consultancy arm, Forth Consulting.

Through engagement with our nearest neighbours on the East coast (Tweed, Tay, Esks and Dee) and with Fisheries Management Scotland, we will shortly be involved in research to be carried out by the large offshore windfarm companies about to develop the outer Forth Estuary. There is a requirement from the Scottish Government that these companies carry out monitoring research looking at migratory salmonids, and we have recently been feeding into the Forth and Tay Regional Advisory Group with ideas on the direction this research should take. There may therefore shortly be an opportunity for us to study predation risks and sea trout migration patterns as a result of this support.