Salmon river focus of 10-year restoration project

Conservation charity the Atlantic Salmon Trust said Atlantic salmon numbers are declining

A new 10-year project aims to halt the decline of wild salmon and trout populations in the Highlands' River Laxford.

Atlantic Salmon Trust will work with the Duke of Westminster-owned Reay Forest Estate on conservation and land management practices to boost numbers.

The Sutherland river's fish will also be studied to help guide improvements to salmon and trout conservation.

Marine Scotland and West Sutherland Fisheries Trust is supporting the work.

The Laxford is the Atlantic Salmon Trust's first river restoration project.

The 10-year project will study the River Laxford's wild salmon and trout

One of the aspirations of the project is to establish a network of "index rivers", which would be studied to provide detailed information on the survival of Atlantic salmon and trout.

It has been proposed the network could extend from the north east coast of Iceland to the south of England.

Chris Conroy, the initiative's technical project manager, said: "With Atlantic salmon populations in decline right across their native range, it is vitally important that we take decisive action to maximise the number of healthy wild juvenile salmon smolts going to sea from our rivers."