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| Fishing on Loch Leven |
For 650 years, people have been fishing on the
loch. Long ago, the loch contained Char, Salmon, Sea Trout and Eels.
These became extinct, leaving Brown Trout, Perch, Pike, Minnow and
Stickleback. Rainbow Trout have been introduced recently.
At the beginning
of the sixteenth century, poaching was stopped by a Private Act of
Parliament restraining poaching in the spawning streams. From the
beginning of the eighteenth century, the annual catch by net averaged
23,000 lbs. By the nineteenth century, Loch Leven Trout (Brown Trout)
were being sent to London, Edinburgh and other major cities which
meant a rise in the value of the fishery and the price of fish.
During the holidays, I talked with my grandfather and spent time with Willie
Wilson who is in charge of the fishing on the loch. Fishermen can
only fish from one of the forty-eight boats on the loch and are not
allowed to fish from the shore. They told me that changes to the ecology
of the loch over the last twenty years have led to a fall in the number
of Brown Trout caught. In 1988 the fish farm on the north side on
the loch was rebuilt in order to try to reverse a fall in the Brown
Trout population. As the table below shows, this was only partly successful
and permission was given in 1992 for the rearing and stocking of Rainbow
Trout. The fishery on the loch still remains a famous Trout Fishery.
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1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
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165,000
117,000
179,000
166,000
188,000
150,000
272,000
92,000
90,000
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-
40,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
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20,127
37,432
21,279
9,675
2,715
13,150
12,810
8,671
8,868
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10,456
8,169
12,547
10,285
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9,106
10,315
10,809
9,354
3,462
6,822
6,428
8,434
10,643
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Part of the problem facing fishermen has been the frequent appearance of Algal
Blooms during the summer. Alan Lauder explained everything to me when
I went on a boat trip with him and some other people to check water
samples and rotifer readings. Algae are clumps of microscopic plants
called Alga that are one cell big. To grow, they need sunlight and
nutrients (Nitrates and Phosphates). Because of agriculture and industry
near the loch, the phosphate levels are getting higher. When there
are lots of phosphates in the loch, and it is a sunny day, an Algal
Bloom may occur. The algae multiply very quickly and produce toxins
that can be harmful to fish and other wildlife.
Rotting Algae To stop
this, the phosphate level in the loch can be lowered by reducing the
amount of phosphate going into the loch by building phosphate strippers
for industry and sewage works. Farmers are being asked to reduce the
amount of fertiliser that they use on fields. This has already proved
helpful, although recently there has been a rather serious attack,
which has lasted for over a month. Scottish National heritage monitor
the loch very carefully and below is a picture which I took of their
team in one of the fishing boats checking one of their solar powered
buoys which analyse water samples.
In doing this project on Loch Leven, I have discovered a lot of interesting
facts that I had never heard of before, like the history of the loch
and how it was formed. What I also found interesting was the catches
of fish down through the years. I came across many different species
of wildlife that I had never seen before. I had never realised that
all this could happen to just one loch. We have only been living at
Kinross House for eight months and I know that I have much more to
learn about this wonderful place.
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Angler
Loch Leven Pike
Rotting Algae
Scientists checking the sample readings on solar powered buoy
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