Flow Country Rivers Trust: Macroinvertebrate Survey

Purpose of Grant:

To undertake and extend baseline survey work on macroinvertebrates in 10 disparate rivers in the Flow Country Rivers Trust area (Caithness and Eastern Sutherland).

Project Description

The requested grant allowed the Flow Country Rivers Trust to undertake research and sampling of stream macroinvertebrates. As indicator species, the analysis of macroinvertebrates is part of a long-term initiative to measure stream health and habitat for wild salmonid populations in the area.

Project activities were conducted across a vast expanse of the Flow country and a set of sampling sites were chosen from 10 of the Trust’s river locations (Kinloch, Borgie, Naver, Strathy, Forss, Thurso, Wick, Dunbeath, Berriedale and Langwell). These survey sites now form part of a new Flow Country hub from which data can be gathered.

It is hoped that while the rivers are still in near-pristine condition, the project outputs and data will provide a permanent point of reference for the future. For the purpose of this project, the charity contracted SmartRivers (a division of Salmon and Trout Conservation) to benchmark across all selected sites and provide training opportunities for volunteers. The project duration ran from August 2021 to December 2022 and the majority of sampling activities took place in the summer and autumn months.

Budget

The requested grant of £10,070 was approved and covered the entirety of the project costs.