One practical option is stocking from wild broodstock. To maximise the benefit of stocking there are several steps to be considered. Firstly, the wild juvenile population should be monitored for both numbers and genetic diversity to see if there is a need to stock. Secondly, genetics from broodstock should be taken so a breeding plan can be designed to maximise genetic diversity. Thirdly, consideration must be given to what age salmon should be stocked at to reduce impact on wild fish. This project aims to address the first of these steps. The Lochaber Fishery Trust will sample 4 rivers (Loy, Roy, Nevis and Shiel). We will take genetic samples from 50 fish per river to assess the genetic diversity and find out how many adult salmon produced those 50 fish. Genetics work will be undertaken by UHI Inverness.
The information collected will then be shared with the live salmon gene bank at Drimsallie Hatchery near Glenfinnan. This holds adult salmon broodstocks for the 4 rivers as part of their gene bank insurance project for the region. These adult salmon can be used to boost the populations of the rivers sampled if it is found that they have a small breeding adult population.
