To date, the project has collected over 150 salmon parr from the wild which are being on-grown through the post-smolt phase in 2025 and on to mature adults in 2026 at the Otter Ferry Seafish facility on Loch Fyne. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of a hatchery-based approach to negating the losses of salmon occurring in the marine phase of the life cycle. A series of studies will be carried out to investigate the effectiveness of releasing mature adult salmon back to the river and using fertilised ova to improve recruitment of young salmon, and their contribution to subsequent generation(s). With additional genetic information, the project will inform the strategy of conserving small wild salmon populations facing significant decline.
Otterferry and River Ruel Live Gene Bank Project
With support from Salmon Scotland’s Wild Fisheries Fund, the River Ruel Improvement Association, Otter Ferry Seafish and Argyll Fisheries Trust are undertaking a pioneering project to set up a living gene bank for a small, threatened population of Atlantic Salmon on the West Coast of Scotland.
Project Details
Name:
Otterferry and River Ruel Live Gene Bank Project
Funding received:
£39,134
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