UHI Inverness publishes report on monitoring freshwater fish

A report that examines how we monitor fish populations in Scottish freshwater lochs has been published by experts from Research and Innovation at UHI Inverness.

This project was led by Dr Nathan Griffiths of the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation, working with the Centre for Living Sustainability, and in collaboration with The Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), a Scottish Government funded partnership between the James Hutton Institute, Scottish Higher Education Institutes and Research Institutes.

The aim of this project was to assess the current methodologies for sampling fish populations in Scottish freshwater lochs. Acknowledging the complexity and longstanding challenges with fish monitoring in standing freshwaters, the main objective here was to produce guidelines which support the development of suitable fish assessment methods.

Understanding fish species and their abundance in Scottish lochs is essential for management, conservation, and regulatory compliance. The rise in pumped storage hydro-electric projects involving large lochs adds pressure on fish populations, necessitating their proper assessment. Various fish monitoring methods exist, but no single method is universally applicable. Careful selection of approaches is crucial to meet ecological data requirements across space and time. This report presents findings from a stakeholder workshop aimed at developing best practices for fish monitoring in Scottish freshwater lochs to ensure adequate protection of fish populations.

The report can be read here: CRW2023_09_Main report and appendices_2024_04_26_FINAL.pdf (crew.ac.uk)