Loch Lomond supports several important fish species, the status of which is giving cause for national and international concern.

Monitoring Fish Populations

Annual surveys are allowing us to monitor changes in salmonid fish distribution and abundance across the catchment. This information provides an indication of the health of the system and can be highlight problems such as habitat degredation. Work is also being conducted on other locally important species native to Loch Lomond including powan, pike and lamprey.

Catchment Assessments

Habitat surveys are being undertaken and combined with information on land use, hydrology and geology to build up a picture of the condition of the environment throughout the catchment area. This information will be used to identify areas of poor habitat and to target restoration and enhancement work.

Scientific Research

Scientific programmes are aimed at identifying underlying causes of change in fish popultaions. LLFT is currently involved in work to assess the genetic make-up of salmon popultaions in different parts of the Lomond system. This is important in helping to identify pressures on different stocks and to promote sustainable fisheries management.

Habitat Enhancement Work

The freshwater environment is critical to the life cycle of all fish populations. Salmon and sea-trout require high quality streams with unimpeded access to and from the spawning areas. Pike in contrast require shallow bays with dense aquatic vegitation in which to spawn. Ensuring the best possible habitat is available is fundamental to maximising fish production. Once habitat surveying is completed, a practical programme of habitat enhancement is planned to restore impacted areas. This will include bank protection to mitigate against the effects of erosion and removal of obstructions to ensure migratory fish get free passage to their spawning grounds.