The Nith Catchment Fishery Trust is responsible for researching fisheries within the Nith catchment and is involved with a number of projects to gain more detailed knowledge specific areas of fisheries interest. These include long term monitoring of juvenile salmonid populations, genetic surveys and national projects.

Surveys

The Trust is responsible for monitoring the health of juvenile salmonid populations within the Nith catchment and conducts electrofishing surveys to ascertain the densities of salmonids in various rivers throughout the catchment. This data enables decisions to be made regarding future management strategies for both the Trust and the Board. Other species of freshwater fish such as eels, lampreys and brown trout are also monitored.

Salmon Smolt Tracking

In 2021, the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust ran a project called the Nith Salmon Smolt Tracking Project.  The project entailed trapping 50 salmon smolts from the Upper Nith, in the Crawick and Mennock Waters, and fitting them with acoustic tags. Eight acoustic receivers were positioned down the length of the River Nith which meant that the salmon smolts could be tracked as they migrated down the River Nith and out into the Solway.  To find out more about the project and the results, please follow this link – Salmon Smolt Tracking