A catchment wide approach to restoring the environment and saving our wild Atlantic Salmon
Enhancing the Tay Catchment for our and nature's future
Scroll down for latest news!
A new Alliance focussed on enhancing the Tay Catchment
The Tay Catchment Salmon Alliance is the new name for the Tay Ghillies Association. This new name better reflects the broader approach needed to address the current challenges on the "Mighty Tay", its tributaries and the landscapes and environments through which they flow.
Joining the Alliance immediately is the Tay Action Partnership which comprises proprietors from significant beats in the Tay Catchment who bring huge experience, expertise and a sense of urgency to the new Alliance. There are more potential members also ready to join including environmental groups, local businesses, fishery owners, the hospitality industry, anglers, and interested individuals.
Saving the salmon
For decades the River Tay and its tributaries have been world-famous for salmon angling, bringing thousands of visitors to Scotland each year. Recently, the numbers of Atlantic Salmon, this "King of Fish", have been declining steeply to the point where they are now classified as endangered - a classification which, if not reversed, will lead to eventual extinction. Salmon are an "indicator species" and their decline shows that all is not well with our environment with significant issues caused by climate change, floods, increases in temperature and a number of man-made issues such as barriers to migration, pollution and over-predation by protected species. This is a major issue in the Tay Catchment, Scotland's largest river system, with adverse effects on employment, tourism, local businesses and the environment which the general public enjoy.
Looking beyond the riverbanks
The new Alliance will take a catchment-wide approach to restoring the environment, focussing on environmental improvements benefiting the land, birds, mammals, all wild fish and the endangered freshwater pearl mussels.
Restoring whole ecosystems on a landscape scale
Increasingly, it is being understood that the health of our rivers, and therefore the species that live in them, is determined by the surrounding land-use and health of the broader river catchments. By taking a catchment-scale approach to river health, we can restore their natural ecology, boost biodiversity, sequester carbon, and benefit communities.
Everything is connected
Within catchments, streams and rivers are physically connected, flowing from headwaters to the sea and across floodplains. This connectivity, along with the plants and wildlife that live alongside, drives the ecological processes that control the movement of energy, nutrients, and organic matter within an environment. River woodland and other habitats are crucial for ecological health and a thriving river system, including processes like energy flow, carbon and nutrient cycling, and ecological succession. In turn, healthy rivers support salmon and other culturally and commercially vital species.
Membership
Membership is open to everyone - people from anywhere in the world who have an interest in restoring our environment to ensure a healthy, vibrant, ecosystem and in helping stop the decline in the Atlantic Salmon. Whatever you are - an environmental organisation, an interested individual, a ghillie, a riparian owner, an angler, a land agent, an angling club, or a local, national or international business, please help us in our quest to fix the catchment issues and stop the decline of our iconic "King of Fish".
If you feel you could contribute to our goals by becoming a member please contact our secretary at sec@thetay.org or fill in the form in the "About Us" section
Partner Organisations
Click on logo/photo to access partner website
