The aim of Galloway Fisheries Trust is to restore and maintain aquatic biodiversity, particularly native fish, in Galloway by means of practical, responsible and sustainable approaches to land, water and fishery management, based on sound science, for the benefit of the community as a whole.
Galloway Fisheries Trust is an environmental charity which was set up in 1988 by four local District Salmon Fishery Boards in the South West of Scotland with common problems and aims.
Since then the Trust has expanded and now encompasses a wide range of work which covers most of Dumfries and Galloway's rivers and still waters including the Border Esk.
The core river catchments on which we carry out the majority of our work are: the River Luce, River Bladnoch, River Cree, Water of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire Dee, River Urr, Water of App, Piltanton Burn and the Border Esk. Since 2019 GFT has been completing work on the Annan catchment and providing scientific advice to the Annan DSFB.
The aims of our remit are met by undertaking practical works, education initiatives, focussed research projects and delivering key services to member waters and the wider community. Evidence based management underpins this work program. The threats to freshwater ecosystems from climate change is well known and an important priority work stream for GFT is to increase the climate resilience of river systems to climate change impacts such as increased summer temperatures, regular droughts and more extreme floods.
Our work helps to address the biodiversity crisis and promote nature recovery.
A review of recent timed electrofishing data on the Luce and Urr in relation to a Galloway Rivers Standard
It is that time of year again where GFT begin our search or the sparling during their annual spring migration to the upper tidal limit of the River Cree. This year we hope to run several events on the banks of the River Cree to celebrate sparling!
The GFT and Bladnoch DSFB are running a hatchery programme this year to stock the upper Tarf to help ameliorate acidification problems and help recover salmon stocks in key areas.