In October 2003 the Kyle of Sutherland DSFB, in partnership with SNIL and ASFB, made application to the European LIFE fund for grant aid towards the Kyle of Sutherland Atlantic Salmon Management and Conservation Programme.
The Programme has been in the planning stages for well over two years involving extensive discussions with Scottish Natural Heritage, the Community Council, the Angling Association, Forest Enterprise and Scottish and Southern Energy among others. It is designed to secure long-term benefits to the freshwater environment of the Kyle of Sutherland and the River Oykel by improving habitat, biodiversity and water quality to enhance the genetic stocks of Atlantic salmon, and particularly spring salmon, returning to the Kyle rivers, if the funding bid is successful work on the four-year programme will begin in May 2004.
Access to the European LIFE fund has been made possible by the recent granting of candidate Special Area of Conservation status to the Dornoch Firth, the Kyle of Sutherland and the Oykel recognising the area's rich habitat and biodiversity. The restructuring of 638 hectares of riparian woodland adjacent to key spawning burns for spring salmon in the high catchment of the Qykel is at the heart of the programme. Commercial timber crops in these sensitive habitats will be replaced by the regeneration of indigenous hardwoods aimed at enriching the water quality, bankside vegetation and natural feeding for salmonids. Education is another essential element. The Board will work closely with local primary schools, the wider community and visitors to the area, to raise awareness of the value of salmon and the freshwater environment through school projects and interpretive information.
The Atlantic salmon is part of our heritage, the LIFE programme will help to secure and enhance this valuable resource for future generations.