Deveron, Bogie & Isla Rivers Charitable Trust

FISH FACTS
Spawning & Eggs
To pick up where we left off yesterday – the hen fish has used her body to dig a depression in order to spawn. The male cock fish all want to be ready and well situated when the female lays her eggs and the female’s digging is their signal to start positioning themselves and chase other cock fish away. This is usually a very good time to see trout and salmon in the river, especially since the digging and chasing can go on for hours or even days!
... As some of the eggs are being released by the hen fish, the cock fish fertilises the eggs by releasing his milt (sperm) over them. The female covers the eggs to protect them by positioning herself upstream from the depression with eggs and using her body to dig gravel up and fling it over the eggs. This creates the distinct mound of clean gravel (containing the fertilised eggs) and the often visible hollow upstream of it (where the female dug to cover the eggs), as we mentioned yesterday.
As the eggs develop they form visible trout or salmon ova within – also called the eyed ova stage. Water temperature determines how quickly eggs will hatch, developing slower in colder water, with most eggs assumed to be hatching in February. The number of eggs hatching depends on water and gravel quality and can be higher than 80% or as low as 4%, depending on conditions.
Check out our video below, taken in the Deveron and showing off spawning activity quite nicely. And tune in tomorrow to learn about how the Trout and Salmon life cycle continues!
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FISH FACTS
What is a redd?
At this time of year, between November and January, when the water is oxygen rich and cold - ‘tis the season to be spawning for trout and salmon in our rivers. Today we'll put the spotlight on what exactly a redd is.
... It is the female ‘hen’ fish who builds the redd. A redd, simply put, is a nest that is positioned in loose gravel (stones of 5 to 50mm in diameter) preferably with little silt present. An upwelling flow of cold water provides the oxygen rich water that the eggs require to develop.
The hen makes use of her anal fin to determine whether the gravely spot she picked is well suited, then turns on her side and uses her body to cut a redd (create a depression). The size of redds is quite variable, smaller fish often pick areas of finer gravel to cut smaller redds and bigger fish can happily cope with larger stones and will create much bigger redds. To visualise the size difference, a smaller redd, around 50cm2, is about the size of a folder and a larger redd, around 150cm2, is about the size of a table.
If you come across a mound of very clean gravel with a hollow up-stream of it in the river you may be looking at a redd. The picture below shows a redd (the lighter area) on the Turriff burn - next time you are spending some time along a river or burn have a close look but be please keep well away and do not disturb the gravel or fish that maybe nearby. If you watch carefully you may see salmon or trout moving around in the vicinity.
Tune in tomorrow to hear all about the process of spawning and the life cycle of Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout.
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"The guid Folk o' the Deveron"
We are kicking off a new series today - The guid Folk o' the Deveron - introducing you to the people that live by, work on and visit the river and their connection to the Deveron.
Albert Watt – Scatterty Beat... “I started fishing the Deveron in 1976, down at the Association Water at the Bridge in Turiff. Back then you couldn’t get onto the private beats, somebody had to die before you got onto a good beat. So I just progressed up here – fished Scatterty for over ten years now. I just love the relaxation; just makes you forget about all your woes in your life. The Deveron is a fine river, it’s well known for the sea trout - obviously the fish are in decline now, but it’s a good river! It’s nice when you catch a fish, even if you have to return it.”
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Branching Out and Scottish Invasive Species Initiative Event
Our Scottish Invasive Species Initiative project officers met up with Earth for Life and one of their Branching Out groups on Friday in Cruden Bay. ... We had a walk along the Water of Cruden to talk about invasive plants, American Mink and what we do to control these species - followed by a bushcraft session with natural fire lighting, Kelly Kettles and dough-balls on the fire!
Thank you to the whole group for all of your enthusiasm and interest in our work. We hope this is the first of many partnership outings!
Scottish Natural Heritage Heritage Lottery Fund
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Sun-Day!

BEHIND THE SCENES
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative: American Mink
In April this year we started our monitoring for invasive non-native American Mink, which predates on many of our indigenous species, from small mammals, birds and eggs to fish, crustaceans and amphibians.
... We do so by deploying a mink raft with a clay pad to monitor for mink footprints – and, if mink presence is confirmed in the area, we add a live trap to remove the mink.
At this point we have a total number of 66 mink rafts out in our combined project areas and have removed 26 mink – 13 male, 13 female, including a number of reproducing females. Of this number we caught six mink in the Deveron catchment and five mink on the Fiddich. However, our most successful effort, by far, was along the coast between Banff and New Aberdour, where we trapped 15 mink since August!
We would like to thank all of our volunteers, local communities, distilleries and a range of organisations, who have adopted one or more mink rafts from us to monitor a stretch of their local rivers and burns – all of this is only possible because of you!
We are still looking to expand our volunteer and mink raft network throughout our catchments, so please get in touch if you would like to help stop mink in their tracks or with any other activity we have introduced during the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative week!
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative Scottish Natural Heritage Heritage Lottery Fund
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative: Japanese Knotweed
Our last plant of the season is Japanese Knotweed. Throughout our catchments we successfully treated all known knotweed stands by foliar spraying and stem injection. The public and landowners were invaluable in providing local knowledge and pointing us toward a number of knotweed patches that were not part of our records - and often offered up their time to become volunteers and give a helping hand.
... Fun fact: Did you know that Japanese Knotweed plants in the UK are all female and therefore they cannot produce viable seeds? In order to produce viable seeds both male and female plants must be present. The only way viable seeds can currently be produced is when Japanese knotweed hybridises with Giant knotweed, which is unfortunately also found in Scotland. We will need to keep a close eye on this! Generally speaking, it is great news for us that knotweed cannot disperse its seeds down water courses, however there is high risk of the plant spreading via broken off fragments, bank collapse with plants being washed downstream, as well as spreading through its rhizomes in established patches. If you have knotweed on your property or you come across it somewhere else, please take care not to damage plant through digging, strimming or cutting nor carry fragments to new areas.
We also have Himalayan knotweed on the Ythan and the Water of Cruden – where we treated one of our biggest patches this year, 1000 square meters, in Cruden Bay.
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative Scottish Natural Heritage Heritage Lottery Fund
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative: Himalayan Balsam
In the beginning of May, we kicked off Himalayan Balsam season at Forglen with an outing for Chivas Brothers ‘Responsib’all Day’. Throughout the season our volunteers tirelessly helped to survey and actively control the pesky plant – so a big shout out to Cally, Kurt and David who worked with us along the Deveron and Ugie, the ghillies on the Deveron, and Aberdeen University Conservation Society, who cam...e out in force to remove balsam from over 4km along the Water of Cruden. We also had great support from landowners - some just finding out about balsam, others having already fought the good fight for a number of years - doing their bit and making INNS control more sustainable.
During May, June and July we pulled, strimmed and trialled other methods in the hope of becoming more efficient - and in the end we added scythes and weed whackers to our weaponry for next year. Watch your back, balsam!
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative Scottish Natural Heritage Heritage Lottery Fund
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Morison Trophy 2018 🎣
Many Congratulations to Mr Richard Breakell on winning the Morison Trophy for 2018! The Morison Trophy Committee and guest judge Mr Ian Gordon agreed unanimously that the salmon landed at Muiresk Fishings was the heaviest entry. The beautiful spring salmon (96.5cm Long and 48.2cm Girth) was estimated at 22lbs. Mr Mark Watson (pictured) skillfully assisted Mr Breakell landing and carefully returning the winning salmon.
... http://deveron.org/the-morison-trophy
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative: Giant Hogweed
In 2018 the weather enabled us to get a really good coverage of Giant Hogweed control across the whole of the Deveron, Bogie, Isla, Ythan, Ugie and Water of Cruden Rivers.
... Once again many landowners, ghillies and farmers helped magnificently by spraying the hogweed on their land and beats - something we are very grateful for! We were also supported by a number of volunteers who gave up their time to help with control on sections where no one else is controlling and this year we will have qualified 16 people to spray pesticides next to watercourses who will be able to help with our control efforts over the next few years.
Using the financial support from the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative we were able to recruit contractors to take on sections of the Isla and Bogie and Deveron and we hope to utilise contractors over the next few years in any hogweed hotspots across the catchment. A special thanks also to Alec Paterson, who worked tirelessly to find funding for a contractor to treat the Ythan hogweed this year.
Particularly exiting was the continuation of the sheep grazing trials (you may have seen the wooly munchers on the STV News), which we will be expanding in 2019 to combat a particularly infested part of the river - as well as a new landowner partnership that has been created to take control of the hogweed on the burn that runs next to their land! We’ll keep you updated – watch this space!
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative Scottish Natural Heritage Heritage Lottery Fund
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Scottish Invasive Species Initiative: The Project
This week we are putting the spotlight on the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI). A four-year partnership project, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and led by Scottish Natural Heritage, that tackles invasive non-native species along rivers and water courses in the North of Scotland. We are one of 10 Trusts that are involved in this project. Our focus is the Deveron catchment, as well as the Ythan and ...Ugie catchments.
Invasive Non-Native Species are a significant threat to our countryside, our native wildlife, our economy and in some cases directly to our health. By working at a local level with volunteers and communities, and by trialling innovative management techniques, we aim to put in place sustainable long-term solutions to invasive species management.
In March and April this year Dr Al Reeve (Deveron catchment) and Karen Müller (Ythan and Ugie catchments) joined us as Project Officers and have been working hard to survey and control Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed and American Mink. As part of this they have been working and engaging with stakeholders, volunteers and local communities.
Every day this week we will introduce an aspect of their work and the progress that has been made - keep your eyes peeled!
Have a look at our website to find out more! www.invasivespecies.scot
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Ladies and gentlemen - the moment we have all been waiting for... Friday!

Bridge of Alvah perfectly framing the autumn magic beyond - October was our favourite colour! 🍃🍁

Brothers Christoph and Stefan from Germany have been coming to fish the Deveron for the last 12 years.
“We immediately fell in love with the Deveron during our first trip in 2006. We started off 16 years ago as a fishing party comprised of 6-7 friends from 4 different countries. Each of us took a turn organising the annual fishing trip for the others – England, Ireland, Austria – and the fourth time we ended up at the Deveron. The sister of our Norwegian friend Rune lives in ...Stirling and her husband suggested the Deveron. That is how it started, ultimately these days there is just my brother Stefan and I left of the original group, but we always book our week in June. Sometimes members of the original fishing party come along and often there is new faces. For my brother and I, it is a bit like coming home when we cross the Bridge of Marnoch or Rothiemay. For us it is the river, the landscape, as well as the people – many of whom we call friends now. I don’t really want to get into the current discussion about Scottish rivers and salmon stocks, since I think we can all agree that it stems from a mix of different causes – although I feel the Trust handles it very well. Personally I regret the temporary closure of the hatchery. However, it is first and foremost a pleasure to experience the scenery and atmosphere of the Deveron. And honestly, we have always had the luck and honour to catch both salmon and seatrout.
Tight lines, Christoph & Stefan” 🎣
We hope they will be returning for a very long time!
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You meet all kinds of folk along the river Deveron. Some are more hairy than others..

Reposting this from earlier in the year, because Nathan's experience sounds like such a jolly good time!
"A Magical Trip to the River Deveron" By Nathan Krelle
...Continue reading

Meet another Father Son team, Kevin and Josh, who had a good go at Marnoch Lodge this season. The 13lbs silver fish was caught, on the 9th of April in the evening, on a Toby Kevin was spinning. It was caught in Falconers Pool and is a nice example of a typical Deveron spring fish. The other 2 fish were caught in October within 10 minutes of each other - the first was caught by Josh on a size 12 black Francis fly and was his first ever Deveron salmon on the fly, weighing 5lbs, the second was caught by Kevin 10 minutes later in the same pool on a red Francis fly and weighing 4lbs.
"We fish Marnoch regularly but it was tough going this year because of the weather and river levels, but this certainly won't stop us fishing this wonderful river! We are both looking forward to next year already!"

Quick reminder that the Morison Trophy closing date is tomorrow: Friday, 2nd of November! Make sure to get yours in on time! 🐟