River Dee Kelt Reconditioning Project: EIR release

Information requested

As many details as possible - including time period for licensing, how the facility will ascertain success of the project (are fish to have their fins clipped and how will they be counted etc), and where the facility will be - for the kelt ‘reconditioning’ project which...is underway on the River Dee.

You followed this up with an amendment by email on 29 November 2024:

“I’d be much obliged if you could add in a further request for details of how much public funding this receives. I’m aware this may be indirect via a partnership with the University of Stirling, so may be quite difficult to work out, if it’s possible at all. I’m not sure about the Atlantic Salmon Trust but if they receive anything as a charity I’d like to know this too.”

I sought some clarification from you by email, dated 3 December 2024, to help me answer your request satisfactorily. In my email I signposted you to where there is project information available on the River Dee District Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB) web page in case it was of interest to you: https://riverdee.org.uk/save-the-spring/

As I received no response I emailed again on 6 December 2024 and advised you that if I did not hear back, I would interpret your request as you would like information on the below points, and respond accordingly:

(i) time period for licensing the project
(ii) how the success of the project will be ascertained (are fish to have their fins clipped and how will they be counted etc)
(iii) where the facility will be
(iv) how much public funding the Dee Kelt Reconditioning project receives
(v) how much public funding the Atlantic Salmon Trust receives
You responded on 6 December 2024 to confirm that my bullet points above more or less cover what you need. You also added that you would like to find out:
(vi) where their inspiration for this came from, and
(vii) if the Dee has decided any of the other kelt ‘reconditioning’ which take place across the globe (I currently know of two) were or are successful.

Response

The answers to your questions are provided below.
(i) The licence issued by Marine Directorate to capture Atlantic salmon for the project covered the period from 17 November 2023 to 31 January 2024.
(ii) The information held regarding how the facility will ascertain success of the project (as provided by the River Dee Board during the licensing process) is below. These are extracts from documents sent to Marine Directorate by Dee DSFB between 13 September 2023 and 6 December 2023 as part of the licence application.

“Monitoring including genetic sampling of all fish will be used to demonstrate the contribution of reintroduced fish to the future production of fish, and this information will be shared and used to adaptively conserve wild populations.”

“With detailed monitoring, we will assess contribution of this work to the Dee salmon population and adaptively manage further work. Findings will be shared with the Science Advisory Board with aim to describe best practices for potential use on other rivers.”

“We [River Dee DSFB] plan to track fish on their reintroduction to the river in order to observe their behaviour, identify which tributary they enter to spawn in, and - wherever possible - determine the specific reach where they spawn. The specific form of tracking will be decided through discussion with the Wild Salmon Strategy Science Advisory Board. Genetic and monitoring baselines will be established in treatment and control sub-catchments. Molecular techniques will be employed to investigate genetic diversity of sub-populations and attempt to demonstrate that the translocated fish spawn successfully and contribute to the population.”

“Electrofishing of juvenile fish will be employed to collect tissue samples for genetic testing and investigate the effect of reconditioning on juvenile life history characteristics.”

“A key component of this work is the monitoring to determine whether this is a suitable and successful method for conservation of salmon subpopulations. All removed kelts will be genetically sampled. In following years, juvenile fish will be surveyed for abundance and also genetically sampled to determine whether the offspring of these kelts are successful and contribute to future generations.”

“Monitoring – establishing biodiversity metrics. Review and use of existing baselines and establishment of baselines to assess habitat and fish populations restoration success. This would include water quality, temperature, and furthering the use of eDNA for biodiversity and fish monitoring.”

“This will be to determine whether this intervention is successful as a conservation tool. Genetic and monitoring baselines will be established in treatment and control sub-catchments. Molecular techniques will be employed to understand genetic diversity of sub-populations and identify changes in number of families in a given year (demonstrating how many of the translocated fish have contributed to the population). Annual electrofishing of juvenile fish will be employed to collect tissue samples for genetic testing and demonstrate number of fish present in treatment and control streams. Monitoring will be for the whole life cycle, to see whether adult returns improve”

“The comparison of responses between spring and autumn sub-stocks will be important in determining the effectiveness of this conservation method and whether in particular it is suitable to restore spring salmon which appear to be showing a stock-specific decline. For making this comparison, it is useful that both the Muick and Culter tributaries have fish counter data available, which are both installed in the lower tributaries at sites that have previously been barriers to fish migration. Both sites are also suitable for smolt trapping (which was carried out at the Muick site this spring). Both sites are also the focus of habitat restoration, and therefore capacity for salmon production should increase over time.”

(iii) Extract from email dated 12 October 2024 from Dee DSFB “The fish would be reconditioned at the University of Stirling’s aquaculture facility.”

(iv) to (vii) While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained below.

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because:

• in response to question (iv) and (v) no funding is provided by Scottish Government for the River Dee Kelt Reconditioning Project
• In response to questions (vi) and (vii) we cannot reply on behalf of the River Dee DSFB who are responsible for this project.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test.’ Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about public funding and the River Dee DSFB’s inspiration for the kelt reconditioning project, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

However, you may wish to contact the River Dee DSFB at https://riverdee.org.uk/contact/ or University of Stirling at https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/contact-us/ who may be able to help you.

Additional information provided out with the EIRs
Under regulation 9 of the EIRs (our duty to provide advice and assistance) we would like to advise you that both the River Dee DSFB and the University of Stirling are classed as Scottish public authorities and so subject to information requests in their own right under the EIRs. The Scottish Government cannot answer requests or provide information on their behalf and we suggest you contact them directly.

For more information, download the Commissioner's guidance on the bodies covered by the EIRs here: Which bodies are covered by the EIRs? See also FOI law | Scottish Information Commissioner.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.