Within weeks of the Easter Beltie restoration works finishing at least 15 redds have appeared!

With no records of redds here for at least the past 20 years and probably none since the river was straightened in the 1860s these redds are truly great news. While there is still limited vegetation cover the fish themselves are keeping out of sight with just a few seen, however there are at least 15 redds made by both salmon and sea trout. As the site matures hopefully more fish will take advantage of the spawning a take up residence in the reach... and then come back to spawn themselves!

Take a glimpse of one of the redds on this video and see the team from cbec eco engineering plotting their precise location.

The site near Torphins has just undergone a massive regeneration project which has changed the canalised section into a more natural, meandering river. The aim of the work was to improve the habitat for fish and other wildlife whilst also allowing the river to expand and contract during periods of high water.

The number of redds appearing upstream of the site is similiar this year to previous years and so the indications are that more fish have chosen the beltie to spawn - and we hope that we have provided good habitat for the fry and parr to thrive.

The restoration was funded by the Biodiversity Challenge Fund. Find out more about the work here: https://www.deepartnership.org/project/easter-beltie-restoration/

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