2023 Season Report

PUBLISHED: 19/03/24

Once again, Bob and his team have produced an extremely informative Annual Report which demonstrates
how much excellent work is being carried out for the good of our river.

2023 was another disappointing year from the point of view of the catch statistics. At a total of 818
salmon and grilse, this continues the downward trend which is of great concern to us all.

At the AGM in August, we had a presentation about Saprolegnia from Professor Pieter van West. Over
the past two years, we have had two major outbreaks of this disease in the Findhorn which has killed
several hundred adult fish. Professor van West confirmed that there is a new variant of the disease which
is far more deadly than before. I believe this poses a very serious threat to our future salmon stocks.
The Board has agreed to help fund research into this disease. A total of £10,000 over four years towards
the cost of this research will be contributed from our reserves.

I encourage you to follow the work of the Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie River Trust which has started a
massive project to promote biodiversity and community involvement across the entire catchment area.
To sign up to their mailing list, click on the following link www.fnlrt.org.uk/contact . In particular you
might like to read about the Findhorn Watershed Initiative.

My thanks go to Sean and Alister for all the excellent work they do and in particular for their willingness
to learn new skills. Also, to Elise Cox for her continued dedication to the removal of non-native species
and to Bob and Clare who manage everything from day to day so effectively and efficiently.

Anthony Laing
(Chair)