I
Ian Cloke
Guest
Fishing just for birds on top loch in Scotland
SCOTLAND'S top angling loch will no longer be stocked or used for international competitions after protected cormorants devastated stocks of brown trout.
Jamie Montgomery, the owner of Kinross Estate has announced that he will no longer stock Loch Leven, and has cut the number of fishing boats by 80 per cent.
Last year, about 100,000 fish were introduced, but a recent survey found that cormorants were eating between 42,000 and 123,000 trout every year. Up to 700 cormorants have been counted on the loch in winter, feeding mainly on trout.
Now, just six boats will be allowed on the Perthshire loch after Loch Leven Fisheries, announced losses of ?500,000 over the last five years.
Next season, Loch Leven, which hosts the Scottish National Fly-fishing Championship finals, the world's oldest national fly-fishing event, will revert to being a naturally-stocked water.
The move has caused dismay among the 30,000-strong Scottish Anglers' National Association.
Ronnie Picken, the president of the association, said: "Loch Leven has been the home of stillwater fly-fishing in Scotland and the venue for competitions and national and international championships for well over 100 years. Obviously, it can no longer be considered as a venue."
SCOTLAND'S top angling loch will no longer be stocked or used for international competitions after protected cormorants devastated stocks of brown trout.
Jamie Montgomery, the owner of Kinross Estate has announced that he will no longer stock Loch Leven, and has cut the number of fishing boats by 80 per cent.
Last year, about 100,000 fish were introduced, but a recent survey found that cormorants were eating between 42,000 and 123,000 trout every year. Up to 700 cormorants have been counted on the loch in winter, feeding mainly on trout.
Now, just six boats will be allowed on the Perthshire loch after Loch Leven Fisheries, announced losses of ?500,000 over the last five years.
Next season, Loch Leven, which hosts the Scottish National Fly-fishing Championship finals, the world's oldest national fly-fishing event, will revert to being a naturally-stocked water.
The move has caused dismay among the 30,000-strong Scottish Anglers' National Association.
Ronnie Picken, the president of the association, said: "Loch Leven has been the home of stillwater fly-fishing in Scotland and the venue for competitions and national and international championships for well over 100 years. Obviously, it can no longer be considered as a venue."