River Management

Galloway Fisheries Trust

The Galloway Fisheries Trust is a Scottish registered charity (No. SC020751) which was formed in 1988 by the four local District Salmon Fisheries Boards in the South West of Scotland wishing to understand more about why some local fisheries had problems and how to address these.

Since the early days the GFT has gone from strength to strength, and now works across most of Dumfries and Galloway's rivers and still waters, including the Border Esk. The GFT has six fulltime members of staff who are suitably qualified and experienced to deliver an extensive work programme to protect and enhance local fish stocks, their habitats and water quality.

The core river catchments on which GFT complete most of their work are the six river catchments covered by this angling website: the River Luce, River Bladnoch, River Cree, Water of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire Dee and River Urr.

The aim of the GFT is to restore and maintain aquatic biodiversity in Galloway by means of practical, responsible and sustainable approaches to land, water and fishery management, based on sound science, for the benefit of the community as a whole. These objectives are achieved through providing specialised advice, education initiatives, undertaking focussed research programmes and completing practical works to protect and enhance native fish stocks across local freshwaters. Present GFT work programmes include:

More information

To find out more about the work of the GFT please check their website and in particular the 'news' section which gives up to date reports on all GFT projects, or contact GFT as detailed below:

Telephone: 01671 40 3011

Mobile: 07740 771 303

Fax: 01671 402248

E-mail: Email Us

Website: www.gallowayfisheriestrust.org

Present work programmes:

• Celtic Sea Trout Project - researching sea trout to understand more about their ecology, pressures they face and how to enhance stocks.
• Controlling Non-Native Invasive plant species - an extensive control programme is working to eradicate Japanese knotweed and Giant hogweed in close proximity to all watercourses.
• Liming work - a programme of liming trials is being completed on the headwaters of the High Cree and the Water of Fleet to investigate their effectiveness at combatting acidification problems.
• Habitat restoration is a key element of GFT work. Annual work programmes are undertaken across all Galloway Rivers to address any man-made barriers blocking fish access, improve spawning beds, create better quality juvenile fish habitat and fence off heavily grazed banksides.
• Encouraging greater levels of 'catch and release' by anglers during key sensitive times of year e.g. spring salmon and gravid backend hen fish.