TCV Inverness have been busy this week removing rhododendrons from the banks of the Dublin Burn a tributary to the river Averon which flows into the Cromarty Firth through the Ardross Estate.
It is important to remove the rhododendrons from the banks to allow the fish to breed along the Dublin Burn. As rhododendrons are a non-native species they do not have competitors enabling them to grow freely and cover the water ways, thereby stopping the salmon from getting to their breeding grounds.
The project along the banks of the river Averon is being carried out in partnership with the Cromarty Fisheries Trust with the aim of sustaining and improving salmon populations.
This project is not just important for the salmon but for the wider food chain in the Highlands as the salmon are part of a larger ecosystem including birds and marine species, including the dolphins which feed in the Moray and Cromarty Firth.
Chris Kerr
