River Ayr
Introduction
Ayrshire's
largest river rises at Glenbuck Reservoir on the boundary of
Ayrshire and Lanarkshire and flows westwards 63 kilometres to
its estuary at Ayr on the Firth of Clyde.
It has a catchment area of 574 sq. kilometres and its
principal tributaries include the Greenock Water, Lugar Water,
Water of Fail and Water of Coyle.
Principal land uses in the catchment area are agriculture,
forestry, mineral extraction, leisure and recreation and urban
development, the largest settlements being Ayr, Cumnock, Catrine,
Ochiltree, Muirkirk and Sorn.
Notable features include Sites of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI's) at Howford by Mauchline and the Failford Gorge, and an
opencast coal mining industry.
Fish species include salmon, sea trout, brown trout,
grayling, eel, stickleback, minnow and stone loach.
River management is undertaken by the River Ayr Salmon
Fishery Board, riparian owners and numerous angling clubs either
as riparian owners or tenants.
Key Features
- Largest river in Ayrshire.
- Large human population in middle and upper reaches, e.g.
Cumnock.
- Intensive dairy farming in lower half of catchment.
- Productive soils on Permian sandstones and Coal Measure
rocks including limestone.
- Very high conductivity levels, increasing with distance
from sea, primarily due to inputs from historic and current
mining activities.
- Industrial heritage of mining and mills e.g. Catrine.
- Several old mill structures hinder fish migration.
- Modern industry e.g. chipboard plant, opencast mines.
- Constant threat of pollution from operational and
disused coal mines.
- One of largest salmon rod catches in Ayrshire, similar
to River Doon.
- Juvenile salmonid production greatest east of Mauchline
and Cumnock in cleaner upland tributaries such as the
Greenock, Guelt and Glenmuir.
- Salmon in tributaries with altitudes over 300m, highest
reached by salmon in Ayrshire.
- Grayling population unique in Ayrshire (River Irvine
population extinct).
- Sea lampreys recorded in 2004 (may still be present in
other Ayrshire Rivers).
- Low impact of conifer forestry and acidification
compared to other Ayrshire rivers.
- ‘Source to sea’ River Ayr Walkway opened by East
Ayrshire Council in 2006.
- High scenic value in areas such as Failford Gorge SSSI,
Barskimming Estate.
- No large stillwaters in catchment, although many small
lochs stocked with rainbow trout.
Ayrshire Rivers Trust research and monitoring on the River
Ayr includes:
-
Annual
electrofishing survey on behalf of the River Ayr District
Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB) to monitor salmon fry production
in the main stem and larger tributaries as well as a
comprehensive survey of smaller tributary sites.
- Habitat survey published in 2005. This survey provided a
detailed inventory of habitat type and quality, pollution
sources, obstructions to migration as well as identifying
priority areas for habitat restoration.
- Lamprey survey as part of a national survey funded by
SNH. Sea lampreys (juvenile stage) were found in the lower
river. Other lampreys (which could be either river or brook
lampreys) are widespread throughout the catchment.
- Survey of the River Ayr grayling population completed in
2003. The survey found that grayling occurred throughout the
main stem of the River Ayr and that growth rates were good
in comparison with other rivers.
- Invertebrate surveying introduced in 2005 to compliment
other data collected at electrofishing sites.
- Monitoring of water quality parameters in July 2006
found that oxygen levels in the Lugar Water downstream of
Cumnock, were below the EU defined standards for salmonid
waters. Further investigations into this issue are planned
with SEPA.
