Brown trout found in the Pow Burn

Ayrshire Rivers Trust staff have often been told about the good trout that used to be found in the Pow Burn, which flows into the sea near to Prestwick airport, but until today we had never carried out a survey in the burn. To rectify that situation one site was surveyed in the middle reaches where 3 brown trout were found along with other fish species such as eels, sticklebacks and stone loach. The trout were in very good condtion. A few scales were taken from the fish pictured and it was found to be one and a half years old. The trout was 219mm long, exceptionally good growth for a fish of that age.

It is very pleasing to see that there are still trout present in the burn, albeit at low density. The Pow Burn has a purely agricultural catchment but many stretches of the burn are in good condtion. If further improvements were to be implemented within the catchment the Pow Burn could provide high quality habitat for a range of species.