River Stinchar

Introduction

The River Stinchar has its headwaters in the Carrick Forest to the north of the Galloway Forest Park, only one kilometre from the source of the River Girvan. It has a main drainage course of 54km and initially flows north but for the majority of its length flows south-west via Barr, Pinwherry and Colmonell, finally entering the sea at Ballantrae.

The river has a catchment area of 253 sq km, which includes the main tributaries of the Muck Water, the River Duisk and the Water of Tig. The upper reaches of nearly all the tributaries have experienced rapid forestry development over the past twenty years. Forestry and agriculture are the main land uses in the Stinchar catchment which has a low human population density and very little heavy industry.

River management is carried out by the River Stinchar Salmon Fishery Board with advice and assistance from ART and in cooperation with private riparian owners.

Major initiatives introduced in the last ten years:

• The appointment of a part-time bailiff with voluntary assistants
• In the summer of 1990 an annual survey programme was started by the Galloway Fisheries Trust to examine juvenile fish populations in the river
• In each subsequent year action to improve the habitat for young fish
• In 1993-1994 new holding pools were created and a habitat survey was undertaken in every feeder burn on the upper Stinchar
• Crown Estates netting stations at the mouth of the river were bought out in 1994-5
• A four-year programme, implemented in 1996 which included pool creation, fence erection to exclude stock from riverbanks, deciduous tree planting and the removal of barriers in burns used for spawning.

• In 1997 a ban on prawn and shrimp fishing was introduced
• Since 1998 there has been no ring netting in the estuary
• In 1999 a voluntary policy of catch and release for all hen fish caught in October
• A programme of log and Christmas tree bank protection was introduced in 2000
• A hatchery was opened on the river in 2000, with capacity for approximately 100,000 eggs. Local fish have been carefully stripped since then and planted out as unfed fry into underused areas of the catchment
• The importance of redd washout in unstable gravel banks was examined in an ART survey in winter 2002/3.
• In 2003 annual monitoring studies of freshwater fish populations started by Ayrshire Rivers Trust
• A detailed habitat survey of the whole catchment was carried out by ART biologists in 2003
• Schools in the catchment are regularly visited and taught about freshwater biology and salmon conservation as part of the Trust’s Salmon in the Classroom project.

Fish Populations

Fish species found in the Stinchar include salmon, sea trout, brown trout, eel, mullet, flounder, stickleback, minnow, sea lamprey, river lamprey and brook lamprey. Catch data is limited, but shows that the total salmon catch from the river has declined since peaking in the late 1960s. The decline was particularly rapid from 1990-1999. The river now accounts for under a quarter of the salmon catch in the four District Salmon Fishery Board areas (Ayr, Doon, Girvan and Stinchar).
Throughout the 1950s and 60s the sea trout rod catch was also particularly healthy, although this has also dramatically declined, with sea trout rod catches now at an all time low. The huge number of returning fish in the 1960s suggests that the river may well be capable of producing a greater number of salmon and sea trout than it currently does.

Survey results from 2003 show that of all the major rivers in Ayrshire, the Stinchar supports the highest population densities of juvenile salmon and trout. The number of eels found in annual surveys is also notable, at a time when this species is also facing decline across its range. This is likely to be linked to the low level of urban and industrial development in the catchment, which has meant that habitat and water quality in the Stinchar is generally good, although there are still a number of problems to be addressed.

Habitat quality

A detailed habitat survey was completed to full industry standard in 2003, which will help ensure that restoration projects provide maximum benefit to the fish and other wildlife in the Stinchar system.

The survey clearly shows that main impacts on river habitat quality in the Stinchar are commercial coniferous plantations, intensive livestock farming and riverbed excavation. Forestry has resulted in acidification in the headwaters, and more rapid water runoff due to an increased number of drainage channels. Although the Stinchar has always been a spate river due to the steep nature of its catchment, flash floods are increasingly common. These have degraded instream and riparian habitat, and transported large amounts of potential spawning gravel downstream.

Several areas of the upper Stinchar, Duisk River and smaller tributaries have been affected by livestock grazing, which has resulted in extensive bank erosion and siltation. This has reduced spawning gravel quality, and instream cover for fry and parr. ART has produced a detailed analysis of areas which require bankside fencing and tree planting, and is currently working with landowners and farming groups such as FWAG to help the River Stinchar District Salmon Fishery Board improve the worst affected areas.

Compared with other Ayrshire rivers, there are few large point sources of pollution on the Stinchar. However, potential hazards created by farming include sheep dip pens near burns, farm drains and silage pits. Much of the lower Stinchar valley has been dominated by dairy farming including improved pasture for grazing and silage production. In many places improved bankside fencing would help protect the river from agricultural pollution. Other problems include septic tank overflows, as few rural dwellings in the region are linked to mains sewerage.

The lower Stinchar contains no serious obstructions to fish movement, although some fairly large rock weirs have been created for angling purposes. Obstructions on the Duisk include bridge aprons in poor condition, collapsed farm gates and waterfalls. There are waterfalls in the upper reaches of most tributaries on the Stinchar and many steep sections which run down through gorges. The Stinchar Falls, for instance, appear to be impassable upstream. Stocking into some of these inaccessible areas has been carried out in recent years to try and boost production, and this is likely to continue on an annual basis.