Shortage of rain impacts on Caithness rivers and Wick distillery
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Caithness is being affected by a shortage of rainfall with water levels in Wick River described as "disastrous" while the prolonged spell of dry weather has resulted in a temporary halt on the production of Old Pulteney whisky.
The lack of rain over several weeks has created problems for the distillery, which is owned by Inver House Distillers. The company is trying to minimise disruption and is working with the environmental regulator, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
The Pulteney lade draws water from nearby Loch Hempriggs, where levels are said to be "extremely low". It is understood this is the first time production has been halted because of low water levels since the summer of 1976.
But the low rainfall is also causing difficulties in many of the rivers in Caithness.
Ian Cormack, president of Wick Angling Association, said the drought is impacting on the fish trying to get into the river from the bay. It is also affecting the fry (young fish) who spend their first two to three years in the river. Many of them could die, he said.
The difficulties created by the lack of rain are highlighted by the number of fish being caught. By mid-August it would be expected that between 300 and 500 fish would be caught on Wick River but this year the figure is just between 20 and 30.
"The number of fish is lower than we would normally expect and is on a downward trend and that is entirely due to the drought.
"It has been a disastrous year for the river and could potentially affect it for years to come. We have had two or three dry years on the trot but nothing compared to this year. The catches over the past couple of years held up reasonably well but this season so far has fallen off the cliff-edge.
"If we get plenty rain in the next two to three weeks the numbers could recover but the situation will become worse if that does not happen. It is critical that the water levels rise by November when the fish spawn. We have had drought years before but three years one after the other is quite concerning," Mr Cormack said.
He said the problem seems to be confined to Caithness with water levels in rivers south of the Ord being "reasonably good".
The rivers in Wick, Thurso, Forss, Dunbeath and Berriedale are being affected, Mr Cormack said, although he stressed there has not been a lot of diseased fish in the Wick river.
But he added: "If we keep getting summer droughts over the next five, six, seven years there will be a serious effect on the river."
Mr Cormack said the low rainfall is impacting on Loch Watten where the water is "very discoloured" which is harmless to the fish but impacting on the fishing.
Stan Ogrodnik, secretary of the Thurso Angling Association, said there has been low waters levels in the river for the past six to eight weeks with the section from the salmon pool to the Ellan Bridge now closed. Some fish are getting in to the river on the tide but can get stressed when the tide goes back out.
"This year is the most severe I have seen. The river has been low before but not so severe that part of it has had to be closed. We have had a very poor season so far at Thurso. Since May only 33 fish have been caught. In a normal year that figure would be between 200 and 300 fish by now and up to 400 a year in the mile-and-a-half of association water," he said.
Around 1700 fish would usually be caught on the 25 miles of the River Thurso.
"When we have plenty water the fishing is good but when we have no water it is not good. The low water has also affected the trout fishing. Rain is the answer but we have had no decent rainfall since April," Mr Ogrodnik added.
