Another example of U.C.A.P.A.Ltd encouraging others to break the law!!!

Please note that in the first paragraph on this page Mr Quigley almost boasts that U.C.A.P.A.Ltd had commissioned the Clyde River Foundation to carry out electro-fishing surveys above and below the S.E.P.A. Gauging Station at their expense. What Mr Quigley failed to do was get the permission of the Nethan Valley Angling Association or the riparian owners before this survey was undertaken on their behalf which is a Legal Requirement before any such electro-fishing work is carried out. If the N.V.A.A. had wished prosecutions could have been brought against the research team from the C.R.F. Quigley seems keen to do what he wants yet from listening to what others have to say it seems he will do everything in his power to stop the N.V.A.A. from electro-fishing or trying to improve the habitat for fish. we also are lead to believe that the C.R.F. were very embarrassed over this incident. The riparian owners were none to happy either we have been told.

We would also like to draw you attention to the mention of natural barriers in the Nethan causing more problems to migratory fish than the S.E.P.A. Gauging Station. We would like to know where these natural barriers are. The Nethan has 6 weirs on it three of which have either been breached or are absolutely no problem to fish. There are no waterfalls as such, and given that salmon once spawned in the Logan Water a tributary of the upper Nethan where were these natural barriers then? have they appeared overnight? Once again U.C.A.P.A. Ltd have demonstrated their total lack of knowledge of one of their most important tributaries! We know for a fact that salmon have been getting poached from the River Nethan right up to Burnfoot near to Kirkmuirhill and the first obstacle which affects them is the S.E.P.A. Gauging Station. We have also been informed that the N.V.A.A. proved salmon juveniles in the river up to 2003 at the Hawksnest Farm, Burnfoot.

If Mr Quigley is referring to the landslide in the Nethan Gorge near Crossford we have been informed that members of the N.V.A.A. monitor this on a regular basis and have expressed no calls for concern but agree that the situation could be greatly improved so how about it U.C.A.P.A why not spend your money on clearing blockages instead of wasting it on surveys which really proved nothing except the biologists might not have been sampling the right areas. We also believe that Aberdeen University carried out I.S.A. sampling at the Hawksnest site and Ross Gardiner from Labs at Pitlochry was there he could have confirmed salmon were present at the location when sampling was done and in good numbers.