The Top Ten in Hebridean Wildlife!

Wild Atlantic Salmon

Wild Atlantic Salmon (salmo salar), can be found in most cool, clean rivers with unrestricted access to the sea in the Northern hemisphere. However, although at one time they occupied almost every river in Britain and much of Northern Europe, man's impact on their freshwater environment has meant that far fewer rivers in the UK now contain significant numbers of salmon.

Salmon are treasured by some because of their value as a sporting game fish, by others as excellent eating, but more importantly they are a part of our heritage, a natural national resource for all - not just those who fish for them.

The Hebrides has long been revered among anglers for its wild salmon fishing. In fact the record bag for any one season was in 1925 where the Grimersta estate in Uig on the Isle of Lewis recorded 2,276 salmon, 591 sea trout and 271 brown trout caught. This is quite staggering for a spate river. Amazingly a Mr Naylor caught 57 salmon to his own rod in one day on the same river a few years earlier.

In the islands, nearly all the adult salmon return in the summer months from June through to September. The vast majority are known as grilse, which is an angling term that means they have only spent one winter-feeding at sea. Larger salmon that may have spent two or more winters at sea are uncommon here.

The salmon will remain in shoals roaming around the bays and sea lochs until they enter freshwater. Visitors can often see salmon leaping as they drive along coastal roads so if you do see that splash out of the corner of your eye, best chances are that in June or July it is a salmon finding it's way home.

They require rainfall and the subsequent high river levels in order to ascend the small steep rivers that predominate throughout the Hebrides. In periods of dry weather that frequently coincide with the return of the summer salmon, they cannot enter freshwater. Once it rains, however, large numbers enter nearly all the rivers and streams and ascend until they either find a nice deep pool or a loch to rest in until they spawn in the autumn. Any loch that has an obvious river or stream that flows to the sea will have some salmon in. Some have more prolific runs than others but if you stop for a picnic near such a loch you should see salmon leaping from time to time in the late summer months. Many visitors to the Hebrides come just to watch the salmon leaping falls! The reason why they ascend our rivers is for reproduction purposes, amazingly for the five or six months spent in freshwater until they do spawn they do not eat anything at all!!

Throughout the year they also change their livery so you will see a bright sparkling silver jewel leaping in June but by October a bright red or dark brown is the flash that catches the corner of your eye. Keep coming back to Wildlife Hebrides find out why!!!