PART 2: Leaping Across Time: Salmon, Heritage, and the Fight for Survival
Eilidh-Ann Phillips has been working with the community in Strontian to repopulate the river
In the very heart of our community, where the Strontian River twists and dances through the landscape, a light of collective ambition and care for our salmon shines strong. This is a story of resilience, of a river that refuses to be silenced, and of a community that has been acting as a custodian of their natural heritage.
A critical realisation was reached a few years ago, when the Lochaber Fisheries Trust, using modern techniques of electrofishing and genetic sampling, laid bare a harsh truth – the native salmon in this river were teetering on the edge of “virtual extinction”, their presence in the waters so diminished they were nearly lost to the area forever.
This revelation spurred the community and its allies into a fervent campaign. The Strontian Angling Association, side by side with the Sunart Community Company, took up a mantle - to breathe life back into the river's native salmon, which once thrived here in abundance.
Embracing this challenge, resources were pooled and determination to build a hatchery realised. This hatchery was to prove the cradle for the future of the river’s salmon, where eggs taken from the few remaining native stock were tended with a gentle, yet determined hand, growing from delicate beginnings to strong, lively fry. With the arrival of spring last year, and the years preceeding saw a season of rebirth and new beginnings, around 30,000 of these younglings were returned to the Strontian River.
Participating in this cycle of renewal, helping to release the salmon fry each May, has been a rewarding task for our High Life Highland Senior Ranger, Eilidh-Ann Phillips. There has been a rich sense of purpose and indeed optimism to the release, knowing that it is a step towards rebalancing a depleted ecosystem.
This stitch in time - which connected past and future, re-affirmed the deep bond between members of the community and the wilderness around them.
Partnerships can accomplish so much when we stand together for a common aim. The Strontian community have been united by a common dream of restoring their natural inheritance and protecting it for those who will come after us.
The gleaming leap of salmon, will we home, once again become as commonplace natural spectacle in these waters, as it was always meant to be.
Read more on this long term project here:
Eilidh-Ann Phillips has been a countryside ranger in the wild, captivating expanse of West Lochaber since 1996. Now, as the High Life Highland Senior Ranger for South Highland, she is integral to a vibrant network that connects communities and schools to the nature, inspiring a collective appreciation for wildlife and heritage. Under her guidance, a passionate team of rangers across South Highland is dedicated to conserving the region's stunning beauty and wilderness, nurturing the next generation of guardians for the area’s breathtaking landscapes.