Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland

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River Forth Meander1.jpg
River Forth
River Spey River Spey.jpg
River Spey
River Don near Alford River Don near Alford.jpg
River Don near Alford
River Clyde Wfm river clyde.jpg
River Clyde

The Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS) (also known as the Association of Scottish River & Fishery Management Trusts) is a waterway society, an unincorporated association, a Scottish charity, and an umbrella organisation for river trusts in Scotland, based in Edinburgh.

A Waterway society is a society, association, charitable trust, club, trust or "Friends" group involved in the restoration, preservation, use and enjoyment of waterways, e.g. a canal, river, navigation or other waterway, and their associated buildings and structures, e.g. locks, tunnels, etc.

Scotland country in Northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain, with a border with England to the southeast, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast, the Irish Sea to the south, and more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

Charitable organization non-profit organization with a charitable purpose

A charitable organization or charity is a non-profit organization (NPO) whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being.

RAFTS is the representative of all of Scotland's river systems. It develops Codes of Conduct and educational opportunities.

The work of RAFTS includes research, monitoring, conservation, education, training, practical restoration work, and provision of advice to fishery and riparian owners.

Research formal work undertaken systematically to increase the stock of knowledge

Research comprises "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications." It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories. A research project may also be an expansion on past work in the field. Research projects can be used to develop further knowledge on a topic, or in the example of a school research project, they can be used to further a student's research prowess to prepare them for future jobs or reports. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole. The primary purposes of basic research are documentation, discovery, interpretation, or the research and development (R&D) of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches to research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, economic, social, business, marketing, practitioner research, life, technological, etc.

Education Learning in which knowledge and skills is transferred through teaching

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators and also learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.

Training Acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of teaching

Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of technology. In addition to the basic training required for a trade, occupation or profession, observers of the labor-market recognize as of 2008 the need to continue training beyond initial qualifications: to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout working life. People within many professions and occupations may refer to this sort of training as professional development.

RAFTS works with schools, local authorities, biodiversity action groups, public bodies, government bodies, businesses, private individuals, fishery owners, anglers and district salmon fishery boards.

Biodiversity Variety and variabiity of life forms

Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity typically measures variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Terrestrial biodiversity is usually greater near the equator, which is the result of the warm climate and high primary productivity. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth, and is richest in the tropics. These tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10 percent of earth's surface, and contain about 90 percent of the world's species. Marine biodiversity is usually highest along coasts in the Western Pacific, where sea surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans. There are latitudinal gradients in species diversity. Biodiversity generally tends to cluster in hotspots, and has been increasing through time, but will be likely to slow in the future.

A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, often a state.

Fisherman someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish

A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish.

List of members:

See also

Related Research Articles

Salmon Family of fish related to trout

Salmon is the common name for several species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. Other fish in the same family include trout, char, grayling and whitefish. Salmon are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Many species of salmon have been introduced into non-native environments such as the Great Lakes of North America and Patagonia in South America. Salmon are intensively farmed in many parts of the world.

This page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation in the United Kingdom.

River Don, Aberdeenshire river in north-east Scotland


The River Don is a river in north-east Scotland. It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce. Its main tributary, the River Ury, joins at Inverurie.

River Tay river in Scotland

The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui, then flows easterly across the Highlands, through Loch Dochart, Loch Iubhair and Loch Tay, then continues east through Strathtay, in the centre of Scotland, then southeasterly through Perth, where it becomes tidal, to its mouth at the Firth of Tay, south of Dundee. It is the largest river in the UK by measured discharge. Its catchment is approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 km2), the Tweed's is 1,500 square miles (3,900 km2) and the Spey's is 1,097 square miles (2,840 km2).

Loch Morar freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland

Loch Morar is a freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch by surface area in Scotland, at 26.7 km2 (10.3 sq mi), and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum depth of 310 m (1,017 ft). The loch was created by glacial action around 10,000 years ago, and has a surface elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level. It separates the traditional district of North Morar, from Arisaig and Moidart

Atlantic salmon species of fish

The Atlantic salmon is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean, in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and, due to human introduction, in the north Pacific Ocean. Atlantic salmon have long been the target of recreational and commercial fishing, and this, as well as habitat destruction, has reduced their numbers significantly; the species is the subject of conservation efforts in several countries.

A water bailiff is a law-enforcement officer responsible for the policing of bodies of water, such as a river, lake or coast. The position has existed in many jurisdictions throughout history.

Scottish Inland Waterways Association organization

The Scottish Inland Waterways Association (SIWA) was a registered charity and association of canal societies and individual canal enthusiasts in Scotland.

The Rivers Trust waterway society

The Rivers Trust (RT) is a waterway society and registered charity No. 1107144, and an umbrella organisation for trusts concerned with rivers in England and Wales. The Association's headquarters are in Callington, Cornwall.

Fish Legal based at Leominster, Herefordshire, is a membership association that uses the law to protect fish stocks and the rights of its members throughout the UK. It was founded in 1948 as the Anglers Cooperative Association (ACA), but changed its name in 1994 to Anglers Conservation Association.

Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link) brings together voluntary organisations in the UK to protect and enhance wildlife, landscape and the marine environment and to further the quiet enjoyment and appreciation of the countryside. Link currently has 49 members who collectively employ 9,600 full-time staff, have the help of 170,000 volunteers and the support of over 8 million people in the UK. Members are united by their common interest in the conservation and enjoyment of the natural and historic environment.

Strathdevon is the strath of the River Devon in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Strathdevon is associated with the parish of Muckhart and was up until 1971 the southernmost tip of Perthshire.

Environmental issues with salmon

Salmon population levels are of concern in the Atlantic and in some parts of the Pacific. Salmon fishery stocks are still abundant, and catches have been on the rise in recent decades, after the state initiated limitations in 1972. Some of the most important Alaskan salmon sustainable wild fisheries are located near the Kenai River, Copper River, and in Bristol Bay. Fish farming of Pacific salmon is outlawed in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone, however, there is a substantial network of publicly funded hatcheries, and the State of Alaska's fisheries management system is viewed as a leader in the management of wild fish stocks. In Canada, returning Skeena River wild salmon support commercial, subsistence and recreational fisheries, as well as the area's diverse wildlife on the coast and around communities hundreds of miles inland in the watershed. The status of wild salmon in Washington is mixed. Out of 435 wild stocks of salmon and steelhead, only 187 of them were classified as healthy; 113 had an unknown status, 1 was extinct, 12 were in critical condition and 122 were experiencing depressed populations.

Canal & River Trust charitable trust that looks after the waterways of England and Wales

Canal & River Trust was launched on 12 July 2012, taking over the guardianship of British Waterways canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks in England and Wales.

Jeffrey A. Hutchings is a Canadian-born fisheries scientist, Professor of Biology, and Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Chair in Fish, Fisheries, and Oceans at Dalhousie University. He is well known for his work on the evolution of fish life histories and on the collapse, recovery, and sustainable harvesting of marine fishes. In addition to being Chair of a 2012 Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel on Marine Biodiversity, he chaired Canada's national science body responsible, by law, for advising the Canadian federal Minister of the Environment on species at risk of extinction. Past-President and Co-Founder of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2015. In 2017, he was awarded the international A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences. He was elected Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 2018.

Juvenile fish young salmon

Juvenile fish go through various stages between birth and adulthood. They start as eggs which hatch into larvae. The larvae are not able to feed themselves, and carry a yolk-sac which provides their nutrition. Before the yolk-sac completely disappears, the tiny fish must become capable of feeding themselves. When they have developed to the point where they are capable of feeding themselves, the fish are called fry. When, in addition, they have developed scales and working fins, the transition to a juvenile fish is complete and it is called a fingerling. Fingerlings are typically about the size of fingers. The juvenile stage lasts until the fish is fully grown, sexually mature and interacting with other adult fish.

The Angling Trust, based at Leominster, Herefordshire, is an organisation formed from the merger of six angling authorities to form a single and more powerful organisation for the benefit of anglers. The body oversees the development of angling for three disciplines — coarse, sea, and game fishing. The Angling Trust was set up to promote anglers' rights, fish conservation, preservation of habitat and fish and angler welfare.

Lindsay Margaret Laird was a British biologist who was influential in the development of the aquaculture of salmon and other fishes through her research, teaching and the books that she produced. She defined the standards for Organic Farmed Salmon, and introduced quality assurance labelling for farmed salmon.

Kenneth Arthur Pyefinch, MA, FRSE (1911–1979) was a 20th-century British zoologist and freshwater biologist. As its first Officer in Charge, he led the development of the Brown Trout Research Laboratory in Pitlochry into its establishment as the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory with a national and international reputation for research.