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The Glenmuick Estate in Scotland, managed by Fisher German, has adopted an innovative approach to boost the wild salmon population – leading to a feature on BBC show Countryfile.

Airing in May, the Countryfile episode looked at the decline of wild salmon in the Scottish Highlands and visited the Glenmuick Estate to see how they are helping The Missing Salmon Project – an Atlantic Salmon Trust initiative.The salmon in the River Dee and River Muick, both flowing through the Estate, are being given a helping hand by the Estate’s deer farm.

Ian McKenzie, an associate at Fisher German who helped get the project off the ground, explained: “We were contacted by the Deeside Fisheries Board who asked if we could supply them with deer legs from Glenmuick deer farm to help with salmon conservation. I approached Glenmuick’s owner to see what he thought and he was only too happy to help. Deer legs are a waste product that butchers don’t want, so it made perfect sense to give them to the Deeside Fisheries Board to make use of them. We’re always looking for ways to help the environment, so getting involved with a project aimed at reversing the decline in Scotland’s wild salmon seemed like a worthwhile thing to do.”

Although the appearance of deer legs in the river on the Countryfile episode may have spooked a few watchers, the use of this by-product – only ever taken from the butchery process, where they would otherwise be thrown away – helps to return vital nutrients to the rivers. Juvenile salmon are able to feed on the nutrients, increasing their chances of survival and boosting the salmon population in the long term. 

Ian continued: “Everyone was very excited about the programme airing – it’s something a little bit difference and really shows the variety of services Fisher German is able to provide.”

The episode of Countryfile is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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