Charitable funding saves historic dam in West Harris

Fincastle Dam, which was on the brink of collapse a year ago, is now restored to its former glory thanks to support from The Wild Salmonid Support Fund.

Background 

The community of West Harris is in a celebratory mood this Summer as its vision to restore a historic wild fisheries habitat has finally become a reality. Fincastle Dam, which comprises the western bank of Loch Fincastle, was built in the 1890’s and is an integral feature of the West Harris landscape and ecology. It supports an important wild salmon fishery whose spawning grounds are up the Laxdale River.   

After 120 years in operation, the Fincastle Dam wall sprung a significant leak in the summer of 2020. The water level of the loch dropped until it was so low that salmon couldn’t reach the small waterfall to reach the river to spawn. The entire wild salmon ecosystem was under threat and there was a fear that the fisheries would collapse if urgent action wasn’t taken.  

In recognition of the value of Fincastle to the local community, West Harris Trust partnered with Borve Lodge Estate to apply for funding to contribute to the cost of repair from the Wild Salmonid Support Fund. Representing a partnership between Salmon Scotland and Fisheries Management Scotland, the fund is a 5-year programme that will see £1.5 million invested by Salmon Scotland to support the status of wild salmon and sea trout stocks in Scottish rivers and enhance wild fisheries. In May 2022, the project was awarded £35,000.00 by a decision-making panel made up of experts in wild fisheries as well as aquaculture.  

 

Project 

With another Summer of dry weather expected, work quickly commenced to save Fincastle Dam from ruin. In July 2022, a specialist team travelled from Glasgow to drive 4m long interlocking sheet piles down the turf centre of the dam wall. The 20-ton vehicle proceeded onto the estuary sands at low tide and manoeuvred the piles into place. The dam now has a steel spine down its centre which has assured the integrity of the dam wall for many decades to come. The top of the wall will be bolstered with topsoil and turf to cover the protruding steel, and the landscape will be restored to blend in with its surroundings. Quick intervention from all parties ensured that the leak was fixed, and the Fincastle Dam can now continue to support wild fisheries for future generations.  

 

Impact 

Keen to celebrate the success of their repair work, West Harris Trust and Borve Lodge Estate held a community fishing day at the dam in August 2022. This interactive event was open to all ages and provided angling demonstrations, games and an information point which showcased the repair work. 40 people from the local community were in attendance and the day proved to be a great opportunity to educate those on wild fisheries and celebrate the beautiful landscape of West Harris.  

Looking to the future, the Fincastle dam will continue to play an important role in the island’s ecosystem as well as its local heritage. This project is just one example of the ways in which The Wild Salmonid Support Fund is helping communities to restore wild fisheries habitats across Scotland. 

West Harris Trust and Borve Lodge Estate extend their thanks to The Wild Salmonid Support Fund for enabling the successful implementation of this project:  

 

“Working on this project has been very rewarding for both West Harris Trust and Borve Lodge Estate and will certainly lead to closer collaboration in the future. For the present, we will build on the Open Day and work together to offer some free Saturday fishing lessons for the community at Fincastle ongoingly over the course of each fishing season.  

The Wild Salmonid Support Fund offers a real opportunity for struggling fisheries in Scotland to protect and improve their precious wild salmon ecosystems and build community ties in the process.”

 

Cathra Kelliher, Borve Lodge Estate