Spey Catchment Initiative

30/04/2026

Projects like Allt Lorgy continue to inspire and inform people.😁💚

Thousands of people have visited our award winning Allt Lorgy project in the past 14 years - showing how a project's impact often extends beyond the visible ecological and hydrological benefits.🌳

The site is as popular as ever with universities, schools and environmental professionals keen to see how the river has evolved following an early 'stage zero' approach to restoration - allowing the previously dredged and embanked river to reconnect to its floodplain and begin to charter its own course.

Last week a group of students from Queen Mary University of London were out studying the Allt Lorgy for their Fragile Environments module last week and the weather could not have been better!

Dr Hamish Moir from CBEC eco-engineering UK & EuropeLtd, responsible for designing and implementing the restoration work, joined to talk about the restoration process and the increasing dynamism of the river.

With thousands of visitors to date, the Allt Lorgy continues to showcase what can be achieved with minimal targeted intervention and letting the river take care of the rest, inspiring the next generation of river restoration practioners.🥳

Read more about this project here: https://speycatchment.org/projects/allt-lorgy-river-restoration-project/

09/04/2026

We're delighted to welcome Steve Blow to the SCI team as our new Nature Restoration Officer!😁🌿

Steve brings over 35 years of conservation experience to the role, and SCI, most recently as Delivery Manager at Cairngorms Connect — where he supported habitat restoration across 60,000 hectares of the Cairngorms.

In his new role, he will be working to deliver catchment scale riverbank and in-river restoration projects – collaborating with landowners, communities and partners to enhance and restore the health of the River Spey and its tributaries.

Steve knows the Spey catchment well, lives within it, and is ready to get stuck in.

Join us in welcoming Steve to the team.😊

Read more here: https://speycatchment.org/welcoming-steve-to-the-sci-team/

01/04/2026

Tree-nforcements have arrived!🌳🌱😁

Over the past few weeks we have been back out on the River Truim, adding another 2000 trees (alder, rowan and downy birch) to those planted along the river this time last year.

We've increased the number of tubes to protect the young saplings from browsing as traditional fencing options are not viable on this dynamic floodplain. The tubes also create a microclimate increasing survival rates during last summer's drought.

We will continue to monitor the site and will be back to remove the tubes as soon as the trees are ready to survive on their own. As the trees grow, their leaf litter will provide vital nutrients for freshwater invertebrates, providing food for Atlantic salmon, dippers and lots of other aquatic species. 😉

13/03/2026

UPDATE: We have published all of the final reports produced during our Allt Mor Erosion Scar Investigation (please have a read).

These reports are now available to download from our website, ahead of our final consultation event next week.

The event is on Thursday 19th March from 7 – 8:30pm at Talla Nan Ross in Kingussie (please come along!).

The reports, and more information about the investigation, can be found here:

SCI received funding, via the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, to investigate how erosion scars on the Allt Mor, a tributary of the River Spey, contribute to sediment build-up and flooding in Kingussie. With the imminent conclusion of the investigation, we have summarised our approac...

04/03/2026

We’re really excited to announce that this incredible landscape, in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains, will be the location for one of our new riparian tree planting projects. 😁

And work on this project is starting this week!!!🙌

This is the Dorback Burn. Rising in the Braes of Abernethy, it flows north through open moorland and farmland before joining the River Nethy just above Nethy Bridge. From there, the water meanders through woodland and farmland along the Nethy before entering the River Spey above Grantown-on-Spey.

As you can see, like many upland rivers, the Dorback Burn currently lacks tree cover and the many benefits that riparian woodland provides — from shade and cooler water for fish, leaf litter kickstarting aquatic food chains, to habitat for birds, insects and mammals, and improved riverbank stability.💚

We will be planting trees along a small section of this burn in the coming weeks, so watch out for more project update!🌱🌳😉

02/03/2026

Next Kingussie Community Consultation - Concluding the Allt Mor Erosion Scar Investigation

We will be holding a third and final consultation event on Thursday 19th March from 7 – 8:30pm at Talla Nan Ross in Kingussie for the community and interested parties to hear about and discuss the final stages of our investigation.

We will be sharing the final ecological and technical surveys from our study before the consultation, so keep an eye out for those on our social media and website.

To find out more about the event and our investigation, see here: https://speycatchment.org/projects/allt-mor-investigation

Kingussie News and Events

11/02/2026

Our large woody structures are helping Atlantic Salmon.😁🎉

Last week we teamed up with Atticus Albright, the Head Biologist at our partners, the Spey Fishery Board, to return to our large woody structures (LWS) in the headwaters of the Spey.

Our first impressions were great - with a clear increase in channel diversity.

What else did we see?🧐

1. Deep pools have formed upstream of the structures - great news for juvenile salmon, trout and invertebrates, as the deep pools act as a cooler refuge in summer months.❄️

2. Some, but not all, of the structures had helped create shallow areas of gravel with faster water flowing over them. These are known as riffles and are a great location for spawning salmon to lay their eggs - another win.👍

3. Due to the number of LWS, 65 in total, it was clear they had collectively made a significant difference to this stretch of river. 📈

With wild Atlantic Salmon in crisis, and our rivers under increasing pressure from climate change, projects of this scope and scale can make a real short-term difference.😁

08/01/2026

A little snow and -10 degree temperatures are no match for our team.❄️🙌

After a long Christmas holidays and starting off the new year working from home, we were all very keen to get into the office today. 😂 Nothing beats getting into the same room to catch up in person!

They even took the time to clear the steps up to Grantown Townhouse so that others can get in too.😁

06/01/2026

🥳☃️Happy New Year from Speyside winter wonderland!!!🌨️😁

We reckon this is one of the longest periods of snowfall we have experienced in many years (perhaps since 2010?).

While weather like this can be challenging for people and communities, sustained snowfall is actually good for the River Spey and the wider catchment. In winters past, the Cairngorms and Monadhliath Mountains regularly experienced prolonged snow cover, which acts as a natural, temporary reservoir — storing water and releasing it slowly as meltwater through spring and early summer.

This gradual release is vital for maintaining river baseflows later in the year and helping to lower water temperatures, which is important for lots of wildlife including Atlantic salmon.🌡️

Only time will tell how long this snow will stay on the mountains. Lets hope it's sticking around, for the sake of our skiers, snowboarders and river!😁⛷️

18/12/2025

Looking back, we got a lot done in 2025!😁

Over the past 12 months we delivered four new planting projects, held workshops, consultation events, said hello to a new colleague and started to scope a number of exciting projects which we will continue to develop next year.🌱

It was our busiest year to date.

Have a look through our Annual Review to read about what we achieved in 2024/25, and how this work is helping create colder, cleaner water and a more climate-resilient Spey catchment.

Grab a cuppa (or a stronger drink 😉), a mince pie...and drive in here: www.speycatchment.org/publications

18/12/2025

We are delighted to share the news that Duncan Ferguson has taken on the role of Manager of the Spey Fishery Board. We can think of no better person for the job!!!😁👏

Duncan has worked with the Spey Catchment Initiative for over 10 years, thanks to the Spey Fishery Board generously allowing him to spend time helping to plan and deliver many of our projects.

There is no person with better knowledge of our catchment, with more respect from land owners and local organisations or with more knowledge of what needs to be done to help protect Spey Atlantic Salmon.

We wish Duncan all the very best in his new role and look forward to continuing to work very closely with him and the SFB in the months and years to come.

We’re pleased to announce Duncan Ferguson as the new Manager of the Spey Fishery Board.

Duncan has worked on the Spey for 35 years, including 31 years with the Board as Bailiff, Head Bailiff and Operations Manager. Few people know the river and its tributaries better, and he is respected across the catchment for his practical approach and deep understanding of the issues facing wild Atlantic salmon.

He has played a key role in major restoration projects, including the award-winning Allt Lorgy Restoration Project, which saw a 400% increase in juvenile salmon, as well as work at Glenshero and on the River Calder.

In his new role, Duncan is focusing on some of the biggest challenges facing the Spey — water abstraction, protecting and improving our water resources, cooling and shading our rivers, and strengthening the catchment’s resilience to climate change.

Duncan is excited to get stuck into his new role: “Everything salmon need starts with cold, clean water. Protecting that, and restoring the habitats they depend on, has to be our priority. I’ve worked with people across this catchment for many years, and I’m looking forward to building on that and driving this work forward in the months ahead.”

The Chair of The Board said "The Board is excited to have Duncan in this role. His experience, local knowledge and direct approach come at exactly the right time. We are looking forward to working with him as we continue to protect the Spey, its salmon and the wider catchment."