SEPA investigate almost 200 salmon deaths during work to realign Dalmagarry Burn for A9 Tomatin-Moy dualling saw them removed by electrofishing and then perish
The realignment of a burn for a bridge across the A9 as part of the Tomatin-Moy dualling section has led to the death of almost 200 fish, including Atlantic Salmon.
The incident happened in relation to the Dalmagarry Burn which flows into the River Findhorn which is well regarded by anglers so the loss of so will be a significant blow to the river system.
The work was to change the route of the Dalmagarry Burn – about 12 miles south of Inverness – to a shorter course across the A9 and moving it away further from the dualling where it runs parallel.
It is understood that to remove the fish before returning them a process known as electrofishing was used as part of authorised work where they were stunned by electricity.
But because it is also believed that the fish kill was not caused by the electrofishing, an investigation by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) is underway into what exactly happened.
A spokeswoman for SEPA said: “SEPA are currently investigating dead fish found within the Dalmagarry Burn, on Friday August 22.”
Earlier that month the Scottish Government reported that Atlantic Salmon numbers had declined, saying: “Across all stocks in Scotland, the total number of salmon returning to coastal waters has declined since estimates began in the 1970s.
“This decline is seen throughout the North Atlantic with the available evidence showing that this is, at least partly, driven by changes in oceanic conditions associated with climate change.”
Balfour Beatty said that the contracting Scottish Government agency would be handling media inquiries.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We were notified by our contractor for the works, Balfour Beatty, of an environmental incident that occurred within the boundary of the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project on Friday August 22.
“The relevant regulatory bodies including SEPA were informed and investigations are ongoing.
“We await the outcome of the investigation into the incident. We take environmental protection issues very seriously and our contractor is fully cooperating with SEPA.”