Luce Fisheries Management Plan

The Water of Luce is a small river which is approximately 40 km long and has a catchment of roughly 200 km ² . The river originates in the South Ayrshire hills, at an altitude of approximately 400 m and flows into the Solway Firth at Luce Bay near the village of Glenluce. The river runs North to South and is roughly “Y” shaped with two major headwater tributaries, the Main Water of Luce and Cross Water of Luce joining together at the village of New Luce to form the Water of Luce.

The upper Luce catchment has extensive deposits of blanket peat covering much of the upland headwaters of the river system. The vast majority of the peat is damaged, primarily as a result of historic drainage used to convert the peatland vegetation into grassland for sheep grazing.  The extent of the drainage can be clearly seen from satellite aerial photography.  A small percentage of the peatland land area has been converted to conifer plantations, the largest of which is Arecleoch Forest which now also incorporates a large windfarm. Like many Galloway rivers, the geology in the Luce headwaters has resulted in the upper catchments having a low acid neutralising capacity. As a result of acidic pollutants in the air caused by the burning of fossil fuels, combined with the low acid neutralising capacity, the headwaters of the Luce have been impacted by acidification (low pH). This has resulted in reductions, and in some cases complete loss, of fish populations. Recent studies have shown that degraded deep peat can amplify the impacts of acidification and land use has most likely contributed to the issue. Whilst there have been improvements in water quality over the last 20-30 years, acidification is still a significant issue within the Luce headwaters.

The primary land use in the lower reaches of the Water of Luce catchment (from the confluence of the Main Water and Cross Water) is improved grassland which is concentrated around the catchment valley floor, with a variety of land use at higher altitude on the valley sides.  These include commercial forestry, mixed woodlands and rough grassland.

One significant tributary of the Main Water of Luce, the Penwhirn Burn, was dammed in the 1950’s to provide a drinking water. The construction of the reservoir has resulted in the isolation of the Brown trout population above the dam and the exclusion of Atlantic salmon from most of the burn. It has also altered flows and interrupted the natural movement of gravel in the burn below the dam. As a result, the burn downstream of the dam is largely depleted of cobbles, pebbles and gravel which form vital spawning habitat for fish and habitat for invertebrates. Most of the rest of the catchment is thought to be accessible to migratory fish, although there are a few natural waterfalls within burns that prevent upstream fish access.

Despite being a relatively small river, and being lightly fished compared to some other Galloway rivers, the Luce Atlantic salmon rod catches have historically been good for the size of the river. Much of the juvenile and smolt production within the river likely comes from the main stem, downstream of where the Big and Cross Waters of Luce converge, simply as a result of the area available to produce fish. However, the contribution from the Big and Cross Water's are not insignificant and help boost the numbers of returning adults. Unfortunately, low pH levels (as a result of acidification) in the upper reaches of both watercourses are likely impacting juvenile salmon production in these areas. Although exploitation rates likely vary from year to year the annual Atlantic salmon rod catch from the Luce gives an indication of the trend in numbers of adult salmon over the last 70 years.

Whilst salmon rod catches on the Luce have shown a decline since a peak in the late 80's and early 90's catches have been variable, but overall relatively stable since the late 90's with no overall increase or decrease. This goes against the national trend in salmon catches. As the biggest decline in returning adult salmon nationally appears to be in late running/autumn salmon, the Luce catch trend may be down to a smaller proportion of late running/autumn salmon within the Luce population. Angling pressure is kept relatively light on the Luce and the salmon rod catch is likely underrepresented as a result. Because of the rod catch, the Scottish Government's grading for the river is  Category 3 . This means that exploitation is considered unsustainable and mandatory catch and release (for all methods), is required to reduce exploitation.

Decreasing numbers of returning adult salmon on a national level led to Atlantic salmon being recently re-classified from "least concern" to "endangered" within the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

In the early days of catch recording, Sea trout catches from the Luce were greater than salmon catches. However, catches fell markedly in the late 1960's. Whilst Brown trout are present within the river, the most successful strategy appears to be marine migration and as a result Sea trout are thought to greatly outnumber adult Brown trout within the river. Rod catches of 200 to 400 Sea trout were not uncommon within the Luce in the 1950's and 1960's (impressive numbers for quite a small river). Sea trout catches are shown in the annual rod catch below.

The timescale of the decline in catches matches the decline in Sea trout from the Water of Fleet and, like the Fleet, the declines in rod catches are thought to be largely resulting from a loss of spawning as a direct impact of acidification in the headwaters. However, declining sea survival and reduced angling pressure (as a result of anglers turning their attention to salmon) are likely also having an impact in more recent years.

Between 2010 and 2013, GFT and the Water of Fleet were part of the  Celtic Sea Trout Project , a ground breaking €2 million, multi-agency partnership investigation into the sea trout stocks and fisheries of the rivers entering the Irish Sea.

Although not exploited as part of the Luce fishery, European eels are present within the river and are often encountered during fish surveys. Like salmon, eels face an uncertain future and have been classed as "critically endangered" within the IUCN Red List as a result of significant declines in numbers within rivers and lakes over the past 20 years. Some of factors thought to be contributing to the decline, include changes to the gulf stream (the oceanic current juvenile eels use to cross the Atlantic) and illegal exploitation.

Other fish species present within the Luce include Three-spined sticklebacks, River lamprey and Brook lamprey. Flounders ae likely present within the river around, and just above, the tidal limit. Sparling may have spawned in the lower river historically but, if once present, have been absent for some time.

(Click on the circles in the map for more details)

Acidification (low pH) remains a major issue within the Luce catchment. This is a result of the geology of the land having a naturally low capacity to neutralise acidic pollutants from the air. As a result, some upland areas within the Luce catchment have depleted juvenile fish numbers. Where conifer plantations are present, their efficiency at scavenging acid from the atmosphere has been shown to amplify impacts whilst degraded peat has also been shown to increase acidification. Commercial conifer plantations planted on deep peat can prove particularly problematic.

Action: Peatland restoration on Main and Cross Waters of Luce - Peatlands within the Luce catchments have been heavily drained in the past for sheep grazing. Watercourses draining degraded deep peats have poorer water quality, and can suffer from acidification. A few smaller areas of peatland are also afforested. Restored peatlands have many environmental benefits including improving water flows during dry periods. In 2018 GFT surveyed the headwaters of the Luce catchment for peat. Over 17,000 ha of the Luce catchment is described as peat, with most of the upper catchment comprising of blanket bog. The study detailed exactly where the deeper peats are, how the peats have been drained and where the greatest benefits could be achieved regarding water quality and fisheries improvements. In this study 500 peat depths were collected, a vegetation survey completed and water quality data considered.

Action: Stop the replanting of conifers on deep peats - extensive draining of deep peats (>50cm deep) to get conditions suitable to grow conifers will severly damage the peatland. These damaged peatlands can cause acidification of surrounding rivers and burns in many poorly buffered upland areas of Galloway, including the upper Cross Water of Luce and Pilhatchie Burn. New forest plantings are not allowed to take place on deep peat due to the recognised environmental harm, but the replanting of conifers can and does regularly take place on previously planted deep peats with only limited constraints. The GFT and Luce DSFB strongly oppose the replanting of conifers on deep peats where we know this planting, draining and ground preparation continues to cause major water quality impacts (acidification).

Action: Improve commercial forest design across the catchment - Commercial forestry in the upper Cross Water of Luce was originally planted as 'old style' forestry which had few environmental considerations. Restructuring of these forests (once the trees are felled after the first crop rotation) since the implementation of the Forest and Water Guidelines came into force has been important to increase buffer zones, reduce silt pollution etc. Forest plans are an important opportunity for GFT and DSFB's to comment and request changes to forest designs. Plans are usually reviewed every 10 years.

Action: Monitor water quality (acidification) in the upper river catchments - the Cross Water of Luce (CWL) / Pilhatchie Burn, and to a lesser extent the Main Water of Luce, are recognised as suffering from acidification from a combination of acid rain, poorly buffered underlying geology, damaged peatlands and on the CWL/Pilhatchie Burn extensive Sitka spruce afforestation. Various works are improving the water quality, including forestry restructuring and removal of conifer regen. GFT data shows significant recovery of juvenile salmon has occurred in the CWL, but much more needs to be done to recover conditions back to pre-Sitka afforestation conditions. To understand water quality across the upper river and where to focus restoration measures requires a strategic programme of sampling and constant monitoring targeting the lower pH flushes in winter / spring.

Our rivers have been changed dramatically over the centuries due to human activities. As a result habitat quality and quantity, both instream and in the riparian corridor, varies greatly across river catchments. Restoration of habitat remains one of the most effective methods of conserving and enhancing fish numbers.

Action: Plant riparian native trees - it is important to establish an extensive riparian native hardwood woodland to provide adequate levels of shade to help address predicted increasing water temperatures. GFT are already recording water temperatures in Galloway, which are a concern for salmon populations and modelling suggests things are only going to get worse. While increasing climate change resilience is the priority pressure to address, this tree planting will also improve habitats, input woody debris and protect banks from erosion. On the Luce catchment, the lower river below New Luce already supports a good riparian woodland but the river upstream is mostly open and thus at risk of becoming too hot. Decidous trees have been planted (>3200 trees) in 2020-2023 by GFT (using NRF funding) in the upper Main Water of Luce, lower Laganabeastie Burn and upper Penwhirn Burn.

Action: Address lack of spawning substrate in lower Penwhirn Burn below Penwhirn reservoir - there is approximately 1 km of the Penwhirn Burn between the Main Water of Luce and Penwhirn Dam. The dam is used by Scottish Water as a drinking water reservoir. It has no fish pass. The dam is also stopping the downstream movement of substrates and the lower burn is now starved of suitable spawning substrate for salmon and trout.

Action: Re-meander section of the upper Main Water of Luce near Laganabeastie - GFT have identified a river length of approximately 600m of the upper Main Water of Luce that has historically been straightened and drained through peatland. This has resulted in a loss of good juvenile salmon habitat, no meanders and on-going erosion of a steep bank of peat which will be reducing water quality. It is proposed to restore the river back to its original bed which will have numerous environmental benefits.

Action: Reduce the amount of gravel movement occurring in the lower Luce - some years large amounts of gravel are moving during large flood events in the mid / lower Luce which is infilling some pools and creating banks of mobile gravel. Whilst changes in rainfall patterns are likely driving this issue, extensive drainage throughout much of the catchment reduces the capacity of the catchment to buffer against the changes in patterns of rainfall.

Action: Removal of riparian conifer regeneration - On the upper Cross Water of Luce and Pilhatchie Burn river within the commercial plantations, there is a concern regarding naturally seeded conifers along the banks of some watercourses. Riparian conifer regen will outcompete and replace native plant species. The excessive levels of shade produced all year round can reduce primary production in the watercourse and cause bank erosion due to the loss of protective vegetation layers. Conifers can also contribute to acidification issues caused by the scavenging of pollutants. Forest and Land Scotland cleared some conifer regen around the upper Pilhatchie Burn in 2022 after it was highlighted in the Luce Priority Burn Survey 2021 (a GFT initiative).

Declining survival at sea is one of the biggest factors impacting salmon populations. The continued decline in survival undermines much of the work carried out in freshwater to improve the number of salmon smolts leaving Scottish rivers.

Action: Understanding why marine return rates are presently so poor - Scientific studies show that the overall return rates for salmon smolts going to sea has declined significantly since recording began. As a result, less adult fish are returning to our rivers. For the long term recovery of salmon stocks, it is essential to understand the cause(s) of present poor marine survival rates. This will require large scale research programmes led by suitable organisations.

Our natural ecosystems are out of balance, potentially increasing the numbers and impacts of some predatory species. Increases in numbers of fish-eating birds have led to concerns regarding their impacts on fragile salmon populations.

Action: Understand predation pressures within the river - more research is required to assess the impacts of predators on salmon and Sea-trout populations and to find realistic options to reduce predation.

Invasive non-native species pose a threat to native wildlife through disease and direct competition. Some non-native plant species can cause large-scale change in habitats and have the potential to completely change the appearance of riverbanks.

Action: Control and eradicate key plant INNS - the lower Luce catchment has riparian Japanese knotweed in clumps over a length of 7km. The lower river catchment also has Himalayan balsam along water courses, hedges and road side verges. These INNS species cause problems through outcompeting and replacing native vegetation and increased erosion risk when the INNS die back in the winter leaving banks bare and unprotected.

Direct information on fish numbers from across the catchment provides the best evidence on the health of the fish populations and how numbers vary across the river catchment.

Action: Monitor health of fish stocks across the catchment - Fish stocks (salmon) are low in the upper river catchment due mostly to acidification, but typically are healthy in the mid / lower catchment where water quality is better. It is important to monitor fish stocks, both distribution and density, across the whole catchment for many reasons including directing /monitoring restoration actions, annual spawning success, on-going recovery or possible reductions in sub-catchment populations. This information is required by the Luce DSFB to manage the fish population effectively and is collected by GFT.

Action: Know the exact number of adult salmon entering the river - Marine Directorate previously visited the lower river as part of their considerations for a network of fish counters across Scotland. It is hoped that a suitable site for a counter can be found going forward.

Action: Minimise potential threats from renewable energy projects - In recent years a number of windfarms have been constructed in the Luce catchment including Glenchamber, Kilgallioch, Garvilland and Arecleoch Wind Farms. A number of other wind farm developments are consented and construction has just started at Stranoch and Chirmorie. Windfarms, especially during their construction phase, can potentially impact on salmon through fish kills, damaging habitats and loss of food resource. Silt pollution is a common and worrying problem.

The Luce is included within the  National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS),  which is used to analyse juvenile salmon densities from randomly selected survey sites within Scottish rivers. NEPS is run/overseen by the Marine Directorate, with electrofishing surveys being carried out by local fisheries trusts (in this case GFT). Four sites were surveyed on the Luce during 2023. The data is yet to be analysed but the report from previous years NEPS can be found  here . At each electrofishing site, genetic samples are taken from salmon parr as part of The National Introgresion Programme for Scotland. This programme assesses the impacts of escapee farmed salmon inbreeding with wild salmon. A video describing the results can be accessed  here  and a report can be found  here .

In addition to the national juvenile salmon programme, GFT has been carrying out it's own quantitative/semi-quantitative juvenile salmon and trout electrofishing surveys since the 1990's. Whilst a large number of survey sites have been visited over the years, time and resources have whittled the regular monitoring down to several key sites that are visited regularly. In addition to GFT's regular electrofishing, a timed electrofishing survey has been ongoing for several years. This survey is aimed at looking at spatial variation in salmon juvenile numbers across the whole Luce catchment. All GFT electrofishing is carried out to national standards set by the  Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre .

Whilst electrofishing surveys carried out within the Luce primarily target juvenile trout and salmon, other fish species captured are recorded as part of the surveys.

GFT, assisted by Luce salmon anglers, has been collecting scale samples from adult Atlantic salmon. Luce anglers collect scale samples from their rod caught salmon. These are then read by GFT with the scales providing a wide variety of life history information.

In addition to fish stock monitoring a number of other projects are currently on-going within the Luce system. These generally relate to improving habitat or water quality and include:

GFT carries out annual water quality monitoring to identify areas within rivers where acidification is having the biggest impact on fish populations. The work is funded by Peatland Action as some of the most heavily impacted area are often associated with degraded, drained peatland. As such peatland restoration represents one of the most realistic opportunities to see changes in land use with subsequent improvement in water quality/pH. Detailed water quality monitoring was carried out from the upper Luce during winter 2022/2023 which allowed GFT to assess catchment wide impacts of acidification and to look at the relationship between acidification and degraded peat in more detail.

Although GFT is not directly responsible for carrying out peatland restoration works it works in partnership with a number of other organisations to help prioritise areas for peatland restoration. It does this by using fish and water quality data (as described above) to identify areas where degraded peat is having the biggest impact on aquatic ecosystems and passing the information on to land owners/managers and other relevant bodies actively involved in peatland restoration. Though this avenue GFT has built up a strong relationship with the  Crichton Carbon Centre .

As our climate continues to warm GFT have been working across several major rivers in south west Scotland to address the issues presented by warming water temperatures. Whilst the lower Luce is reasonably well shaded by bankside trees the upper Main and Cross Waters of Luce are particularly vulnerable to increasing summer temperatures due to the lack of shade from riparian trees. In 2020, GFT secured funding from NatureScot, through the Biodiversity Challenge Fund (BCF) to plant 1,800 trees in 20 enclosures to provide shading to reduce water temperatures, improve bankside habitat and to provide a seed source for further tree regeneration in the future. A further 900 trees in 10 new enclosures were added in 2021 thanks to funding from NatureScot's Nature Restoration Fund. It is hoped that funding can be secured for additional planting going forward. More information on the on-going work can be found  here .

During winter 2023/2024 GFT secured funding to carry out a feasibility study with the hope of re-meandering a straightened section of the Main Water of Luce near Penwhirn reservoir. Old maps suggest the section was straightened in the late 19th or early 20th century. The straightened channel cuts directly through deep peat with the straightening most likely carried out to aid drainage and/or to provide more grazing land. It is hoped that the feasibility study will provide the information required to return the river to it's original course which will increase the length of the river by approximately 300m and greatly improve in-stream habitat.

GFT is currently running a Scottish Solway INNS Control and Knowledge Project. It is supported by the Scottish Government’ Nature Restoration Fund which is managed by NatureScot. The project aims to work closely with stakeholders and local communities to deliver a coordinated and prioritized long term INNS control programme across Dumfries and Galloway. It covers nine river main catchments and aims to protect designated and sensitive sites and focus on the priority INNS Japanese knotweed, Giant hogweed and American skunk cabbage. Management of INNS within the Luce catchment feature heavily amongst the work being undertaken. More information on INNS control on the Luce can be found  here .

Assessing the impacts of barriers to fish movement is an on-going programme within the Luce system. While there are no significant man-made barriers along the main stem of the river it is possible that some barriers/obstructions on small burns have gone unrecognised with GFT constantly on the look out for un-recorded barriers.

The decline in numbers of Atlantic salmon is now widely recognised Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS), using information provided by fisheries trusts and DSFB's, FMS has been working in partnership with the Scottish Government to collate information about the spatial extent and severity of pressures which can impact our wild salmon. More information on salmon pressures mapping can be found  here .

Over the years a number of projects have been undertaken and completed to the benefit of Luce native fish populations. These include:

Between 2010 and 2013, GFT and the Water of Luce were part of the   Celtic Sea Trout Project  , a ground breaking €2 million, multi-agency partnership investigation into the sea trout stocks and fisheries of the rivers entering the Irish Sea.

Lagafater Dam was built at some point in the late 19th or early 20th century. The dam was built across the Main Water of Luce a short distance downstream from Lagafater Lodge in the upper river and was a complete obstruction to fish passage. As some point between construction and the mid 20th century the dam breached. As a result the valve at the bottom of the dam was opened to allow the water to drain and the dam was abandoned. Despite the breach the dam was still impacting fish access to the very top of the river as the opened valve was impassable and as a result GFT secured funding to remove the valve and the remaining section of the dam where it crossed over the river. In doing so the headwaters of the river are once again accessible to salmon and trout.

The Gabsnout Burn is a trout sized spawning burn which flows into the lower Water of Luce. A bridge apron towards the bottom of the burn was identified as restricting Sea trout access into the burn. A fish pass was installed to allow fish passage over the apron.

In collaboration with Peatland Action and the Crichton Carbon Centre GFT staff undertook peat depth surveys in the Luce headwaters to record areas of deep peat. The results, along with fish and water quality data, are used to prioritise areas within the Luce catchment for peatland restoration.

GFT, in collaboration with Glasgow University, devised a habitat prioritisation index to identify where habitat restoration within Galloway rivers would have the biggest impact on salmon populations, and allow GFT to identify which areas should be prioritised for habitat improvement/restoration. The index took into account factors such as barrier assessments, fish density data, geology, land use, peat presence and available habitat data. Of the back of the results GFT carried out habitat surveys of prioritised watercourses within the Luce catchment. A number of prioritised watercourses were surveyed to identify possible issues inhibiting salmon populations and to inform ongoing habitat enhancement works that will benefit salmon populations.