Meeting of the Parliament 21 September 2023
I thank Jackie Dunbar for bringing this important issue to the Parliament in recognition of world rivers day. I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests regarding the River Dee. I also note that I was previously the Scottish Environment LINK nature champion for the freshwater pearl mussel, and I enjoyed spending days learning all about the conservation works that are taking place to support a wealth of biodiversity. The pearl mussel is an important indicator species, and its decline is, unfortunately, a shameful testament to the Government’s wilful neglect of our rivers, which I am sure Audrey Nicoll will be able to explain shortly.
The River Dee is recognised as a special area of conservation for its efforts to protect Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussels and otters. Numerous initiatives have been put in place to protect its salmon numbers, such as a catch and release policy and the million trees campaign run by the River Dee Trust, which I was delighted to see shortlisted for a nature of Scotland award last night in Parliament.
Sadly, my mailbox is now filled with messages from constituents, businesses and tourists who are concerned about the declining number of salmon in the River Dee. The cabinet secretary will be aware from my correspondence with her that people are frustrated about seal predation; seals are not just eating and scaring the fish but pushing them off their redds during spawning season and disrupting their reproduction. The Scottish Government’s wild salmon strategy implementation plan rightly seeks a review of the seal licensing system, but it commits to developing non-lethal methods of control, which is disappointing, as we already know that those measures do not work effectively.
Local businesses are already reporting a loss of custom due to the shocking decline in numbers. Fishing plays a vital role in our rural economy, attracting tourists from all over the world and supporting hundreds of jobs in local businesses. I hope that the Scottish Government will take serious action to tackle all predators that are disrupting wildlife in our rivers.
I have also worked with scientists in the community who are concerned about pharmaceuticals in the water. Increases in antibiotics and oestrogenic hormones can be very harmful to local wildlife. There is no reference to that in the Government’s plan, so I ask the Scottish Government to address it.
I turn to the concern of pollution in our rivers. Less than 4 per cent of overflows in Scotland are monitored, compared with more than 90 per cent in England and Wales. SEPA’s licensing conditions do not currently require Scottish Water to report discharge data on either the River Don or the River Dee in my constituency. When Scottish Water confirmed the priority locations that it has identified for its 1,000 new spill monitors, it turned out that the closest location to the north-east was the Invergowrie burn in Dundee. Although £500 million for the improving urban waters route map might sound impressive, that funding is supposed to last until 2027 and does not promise anything for rural communities.
It is clear that the Scottish National Party Government is not doing enough to treat declining salmon numbers, and it is not doing enough to monitor sewage pollution. With rivers such as the Dee and the Don being vital areas for salmon and for conservation, water quality testing and sewage monitoring should be undertaken regularly.
In 2022 alone, monitored overflows in Scotland discharged in excess of 47 billion litres of untreated sewage into rivers, lochs and coastal waters. The exact amount from all overflows is likely to be much higher, given that so few overflows are monitored. The fact of the matter is that the data presented by the SNP Government cannot reflect the true picture, because it simply is not monitoring rivers across Scotland.
13:03