Linking the Lochs

Wild Salmon Crisis

The wild Atlantic salmon population in Great Britain is now endangered.

A WATERSHED CONNECTIONS PARTNERSHIP ON THE ISLE OF LEWIS

About Linking the Lochs

Linking the Lochs is a catchment restoration project located on the River Laxay on the Isle of Lewis. It is delivered in partnership with Soval Estate, and supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund managed by NatureScot, and the Outer Hebrides Fisheries Trust

The wild Atlantic salmon population in the Laxay has been assessed by the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate as ‘poor’ (formerly defined as ‘Category 3’), meaning it is considered to have a less than 60% likelihood of meeting its ‘conservation limit’ – the number of eggs which must be deposited by adult salmon in order to sustain the population.

Working on this catchment will help to inform and support wider restoration efforts across other rivers in this unique region.

Linking the Lochs in numbers

142km²

Catchment size

241km

Drone surveys flown as part of our catchment audit

52

Grazing quadrants defined in partnership with the crofting community

LINKING THE LOCHS

A restoration plan in development

In 2025 we completed our catchment audit for the Laxay watershed. Its findings are now informing the design of a catchment-wide restoration plan.

Having identified restoration measures to take forward, and securing funding in 2026, the partnership will begin work on the ground in 2027, alongside continued engagement with the local community – including crofters, businesses, and adjacent landowners.

1

Peatland Restoration

Spawning areas are being damaged by accelerated run-off and silt build-up due to degraded peatland. The project has identified the potential to restore and re-wet around 18 km² of peatland bog by blocking manmade drainage ditches to reduce these impacts.

2

River Re-Naturalisation

We have identified 41 manmade in-stream structures which could be re-naturalised to provide better habitat for juvenile salmon. The in-stream habitat of 7km of tributaries could also be improved with the removal of built up, fine sediments and gravel augmentation.

3

Tackling Barriers

Three weirs could be adapted to provide better upstream and downstream movement of both fish and sediment.

4

Riverside Zone

Targeted tree planting in the riverside zone could reduce sedimentation, as well as creating dappled shade to reduce water temperatures.

5

Enabling Regeneration

Excluding grazing livestock from specific areas will allow for the regeneration of riverside vegetation, alongside a review of deer management approaches.

LINKING THE LOCHS

Community Engagement

Engaging with the crofting community has formed the major focus of our outreach work in the project’s initial scoping stages. We are delighted that there has been widespread support for the restoration plan, though it is essential that a mechanism for the delivery of equitable and shared benefits is designed. Identifying this mechanism is supported by both project partners, as well as the Scottish Land Commission and Community Land Scotland.

We look forward to working constructively with these partners to ensure that benefits are not just felt by wild salmon and the environment, but people, community, ways of life and businesses too.