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The Macallan
supports vital conservation work in the
River Spey as Phase Two of The Moray
Firth Tracking Project is launched by
The Atlantic Salmon Trust.
A project to preserve at-risk Atlantic
salmon in the River Spey is underway as
The Atlantic Salmon Trust embarks on the
Moray Firth Tracking project, supported
by a charitable partnership with The
Macallan.
The River Spey is home to the largest
Atlantic salmon population in Scotland,
a key-stone species which is in sharp
decline due to habitat destruction and
overfishing. Winding through the North
East of Scotland, nearly two miles of
the river flow through The Macallan
Estate, the birthplace of every bottle
of The Macallan’s exceptional
single-malt whisky since 1824.
As a guardian of The River Spey, one of
the last sanctuaries for Atlantic
salmon, The Macallan is supporting The
Atlantic Salmon Trust in its vital
conservation work spanning a number of
research activities, as well as
supporting the innovative Moray Firth
Tracking project.
Now entering its second phase, the
project which launched in 2019, will
examine why Atlantic salmon are dying in
their oceanic migration. Beginning in
Ballindalloch just outside The Macallan
Estate, the initiative will see more
than 800 fish fitted with acoustic tags
which emit a ‘ping’ containing a unique
ID code. This noise is detected by
hydrophone receivers which are placed at
regular intervals to track smolts –
salmon which are ready to go out to sea
- throughout their journey.
Over the next two years The Atlantic
Salmon Trust will analyse the
information to gather evidence for local
river managers and policy makers to help
them better protect their wild fish
stocks.
In the 1980s, between eight to ten
million salmon lived and thrived in
Atlantic, but today that number is
expected to be between two and three
million. If the trend continues, it is
feared that Atlantic Salmon could become
an endangered species in 10 years’ time,
and possibly lost altogether by 2050. As
a key-stone species, Atlantic salmon
have an important impact on the
ecosystems they inhabit, without which,
the ecosystem would be dramatically
different or cease to exist.
Robert Mitchell, Ghillie at The Macallan
Estate, said: "As proud custodians of
The River Spey, everyone who works at
The Macallan Estate is passionate about
preserving the wildlife which lives
here. There are many projects underway
to protect the biodiversity and habitats
in our grounds, from removing old
building structures to reshaping the
riverbank and improving the temperature
of the water.
"The River Spey has been a source of
inspiration for The Macallan since our
early days of whisky making nearly 200
years ago, and protecting this sanctuary
is very important to us. The
conservation work being undertaken by
the Atlantic Salmon Trust is vital in
protecting the species, and our
partnership is based on a shared spirit
of sustainability and community as
together we care for the extraordinary
river and its natural surroundings."
Mark Bilsby, CEO of the Atlantic Salmon
Trust, said: "Our partnership with The
Macallan provides us with a strong base
to build upon the work we have been
carrying out for almost 50 years. Out of
every 100 salmon that leave our rivers
for the sea, less than five return,
representing a loss of nearly 70% of the
population in just 25 years – it is more
important than ever that we understand
the reasons behind this, and The
Macallan’s support provides a strong
platform, ensuring that we can continue
to work on key research projects during
challenging times.
"In addition to the Moray Firth Tracking
project, funding from The Macallan will
also go towards the development of other
initiatives and bringing people within
the salmon research community together."
The Macallan was recently awarded the
Positive Luxury Butterfly Mark for its
commitment to protecting the
biodiversity and habitats in its Easter
Elchies Estate, marine conservation, and
a number of other sustainable
initiatives, including the design of its
new distillery home, which draws over
80% of its energy from renewable sources
and boasts one of Europe’s largest green
roofs.
You will find the current Macallan
whisky range available from specialist
online whisky retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange and
Master of
Malt
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