Whisky Focus - Speyburn Aids Spey Foundation Charity To Complete Mackalea Burn Project

Back in 2013 Speyburn Single Malt Scotch Whisky announced it was joining forces with the Spey Foundation to support their ongoing conservation work along the River Spey. The partnership funded a project that opens up the Spey burns to wildlife by overcoming in-river obstacles that prevent salmon and sea trout from spawning.

The distillery is now celebrating the completion of a sustainable environmental project to increase fish populations in the Mackalea Burn, close to its distillery in Speyside. The installation of a new fish pass, sponsored by the award-winning whisky, will overcome in-river obstacles that prevent salmon and sea trout from spawning, helping to improve the biodiversity of the area.

The scheme was led by Scottish charity the Spey Foundation, in collaboration with Moray Council and Speyburn, as part of the whisky’s two year partnership with the Spey Foundation to support ongoing conservation work along the River Spey. It forms part of the Foundation’s wider initiative to ‘open up Spey burns to wildlife’ and protect and restore the catchment’s natural features.

The Mackalea Burn is a tributary of the River Fiddich, one of the most productive spawning and nursery streams in the Spey catchment. A man-made obstacle, in this case road culverts and steps, had rendered the burn impassable to salmon and sea trout, preventing them from reaching their breeding ground.

The pass, which was created by removing a notch from the step and installing a sustainable timber chute, has allowed fish to journey to and from their breeding grounds more freely. Its design will also improve their habitat by creating depth and slower river flow, opening up an additional 1.5km of high quality breeding grounds to encourage spawning under all flow conditions.
 

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