Talk provided for the annual Scottish Fisheries Co-ordination Centre Meeting. Held at the Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, Loch Lomond. 4th-5th Feb 2015

1. RAFTS’ Update
DR CHRIS HORRILL: chris@rafts.org.uk
SFCC-RAFTS BIOLOGISTS MEETING FEBRUARY 2015

2. A Year of Change and Challenge
 Change of Director in December 2013
 Previous years were years of growth where income exceed expenditure
 Past year: Reduced income & expenditure of income received in previous years
 Consolidation & restructuring for the future
 Maintained a significant project portfolio
 Have a significant number of projects in various stages of development

3.  Rationalisation of posts
 Project Development Manager (November 2013) absorbed into Director Role
 Aquaculture Project Officer (March 2014) now being undertaken by Argyll FT
 Geneticist role (June 2014) – Partnership with Rivers & Lochs Institute of UHI
 Office Manager role – Outsourcing financial management for better service at
reduced cost
 RAFTS staff
 Director 1 FTE; Operations Director 0.5 FTE; Projects Coordinator 1 FTE;
Administrative Assistant 0.6 FTE
 PiP project staff 2.5 FTE; SMI project staff 1 FTE
 Rationalisation of general expenditure e.g. Office move, travel, meetings
 Capacity Development: Service Contracts, Project funded posts, delivery through
members
Rationalisation & Restructuring

4. Project Management
 20+ Projects at various stages of implementation
 Fisheries & Aquaculture
 Aquaculture-Wild Fish Interactions (6 Trusts)
 Genetics (3 Trusts)
 Barriers
 Prioritisation – RBMP 2
 Almond, Forth
 Migdale
 Corrie Burn, Spey
 Creamery, Galloway
 Avon, Clyde
 Tullynessie, Don
 Culburnie, Ness & Beauly
 Culverts

5. Project Management & Research
 Invasives
 CIRB Interreg (2011-14) Completed 2014
 WEF INNPS Control Project Phase 1 Completed 2014
 WEF INNPS Control Project Phase 1 2-5 (2015 & 2016)
 SMI (2015)
 Crayfish eDNA (with Rivers and Lochs Institute and Stirling
 Pearls in Peril Project (2012-2016)
 Research
 Natural language generation
 Volunteer motivation
 Impact of riparian INN plant species on salmonids

6. Project Development
 13+ Projects at various stages of development
 Multi-Species INNS Project (12 Trusts)
 Interreg IV A (7 Trusts)
 National Language Generation Development
 Reconnecting the Almond and Avon (One trust)
 Inshore Fisheries Monitoring (1-4 Trusts)
 Aquaculture-Wild Fish Interactions 2015-on
 Implementing the Wild Fisheries Review (All)
 Flood Risk Management (Multiple Trusts)
 Almond Catchment Barriers (Forth)
 Avon Barriers (Clyde)
 Barrier: Corrie Burn Barrier, Speyside FY 2014-15
 Gottar Burn weir (Gryffe Water) FY 2014-15
 Barriers post support FY 2015-16 on
 WEF INNPS 15-16

7. The year that was.
 Past year has been challenging
 RAFTS responded to that challenge
 Consolidation & restructuring
 Maintaining project delivery and development
 Lean & efficient organisation

8. The Future 2015
 Fit for purpose, future proof and targeted at serving members’ best interest
 Wild Fisheries Review will influence future of third sector fisheries organisations:
RAFTS, ASFB & SFCC
 RBMP 2:
 Water Quality
 Physical Condition
 Barriers
 Flows and levels
 INNS
 Flood risk management
 Increased implementation through members

9.  What are the data needs to inform fisheries management?
 Can those data needs also fulfil data requirements for other policy drivers?
 What are the current limitations in collecting such data and how can they be
overcome?
 What is the role of SFCC and how should SFCC functions be delivered in future?
SFCC & the WFR Survey