ANGLERS ON the River Earn will be able to quadruple their salmon stocking programme, thanks to help from the Tay Ghillies Association, writes angling correspondent Ken Bell.

On the banks of the Earn at Lochlane yesterday, TGA president George Mainland handed over the latest in ova incubating trays to Dr Bill McIndoe, chairman of the River Earn Angling Improvement Association.

The equipment, valued at around £2500, has been specially imported from America. For some years Earn ghillie John Young has run a salmon hatchery for the Earn, but the equipment he had could handle only around 120,000 eggs.

The new equipment will greatly increase the number of ova the Earn association can lay down.

All the ova in the hatchery at present came from Earn fish caught by REAIA members last autumn.

But it is not just salmon numbers which will, hopefully, be boosted by the use of the equipment.

“We are also hoping to obtain sea trout eggs for the hatchery,” Dr McIndoe said in thanking the Tay ghillies for the assistance.

Work, he added, will also be carried out to improve the hatchery, including the installation of electricity.