AN ESCAPE of 30,000 rainbow trout into Loch Earn has been condemned by wild fish interests, writes Ken Bell, angling correspondent.

The trout, believed to be about 10cm (4in) long, escaped around July 28 from Drummond Fish Farm near Lochearnhead, run by Scottrout Farming Ltd.

As well as concern about the damage the alien fish can cause, the lack of information about the escape has drawn criticism from the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board and other wild fish interests.

Fisheries manager Dr David Summers said he only heard of the escape this week and admitted, “We weren’t informed, but this is what often happens. Often the first we know of an escape of farmed rainbow into any of the Tay system is when anglers or members of the public tell us.

“That is what happened a few weeks ago when there was an escape of fish from a trout farm on the Almond, with six-inch fish suddenly appearing in the Almond and lower Tay. When we contact SERAD we often find that no report has been made to them.”

It is understood the fish at the Drummond farm escaped through 20 holes cut by otters in the netting containing them. Only on August 9 did wild fish interests first hear of the incident.

Andrew Wallace, director of the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards and the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland, said, “The report of another significant escape from a rainbow trout farm in Loch Earn should be a source of acute embarrassment to the Scottish freshwater fish farming industry.

“Rainbow trout farmers have a long-standing record of extremely poor containment with repeated and significant escapes over many years in many of our most important wild fish systems.

“These companies and their regulators now have two clear options: relocate to land-based sites where containment can be managed properly or relocate to bodies of water with no significant fisheries interest.

“Whichever, wild fisheries organisations will not tolerate this sort of poor practice any longer.”

He added, “The cause of this escape is reported to be otters. It is farcical that the Loch Earn fish cages are not robust enough to prevent damage by a modestly-sized, ubiquitous mammal.”

Dr Summers added, “We are once again angry to hear of another massive escape of rainbow trout from a fish farm. This is the third escape of rainbow trout in the Tay district recently, the others being in the River Almond and in Loch Tay.”

Scottrout director Mark Davies confirmed a large number of fingerling trout had escaped into Loch Earn in late July. He understood the nets were cut by otters, and said as soon as fish farm staff were aware of it they informed SERAD.

Mr Davies said they used as heavy a gauge net as they could to try to deter the otters, but they were intelligent, determined animals.

He said Loch Earn had a population of otters, added to some years ago when additional otters were released in the area, some in a burn quite close to the fish farm.

He said Scottrout did all they could to stop fish escaping, as it was not in their interest for this to happen.

As to the effect of the escaped fish on the environment, he said these were small fish and, with predators such as larger trout, herons and otters in the loch, he felt most of them would soon be eaten.