Drone survey for the Upper Garry (River Ness) Case study: comparing barrier impacted and unimpacted tributaries.

One of the prime focus-points for the Scottish case study on the adaptive management of river barriers is to assess the impact of Quoich Dam on the downstream habitat along the Gearr Garry, the Upper Garry river stretch going from the dam down to the confluence with the Kingie river. The latter is unimpacted by upstream dams, so a comparative habitat assessment of the Gearr Garry and Kingie can help shed light on the effect of Quoich dam on the downstream watercourse. A drone survey of both the Gearr Garry and the Kingie has now been completed, and habitat analysis in underway, which will in turn inform the choice of eDNA sampling site locations, with sampling expected to start in early spring. The survey was conducted by Shobhit Pipil, PhD student at Durham University, and Lucio Marcello, researcher at the Rivers and Lochs Institute at the University of the Highlands and Islands. More information available here.