Wellgreen Hatchery
Country’s Only City Centre Hatchery Back In Use
More than 50,000 brown trout are being reared in Stirling again - in what is thought to be the country’s only city centre hatchery.
Stirling’s hidden gem
Image - (Left to Right) Councillor Jim Thomson outside the Wellgreen hatchery with Howietoun Fishery’s Brown Trout Manager Iain Semple, Stirling Council’s Fisheries Officer David Jones, River Forth Anglers Association’s Mac Cowie, Clackammanshire and Stirling Environment Trust’s Development Officer Audrey Morrison and Howietoun Fishery Biologist Andrew Preston.
Stirling Council has reopened the Wellgreen hatchery, which was last used in 2001, in partnership with The River Forth Anglers Association and Howietoun Fishery. There are currently over 50,000 brown trout eggs being reared and once hatched they will be released into the Rivers Forth and Teith.
The hatchery is served by pure clear spring water from the historical St. Ninian’s Well and was first used for rearing brown trout in 1970 by Stirling resident Mr. Allister McDonald. Before that, the building was used as a washhouse built by Stirling Burgh for local people to use in 1737.
Mr Macdonald used to tend the trout eggs and once hatched he visited the hatchery twice a day. He looked after the young trout until they reached the fry stage and then released the young fry into the Forth and Teith.
Stirling Council Portfolio Holder for Environment Councillor Jim Thomson said: To have a hatchery right in the middle of a city centre is unique but couple that with the historical connection to the old Burgh and St. Ninians Well this is a great initiative which can tap into education opportunities with local schools while promoting conservation at the same time.”
Clackmannanshire and Stirling Environment Trust, Stirling Council and the River Forth Anglers Association provided funding for the project costing £1,800. Howietoun Hatchery assisted by supplying the eggs and offering training and expertise.
Stirling Council’s Fisheries Officer David Jones said: I would like to thank all of those who assisted with this project particularly The River Forth Anglers Association whose members tend the hatchery daily. The project is at a very early stage but it is hoped that the hatchery will be used to educate in terms of conservation of fish stocks. ”
St Ninian’s Well
St Ninian was one of the Celtic saints who brought Christianity to Scotland. The Wellgreen was common ground, often used for washing and bleaching and at the centre of it is St Ninian’s Well. In the 19th century, St Ninian’s Brewery used the water, but before the Scottish Reformation, the well was used for its healing properties. In the 17th century, the Kirk Session of Stirling forbade the practice of resorting to wells for spiritual and curative purposes on the grounds that it was superstitious.
Mr Allister McDonald
Mr McDonald, who past away in 2007, lived most of his life in Cameronian Street, in the Craigs and had a deep knowledge and love of nature. He knew the River Forth and all the local waterways intimately, and the setting up of the trout hatchery in the sheltered spring of St. Ninian’s Well was his personal contribution to the conservation of brown trout.
Allister McDonald practised recycling and conservation and was interested in healthy eating, long before these subjects became the norm.
Information on St. Ninians Well and Mr McDonald kindly provided by Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum
Update for 2012
Sadly in the Summer of 2011 an infestation of blue algea greatly reduced brood stock at Howietoun Hatchery and as such it will not be possible to take stock of any eggs for 2012. It is hoped the Hatchery will be up and running again early 2013.
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