Wild salmon leaping through our rivers are an iconic part of Scotland’s heritage.
And the mighty River Spey is perhaps the most prized of all our fishing waterways, rightly famed the world over.
That’s why rocker-turned- eco-warrior Feargal Sharkey is spot on with his warning that “our salmon are under threat, and our rivers are under threat”.
The stark reality is Atlantic wild salmon could be extinct in 20 years.
Scotland’s heritage as a haven for wild salmon – vital to our economy and tourism – is under threat.
Sharkey’s tale of meeting American fishing enthusiasts travelling here to catch a salmon, only to leave without even seeing one, should serve as a wake-up call for how serious this is.
Experts say Atlantic salmon numbers in Scotland and the UK have sunk to “crisis” levels.
It’s part of a wider wildlife emergency that has already wiped out thousands of species at an alarming rate. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – and Scotland is not much better – because we’ve not done nearly enough to protect it.
Efforts have been long under way, through schemes run by the likes of the Spey Catchment Initiative, to conserve our rivers and fish habitats.
But these conservation projects must be ramped up – not just on the Spey, but on every river in Scotland. We can’t let our salmon die. It would be a tragedy for future generations of Scots.
Enough is enough: it’s time to clean up our act and sort out our rivers.
NHS ‘gaslighting’
Bosses on Scotland’s largest health board must be accountable to the public.
When things go badly wrong at a hospital there should be clear explanations given.
In 2017, 10-year-old Milly Main died at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after contracting an infection while being treated on a cancer ward.
But six years later, managers at NHS Greater Glasgow are still disputing the conclusions of a provisional inquiry into her untimely passing.
Milly’s mother, Kimberley Darroch, has now accused the health board of “gaslighting” victims. Labour’s Anas Sarwar was right to raise the issue in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
He highlighted how senior staff at the hospital remain in position despite a catalogue of failures.
Public faith in the health service can only be undermined when there is no accountability in cases such as this.
Learning from mistakes should be the priority, not protecting managers’ jobs.
The family of Milly Main deserve answers now.
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