Slippery customer quite a catch for resort opponents

Published on Sunday 16 August 2009 22:08

A RARE fish whose stronghold is in the cold, deep lochs of the Scottish Highlands may be the slippery opponent which blows plans for a billion-pound holiday resort for the wealthy out of the water.

Until recently the Arctic char, among the first fish to re-enter fresh waters when the last ice age ended, lived a peaceful and unthreatened life in Loch Rannoch in Perthshire.

However, controversy has arisen over plans by the Dall Estate to build a 1.3 billion 430-hectare private luxury estate on the southern shore of the loch with a stainless steel underwater ancient "broch" restaurant with a pier linking it to the shore as its centrepiece.

Dubbed a "mini Monaco" the new resort aims to attract the super-wealthy – membership fees would be 2 million with annual dues costing 500,00.

But fish conservation experts say the underwater restaurant which they claim resembles something from Thunderbirds would threaten the Arctic char because it would impinge on the fishes' spawning ground.

They say the loch is unique in that it is the only known to contain three distinct species of the fish.

According to the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan the species is already considered threatened or declining "in range" due to factors including global warming, land-use changes and species introduction.

The Arctic char being used as a weapon against developers has echoes of objections raised by campaigners against Donald Trump's plans for a 1bn golf resort in North-east Scotland. Campaigners said Mr Trump's development would destroy the natural diversity of sand dunes on the site.

Ron Greer, a fish biologist and a Scottish representative of the International Society of Arctic Char Fanatics, said these concerns had been put forward by the Loch Rannoch Conservation Association as part of objections to fight the project.

Mr Greer, who worked for 25 years at the government's freshwater fisheries laboratory in Pitlochry, said: "I have every confidence that the Arctic char could be the one thing that will halt the restaurant which is meant to be the 'iconic' part of the development.

"As a fish biologist I find it absolutely astounding that a property developer could think of undertaking such a project.

"The builders will not be able to defy physics and the pylons for the development and the massive supporting structure will be right in the centre of the spawning grounds.

"There will also be the question of the waste going into the loch, the pollution and harm from industrial waste during construction.

"I understand that the original environmental impact statement by the developers hardly mentioned the fish."

Scottish Natural Heritage, the government's conservation agency, is also likely to oppose the application.

It will issue its response to the plans from Edinburgh-based developers Development Planning Partnership, (DPP) next month.

The bid to transform the Dall Estate, once home to the Rannoch boarding school, is being led by Malcolm James, a reclusive property developer.

VERSATILE AND SECRET CHAR

THE Arctic char is one of the rarest fishes in Britain.

It is both a freshwater and saltwater fish and is native to Arctic, sub-Arctic, lochs and coastal waters.

All documented Arctic char in the UK are landlocked. Populations have mostly been identified in Scotland, but some have been recorded in the Lake District and in the lakes of northern Wales.

The species is closely related to both salmon and trout and has many characteristics of both.

They usually weigh between two and five pounds and they range from bright red to a pale pink in colour.

With the decline of the UK Atlantic salmon farming industry, investors have looked towards other species with aquaculture potential.

Arctic char have been successfully reared for many years in northern Scandinavia and Canada and may provide a suitable species for farming in the UK.

Arctic char are recognised as having a high flesh quality and, combined with their limited production, they are able to command a high market price.