TORIES who are representing constituencies around the River Tweed appear to be split over the conservation of salmon in the river.

The leader of Scottish Borders Council, Councillor Shona Haslam, has championed its £11 million purchase of Lowood Estate near Melrose on which up to 400 houses could be built.

A team of consultants representing the owner of the top-quality salmon angling beat of the adjacent Upper Pavilion has now warned that housebuilding on such a massive scale might compromise the River Tweed Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – and salmon is one of the species rating a special mention in the SAC designation.

This finding would appear to put the Tory-led council at variance with Michelle Ballantyne, Conservative list MSP for the South of Scotland, and Tory colleague Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, both of whom have been pressing the Scottish Government for special measures to halt the decline of fish stocks in the Tweed.

Fishing is worth £24m annually to the economy of the Tweed basin.

In a Holyrood debate, Hamilton said: “On the ground, we need to look at the whole ecosystem along the entire course of the river.

“Healthy salmon populations are possibly one of the best indicators of a healthy environment, which every one of us will benefit from.

“If we do not take action now, it will not be only our fragile rural economy that takes the hit in the short term; it will be our fragile environment as a whole in the long term.”

Ballantyne said in the same debate: “At the end of last year, I was asked whether I would be the Scottish Environment LINK species champion for Atlantic salmon and I was delighted to take that on.

“It has been a learning curve – I did not know anything about it when I set out. What I have discovered has led to a number of worries.

“The Atlantic salmon is a keystone species, which means that any decline in stock has a direct and immediate impact on freshwater biodiversity, with the presence of salmon being a useful indicator of the health of our rivers. It is therefore imperative that we work to preserve wild salmon stocks to secure the future of our aquatic ecosystem.”

The influential Borders blog notjustsheepandrugbby.com said: “It is not known whether Mrs Ballantyne and Mrs Hamilton have discussed the potential risk to Tweed salmon stocks from the Lowood development with the Conservative group at Scottish Borders Council.

“As previously reported, the council has chosen to ignore the contents and findings of a comprehensive report, handed to them in March 2018 by a group of consultants headed by Jones Lang LaSalle acting for Upper Pavilion owners Middlemede Properties.”

Official figures show that catches by anglers on the River Tweed last year were at their lowest level ever recorded with only 5510 fish caught, down from 22,718 in 2010. A similar picture of decline is affecting other major salmon rivers.

Hamilton told the Peeblesshire News: “Our rivers are our greatest asset, especially the River Tweed in the Borders. It simply cannot continue that rod catches fall year on year. I want to see angling prosper so that the next generation can have opportunities to contribute to our fantastic Borders rural economy.”

Neither Cllr Haslam or Ballantyne responded to The National’s requests for information and comment.

Hamilton told us: “I am confident that the local authority will carry out due diligence with regard to the environmental impact of the Lowood project including consideration of the River Tweed.”