Plant trees to save fish from climate change, ministers told

M

ore riverside trees must be planted to stop fish dying from increasingly hot summers, wildlife charities have told Scottish ministers.

Rivers are one of the habitats severely disrupted by rising temperatures. Salmon, in particular, struggle to survive when temperatures exceed 20C, searching for cool water to prevent thermal stress.

In June the mean temperature reached 14.3C, the highest for Scotland since records began and almost a degree higher than the previous peak.

Dr Alan Wells, chief executive at Fisheries Management Scotland, said the country needed to invest in riverside trees and vegetation that offer fish shade, so they can continue to survive and breed in hot summers.