Fears have been expressed over fish survival within the Urr and its tributaries as water ranges proceed to fall.
Weeks with out important rainfall and up to date scorching climate have lowered flows to a trickle throughout the catchment.
Some feeder burns have all however dried up which has severely reduce water volumes reaching the primary river.
Occasional moist days haven't been sufficient to offset months of beneath common rainfall and poor fishing situations.
Citadel Douglas Angling Affiliation, which has beats on the decrease Urr, is lucky to have Loch Roan as an choice.
However chairman Kenny Irving says lack of water is hitting the Urr arduous – and the sport fish inside it.
He instructed the Information: “My fear simply now's how the few fish that have gotten into the river are going to outlive.
“I solely hope that they have into deep sufficient swimming pools with sufficient move to maintain adequate oxygen within the river.
“This yr there’s been virtually no water with only a few fish caught.
“The opening day of the season is February 25 however no person actually fishes it till April or Might.
“The final ones had been a salmon and a sea trout caught a few fortnight in the past and since then there’s been nothing.”
Mr Irving additionally believes massive scale industrial forestry planting across the Urr’s headwaters have made issues worse.
Sooner runoff attributable to deep drainage ditches, he says, is an enormous consider decreasing water readability after heavy rainfall.
And with out unplanted upland peatlands and bogs appearing as a sponge to launch water slowly, the river is struggling.
He stated: “Personally talking, I feel there’s an excessive amount of goes on with out sufficient emphasis being placed on the broader impact on hydrology of those schemes.
“The Urr is a real spate river however lately the headwaters are so effectively drained that it's up and down in a day.
“The forestry has created a whole lot of open drains which suggests when the rain hits the bottom it runs straight off – and that’s the issue.
“In years passed by there was a great deal of mosses which launched saved rainfall slowly – however a whole lot of them have gone.
“We simply don’t have these reservoirs of water any longer feeding the a whole bunch of wee burns trickling into the Urr – which has an enormous catchment space.”
As well as, Mr Irving highlighted how large building works upstream can influence water high quality.
“There have been a whole lot of complaints then about sediment within the Buittle Burn entering into the Urr and affecting the fishing.”