Pitlochry fish ladder facts for kids
The Pitlochry fish ladder is a special pathway for fish. It is located near Pitlochry in Scotland. This amazing structure helps salmon swim upstream. They need to go upstream to lay their eggs during the breeding season.
You can still visit and see the fish ladder. However, the special underwater viewing tank is currently closed. This is due to safety reasons. But don't worry, you can still watch the fish! Live videos are shown at the visitor's centre.
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Building the Fish Ladder
The Pitlochry fish ladder was built because of a special law. This law was passed by the government in 1943. It made sure that the company building power stations, called the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, protected fish.
They had to make sure fish could still move freely in the rivers. A scientist named John Berry designed the ladder. He was an expert on fish.
When It Was Built
The fish ladder was finished in 1951. It was built at the same time as the dam for the hydro-electric power station. This power station is part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme. The ladder itself was put into use in 1952. It was the very first fish ladder of its kind in Scotland.
How the Ladder Works
The fish ladder has 34 separate pools. Each pool is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) higher than the one before it. The whole ladder stretches for about 310 meters (339 yards).
Each pool has an opening about 1 meter (3 feet) wide. This opening is below the water level. It allows the fish to swim from one pool to the next. A constant flow of water keeps the pools full.
There are also three larger pools. These are like resting spots for the fish as they swim up. One of these pools used to have a special glass wall. This allowed people to watch the fish swimming. CCTV cameras also showed the fish making their journey.
Counting the Salmon
The ladder has a special fish counter. This device records how many fish swim up the ladder each year. In 2006, 7,238 fish were counted. In 2016, 6,098 fish were counted by September 13th.
These numbers were quite high for those years. On average, around 4,000 fish use the ladder each year. This information comes from the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board.
The Dam and Loch Faskally
The dam across the River Tummel was built between 1947 and 1950. This dam created a large lake called Loch Faskally. Without the fish ladder, the dam would have completely blocked the salmon's path. They would not have been able to swim upstream to lay their eggs.
