The netting that has been taking place in Loch Riddon for 14 years is an undertaking by the Argyll fisheries Trust to determin the extent of the sea lice population in Argyll sea lochs where there are salmon farms in the vicinity, every May and June they catch and check the sea trout smolts that have left the river and are hanging about the loch head area where sea lice from the salmon farms attach themselves to the young fish and if they get to many it weakens the fish so much that it dies, we have netted some fish at 6 inches with up to 40 lice on them so those fish are doomed, all fish after checking are safely returned to the sea, the trust want to monitor the numbers of lice so that they can complain to the fish farms, that is the purpose of the netting.
Big thanks to Colin McDonald (snr) for sending the photos.