Habitats

The River Dee has a unique assemblage of plants. The vegetation is a main contributor to the appearance of the landscape, but is also a reservoir for animal species.

This catchment area supports a rich variety of habitats and species: rivers, lochs, wetlands supporting many rare and plants and animals.

The River Dee and its tributaries qualify as a SAC due to their internationally important populations of Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussel and European otter.

The Dee contains stocks of Atlantic salmon, trout, lamprey and eel, plus an array of introduced species. However, it is the salmon for which the river is famous. It has been designated a Special Area of Conservation for Atlantic salmon, primarily due to the strength of the spring-running component of this species. In addition the Dee has also been designated an SAC for its populations of otter and freshwater pearl mussels.There are a good number of trout and coarse fisheries within the district as well.