River Ythan

The mouth of the River Ythan, draining into the North Sea in the Forvie National Nature Reserve, near Newburgh

The Ythan Template:IPAc-en is a river in the north-east of Scotland rising at Wells of Ythan near the village of Ythanwells and flowing south-eastwards through the towns of Fyvie, Methlick and Ellon before flowing into the North Sea near Newburgh, in Formartine.<ref name = RYT>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The lower reach of the river is known as the Ythan Estuary, is a part of the River Ythan, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch Special Protection Area for conservation, particularly the breeding ground of three tern species (common tern, little tern and Sandwich tern) (Lumina, 2004).<ref name = SNH>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The River Ythan has a length of Template:Convert and a catchment area of Template:Convert.<ref name = RYT/> As figures of the discharge, Template:Convert are given<ref>Eutrophication Assessment Reports 2006: Ythan estuary Template:Webarchive</ref> or Template:Convert.<ref>Elaine McAlister, Nelleke Domburg, Tony Edwards, Bob Ferrier, Hydrological Modelling of the River Ythan using ArcInfo GRID</ref>

Nitrate Vulnerable Zone

The Scottish Government has designated the River Ythan catchment as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone following concerns about the spread of algal mats in the river during the 1990s. The resulting restrictions on the use of fertilisers in the catchment were criticised by many farmers, 90% of the land in the catchment area is used for agriculture. However, the designation and subsequent actions to solve the issue under the European Union's LIFE Fund's Ythan Project have led to improvements in water quality as an increasing number of farmers used techniques such as the creation of buffer strips between their fields and the river and nutrient budgeting. Both the increase in agri-environment schemes in the area and the individual river restoration work undertaken under the auspices of the Ythan Project have led to an increase in wildlife habitat in the Ythan's catchment.<ref name = TYP>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Etymology

The name Ythan may be derived from a Brittonic source, cognate with Old Welsh eith meaning "gorse" (Welsh eithin)<ref name="spn">Template:Cite book</ref> or else, from an early *Iectona meaning "talkative one" (Welsh iaith; cf. River Ithon).<ref name="cpns">Template:Cite book</ref>

Fishing

The area of the Ythan is part of a protected region, in order to preserve Atlantic salmon and sea trout.<ref name = YDFB>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• Ythan Wells Roman Camp site

References

• Lumina Technologies, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen Library archives, June, 2004