Former Scotland rugby captain, Rob Wainwright, will open the 2019 fishing season on the River Dee next week.
The angling aficionado was capped 37 times by his country and skippered the Scots on 16 occasions in the 1990s, while also gaining selection for the British and Irish Lions on their victorious tour of South Africa in 1997.
Mr Wainwright, 53, now lives in the Inner Hebrides, but will make the journey to Aberdeenshire before launching the new season on February 1 at 10.30am.
Lorraine Hawkins, the director of the River Dee Trust, said yesterday she was pleased that Mr Wainwright had agreed to take part in what is regarded as an important season for everybody working in and around the Dee.
She added: “Rob is travelling over from his home in Coll for the event.
“He is a keen salmon angler and recognises how important fishing is to rural Scottish economies such as ours.
“We are delighted that Rob is supporting the Dee by opening the fishing season and also by supporting the River Dee Trust’s dinner the night before.
“Salmon stocks are facing huge challenges right now and we have certainly seen this with fish catches on the Dee during the last five years.
“Salmon is an iconic Scottish species and the more we recognise its value, the more strength we have to protect it, at local, national and international levels.”