Loch Ken and River Dee Marshes was designated a Ramsar site on 21 August 1992.

John Murray was gamekeeper to the Gordons at Kenmure Castle and is remembered for having caught in the loch the largest pike on record, the head of which rested on his shoulder, with the tail trailing on the ground.

The skeleton of the head was for many years preserved on display in the Billiard Room at Kenmure where it was studied and measured by Charles Tate Regan ichthyologist, of the Natural History Museum.

Murray died in 1777 and is buried at Kells Churchyard ; on his tombstone are carved in relief a gun, powder pouch, fishing-rod, dog and pigeon.

[3][4] In June 2020, Loch Ken Trust was formed as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), with the purpose, "To promote the natural, cultural and recreational assets of the Loch Ken area for the benefit of the public and to support sustainable local communities.