Trout in the Town

Micro hydropower - "Green" energy?

2012-01-30T01:43:00.001-08:00

Can "run of river" low head hydropower offset the environmental costs of installation, operation and maintenance? Are investors likely to see a return? Is such an investment beneficial or detrimental to the environment?

New video here and website link to further info below:

http://waterfeature1.blogspot.com/

New Website for Sheffield Trout in the Town project

2012-01-19T00:29:00.001-08:00

Check it out here:

http://www.sheffieldsprite.com

Please note the Calendar function in the "Events" pages that will keep everyone up to date with upcoming cool stuff.

Also note our exciting plans for a new initiative using simplified fly-fishing (Japanese Tenkara) to engage kids and adults with the conservation of their local urban rivers. We will be piloting this in Sheffield and then helping other groups to set up their own projects.

Finally, although it is not yet "live" there will be a Donate button so that people who would like to help to protect and restore the urban Don (but who find it difficult to attend working parties) can make discretionary contributions via Paypal.

Enjoy and please feel free to comment via p.gaskell8@googlemail.com

2011-12-24T05:20:00.000-08:00

Massive thanks to all the volunteers who put themselves forward in some difficult times for myself and, potentially, the group. Here is a short video put together from the few clips I've taken over two recent working parties (when I've remembered my camera!). Of course there have been many more events, and please see my older blog entries for some of these.

The raw materials for works towards specific conservation objectives were paid for, in the main, by a grant that the WTT successfully won from the Esmee Fairbairn foundation.

Extra special thanks to the volunteers who just put themselves forward to find out what needed to be done to tackle our challenges; a few that stand out are
Danny G, Paul H, Roger R, Nick J, Gerry C, Steve W, Simon F, Richard C, Dave W, Kate Q, Craig O, Gareth E - As well as the general supporting membership!

Big thanks to those businesses that have taken a hit in order to put something back in to the river that they value so highly:

Paul Hughes/Greentree landscaping (Kit donation/use, around 100 hours of voluntary time contributed for free in 2011 along with 20% of proceeds from any Sheffield Council contracted knotweed eradication works carried out as a partnership between SPRITE and Greentree)

John Tyack Flyfishing/Fish On productions (£550 donation split 70:30 between SPRITE and the Wild Trout Trust from an auction lot that included 1 to 2 days' free time donation of four people whose daily rates range between £200 and probably £5000+ per day)

Fish On productions (£310 donation from sales of urban flyfishing DVD filmed on SPRITE water plus Free provision of promotional DVD/web video extra valued at around £2000)

We have been able to achieve a great deal more for the river, its fish, wildlife and plant ecology through these partnerships. Many thanks for taking the responsibility to reduce earnings and donate money as well as time from your businesses in these tough economic times.

The donation of what you can give (whether it is time, effort or funding support) makes you all legends.

Original video showing the start of SPRITE

2011-11-02T10:59:00.001-07:00

I'm using this as a dry run of embedding "Vimeo" clips...but here is a reminder where the Sheffield branch of Trout in the Town came from.

Latest TinTT/Wandle Trust Partnership works

2011-10-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

As regular readers will know, there is a long-running collaboration between the Wild Trout Trust (most recently via the Trout in the Town project) and the Wandle Trust. This September I had the honour of doing some further consultancy on how best to carry out parts of their ongoing in-stream habitat restoration project.

The programme of in-channel works on the Carshalton arm was initiated as part of the WTT Practical visit in February 2011 and is also part of the overall strategy for this section of the river. The strategy was driven by the findings of numerous site visits technical guidance documents that the WTT prepared for the Wandle Trust for use in negotiations with the local Environment Agency representatives. Through this process the E.A. and the Wandle Trust were able to lower/remove a number of weirs as well as to fit a fish pass to a weir that could not be removed. The fish pass and its installation were generously paid for and carried out by the Environment Agency. The strategy documents and the attendant detailed technical guidance notes allowed, following a very long negotiation process of around 24 months, the quality of the habitat between the sites of the previous barriers to be enhanced. It is the unenviable job of Bella Davies (Wandle Trust director) to understand and address all of the priority issues affecting the Wandle at the catchment scale. Consequently, Bella has translated the WTT technical advise into actions on the ground by securing funding and using her extensive conservation biology expertise to organise the works for the whole of the Wandle.
Practical Visit works revisited
The first order of business during the September consultation was to assess how well the previously installed structures are performing. My guide for this was Tim Longstaff who has been responsible for driving forward the amazing programme of works that the Wandle Trust have completed since February. Tim Longstaff and I assess how this upstream V has scoured clean gravels next to accumulated sediment and coarse woody/leaf material. Good varied habitat for a range of species. This area was previously uniformly dominated with sand and silt
Although water levels are cripplingly low following a record dry summer, the cover logs would still act to provide overhead refuge for fish. The birds also quite like them!
Consulting on the next in-channel works
The next step was to complement the bold and brilliant channel narrowing, planting, extensive gravel introduction and weir lowering recently carried out by the Wandle Trust. My aim here was to advise on how best to locate and orientate flow deflecting log structures in order to preserve a varied "hump and hollow" streambed in the introduced gravels. Following a day's walkover of the full reach (which is now a fully connected length of 1-km of river; a stark contrast to the previous series of 100 to 300m sections that were penned in between the series of weirs), myself and Tim agreed on a plan for log placements to be installed during the working party the next day.
An example of logs placed by volunteers under direction from myself and Tim during the working party. Here, the newly narrowed channel and introduced gravels are being used to generate focused mid-channel flow that will preserve variety in depth and flow. The excellent planting scheme will also develop to provide good marginal cover for juvenile fish
Reverse Angle view of the installed logs (and introduced gravel) as they are laid in place prior to pinning to the stream bed
An area lacking variety in cross-sectional depth and flow identified during the walk over day
The Wandle Trust Volunteers swing into action to increase diversity of flow and depth on the working party
Further works have been (and will continue to be) carried out to increase the amount of "brashy" cover available for juvenile trout throughout this 1-km section of river. In addition, variety in the size of river bed substrate particles will be added by incorporating more cobble-sized to breeze block-sized material scattered amongst the gravels. We will also seek to create some additional deeper scour holes (with nearby overhead cover) to make adult trout feel at home. This then leads us on to the strategy for re-introducing genuinely wild juvenile trout (but more of this strategy in future posts....).
For now I just have to say massive thanks for all the great works undertaken by the Wandle Trust - and particular thanks for being receptive to the more radical thinking required to make progress in this heavily urbanised river. I look forward to the next steps towards thriving self-sustaining trout populations.
The shockingly low water levels of 2011 summer

Colne habitat works revisited

2011-10-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

I had a really lovely trip up to East Lancashire to meet with Graham Counsell (who had kindly sourced some very useful pieces of metalwork for driving rebar pins into submerged logs; thanks Graham). We took the opportunity to fish up along the section of river that the Trout in the Town branch run out of Colne Water Angling Club have been restoring and protecting over the last few years Colne Habitat restoration video.
I am really glad that I did because we were privileged to encounter a large number of super-healthy, totally wild brownies from tight up against the superb overhead cover provided by the log and brash bank revetments. These soft revetments are structures that the club have installed to slow the "too rapid" rate of erosion in grazed sections of their river. The brashy margins have re-vegetated really well, providing additional bugs for the trout to feed on. Not only that, the trout have a plethora of new and very secure lies beneath the bankside logs and shaggy vegetation.
Sadly, I could only manage about an hour and a half of actual fishing before returning home to the office. However, in that time I contacted 24 fish (landing 14 of them - and practicing some unintentionally slightly premature catch and release on 10 fish!). The best of the session came from hard up against the revetment installed by the angling club working parties following the initial Wild Trout Trust practical training day. All in all, fantastic proof that the wild fish populations here are booming.
This is all the more gratifying because of the re-negotiation of a scheme that would have raised a downstream weir to impound much of the section that we fished through. Inputs from WTT and the Angling Trust as well as Colne Water Angling club helped to find alternative water sources to preserve a valuable lake and wetland habitat adjacent to the river - but without degrading the river habitat. Well done to everyone involved in that campaign.
Lovely wild fish that took the fly 6" from the edge of the log and brash revetments visible in the background

SPRITE Winter events

2011-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I have a few dates for your diaries for some of the SPRITE winter work schedule.

2nd Oct 2011– wild flower and grass seeding

This is a really important job for a number of reasons. The root structure of grasses and plants stabilises soil banks reducing erosion, so preventing silt entering the water course. It also greatly increases diversity of the riparian habitat which will have a knock on benefit for all flora and fauna. I particularly want to try some seeding in the areas where the EA has previously stem injected the Japanese Knotweed. These bankside areas may well be vulnerable to winter floods, so it is vital that we stabilise these areas.

Meet 9.30 – 12.30 by the Farfield Hotel, town end of Club Mill Roa.

30th Oct – general litter pick,

The first of this winter's litter clean ups.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE NOW Meet 9.30 – 12.30 AT LIVESEY STREET BRIDGE.

27th Nov – bird & bat box painting and installation

We still have a number of bird and bat boxes constructed and donated by Middlewood School. After the last attempt where most of the boxes were vandalised, we need to be a bit more canny about where we site the boxes. A bit of camouflage painting (with water based paints of course) should help.

Meet 9.30 – 12.30 Livesey Street bridge

4th December - Planned friendly fly angling match: details to be finalised and information from p.gaskell8@googlemail.com

11th Dec – litter pick, site to be finalised

If you are on the river and see an area that is in need of our attention, please don’t hesitate to contact me and we will endeavour to sort it out.

In all cases, tea / coffee / refreshments will be provided. As always, some of us will be fishing afterwards so for those members that are unfamiliar with the river, or are new to fly fishing, you are more then welcome to join us for the afternoon. If you haven’t attended one of our working sessions before, what better way in. Help out with our valuable habitat improvement work, and learn a bit about the river and fly fishing, all in the best of company, of course.

I look forward to seeing you all on 2nd Oct.

Cheers SPRITE (Sheffield's "Trout in the Town" project)

Astounding events on new TinTT affiliated river

2011-09-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

Two of the new attendees at our "urban conclave" in February this year invited me back to their own urban river recently. The purpose of the visit was two-fold; first of all to do some "mayfly in the classroom" training and also to do a revisit to the site that I had provided a habitat report on last winter. As well as exploring opportunities for access to spawning tributaries, my hosts also kindly allowed me to fish their privately owned section. Sadly this piece of river suffers serious pollution spills every few years. These have included incidents that have wiped out all fish - including thousands of eels. In fact, the only fish to survive one such incident in 2009 were the handful of eels that managed to CLIMB OUT ONTO THE RIVERBANK and ball up in tree roots. Therefore, it was more an act of defiance to make our way up the river with fully rigged fly rods casting into numerous likely-looking spots in the vain hope of proving the water chemistry data wrong. And let's be clear here; there was absolutely no shortage of fantastic looking holding water in the quarter mile or so that we fished. It is a classic upland trout stream that has sadly been allowed to comfortably wear its label of degraded/polluted/lifeless for far too many generations now. My hosts, though, have the ambition that within the next 5 to 10 years there can be progress made to ensure the presence of wild, self-sustaining trout populations here - and I applaud them for it.

It was with a heavy heart, therefore, that I reached the last feature at the upstream boundary - being as we were fishless. Based on the appearance of the habitat, we should have been some 20 fish to the good at that point. The final feature in question was a riffle feeding into a lovely scour pool on the outside of a bend. It even included some great tangled tree root and sedge grass cover. In fact, it had merited special mention during my original habitat visit in the depths of last winter. And so when the leader's progress down the pool halted momentarily, I lifted the rod realising that I'd generously made another sacrificial offering of a weighted nymph to the tree root gods. Except that, in this case, the "snag" proved to be quite mobile. Explosively so. Positively livid in fact. What had I connected with? A shout downstream to the others that they might at least witness the rod bending into a fish. As they splashed their way upstream I glimpsed something momentous. Well - two momentous somethings actually. First of all; the fish was very large. Second of all; this large fish had spots on it......
"*$$*ing hell", "don't lose it", "£%*&ing, *%£*" etc. for the ensuing tense minutes.... As you can see below, I did get it into the net and it did pose for a couple of pictures.

But lets be totally straight here - that fish is large because it has somehow avoided the ignominious fate of all its brethren and, consequently, has almost no competition for resources. The operation of human industry in this area have given this fish no chance of survival and every chance of extermination. And yet there it was - probably having dropped downstream from the cleaner reaches upstream (or perhaps finding refuge in a side stream during the various pollution blights it would have endured in the main river during its lifespan). Surely we can do better to make sure that fish like this can thrive here?

Summer 2011 updates

2011-08-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

2011 is turning out to be quite a tumultuous year so far following the great success of our urban conclave and Wandle Practical Visit early on. A changing of the guard in the Sheffield Project as John Blewitt stepped down as chair to pursue a focus in youth angling coaching has lead to a re-organisation at SPRITE (Sheffield Project for Rivers in Town Environments). We have now created several new posts that were previously components of the chairperson's role and have run some fantastic invasive plant removal events (both independently and in partnership with Winn Gardens Tenants and Residents Association (Winntara) and the Rivelin Valley Conservation Group: http://www.rivelinvalley.org.uk/).
Balsam Removal at Winn Gardens: Before
The same mid-stream island after Balsam removal
SPRITE has also purchased some “stem injection” kit for controlling Japanese knotweed infestations and we are in the process of obtaining the appropriate licence to use glyphosate weedkiller next to watercourses. The huge advantage of stem injection is the specific targeting of individual invasive plants– and a lack of overspray of weedkiller onto non-target native plants and the adjacent river. For a great example of this – and also to credit the E.A. flood risk management teams for tackling invasive plants in areas where flood mitigation works are carried out – the section of the River Don adjacent to Club Mill Road in Sheffield has recently been treated with stem injection kit by teams under the instruction of Jonathan Moxon and his colleagues at the E.A. This has come about through our ongoing dialogue with the E.A. through Jonathan as we work to improve the efficacy and environmental benefits of flood risk works.
One of several sections of the knotweed infestation treated by the E.A. flood risk management team on the Don

Mayfly in the Classroom (www.mayflyintheclassroom.org ) training has been provided to establish the project in Basingstoke, as well as a special group training day for 4 schools in the Milton Keynes area at George Eaton’s fantastic outdoor classroom facility that is part of the award winning Rectory Farm http://www.rectory-farm.org.uk/ . This event was scheduled to be run by myself but the onset of what transpired to be epilepsy in my 6-month old son meant that my colleague Tim Jacklin stepped in and saved the day (thanks Tim!).

We have also been in negotiation with the relevant E.A. regulatory people over the habitat works that I designed for the River Erewash in Nottinghamshire. Following a degree of back and forth since early this year over the proposed designs and the relevant site visits, it seems that we may be progressing towards being granted permission to do the habitat works installation (hopefully before autumn this year when the trout will start to think about spawning).
Example of proposed works on Erewash
This will be carried out as part of a WTT “Practical Visit” where staff from the Trust train local volunteers how to carry out the prescribed improvement works. Practical visits (staff time and materials) are sponsored by the WTT funding infrastructure and are free to recipients (up to a maximum value of £1800). In the meantime, Tim Jacklin has dropped in on the River Erewash Foundation to train them in the use of their new gravel cleaning machine (an adapted leaf blower – bought following a seed-corn funding donation from the Trout in the Town project to the REF: http://www.rivererewashfoundation.co.uk/)
REF volunteers being trained in the delicate art of spawning gravel cleaning
A day spent surveying the river Irwell with the “Action Irwell/Salford Friendly Anglers” (http://actionirwell.blogspot.com/ and http://www.salfordfriendlyanglers.co.uk/) group was used to help identify potential sites to be incorporated in their planned Riverfly Partnership Anglers’ Monitoring Initiative (http://www.riverflies.org/index/riverfly_monit.html). The group has subsequently received their invertebrate sampling and identification training and the monitoring plan is being put into action. In the interests of multitasking, I also carried out the necessary investigations to compile an Advisory Visit report to identify potential habitat bottlenecks and any relevant ecological issues on the Irwell. The resultant report identified a series of recommendations to address the identified issues that the Irwell group are finding very useful in presenting to potential project partners as well as to council and regulatory representatives. The report also makes direct links to the priorities identified in the relevant Water Framework Directive “River Basin Management Plans” to show how the Irwell group can help the E.A. achieve the required ecological improvements. Wild Trout Trust members can sign into the members’ area on the WTT website and read the report in full (www.wildtrout.org). The visit, including its follow-up report, was delivered free of charge using Trout in the Town funding provided by the E.A. and the Esmée Fairbairn foundation.
One of around 300 consented discharges on the Irwell - this one benefits from investment in improved water treatment

I could not let this entry pass without making special mention of the fantastic progress that the Wandle Trust have been making this year. Previous posting has covered the terrific urban conclave and the attendant WTT practical visit hosted by the Wandle Trust (http://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2011/03/return-of-urban-conclave-even-bigger.html ). The Wandle Trust and the Wild Trout Trust have a long shared history (long may it continue!) and I am very proud of the technical training input and habitat/wild trout population restoration strategy developed through the Trout in the Town project. I am equally in awe of the amazing way that the Wandle Trust has implemented their habitat works programme and seamlessly integrated it at a whole river scale (with particularly large doses of kudos to Wandle Trust Director Bella Davies required!). Read the Wandle Trust Blog entries from 20th July 2011 (weir notching at Carshalton) up to the most recent entries to see how much work all of the Trust staff, trustees and volunteers are putting in (www.wandletrust.org)
See below for snapshots of weir "notching" to improve fish passage and also increase upstream current speeds, gravel importation, new margin creation in narrowed, faster-flowing channel as well as planting up of new margin adjacent to imported gravel riffle. Fantastic work (with more to come!).

The Value of Nature

2011-06-20T01:48:00.001-07:00

DEFRA white paper making the financial/societal case for protecting biodiversity:

http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm80/8082/8082.pdf

Follow up to the Wandle Practical Visit

2011-04-01T08:39:00.001-07:00

Great news once again from the Wandle. The E.A. have played a blinder and installed the fish pass that will give upstream access to the habitat enhancement scheme (see the next post but one below) above this previously impassable barrier. Now all that remains to put the cherry on this is to tackle a second barrier (by partial removal rather than by fish pass) and to get the "tweaks" right on the habitat works.

That just leaves the permissions to be obtained for phased re-introductions of wild trout parr in order to re-establish the self sustaining trout stocks of the Wandle (previous most recent record circa 1930). Can't wait. Well done to all involved (including us at the Wild Trout Trust :):)), at the E.A. and the Wandle Trust for the works on this partnership project.

Grayling population survey from 14th March

2011-03-25T03:56:00.000-07:00

The last day of the grayling season saw another band of intrepids take to the river in order to catch up, fish and record the days findings to keep up the record of our river's stocks. The TEAM head out A great day out and evidence that, at least in sections of the river, sufficient grayling have survived the attentions of a large influx of goosander to keep going over another cold winter. We are lucky that there are good areas of cover on the river as well as the steep gradient of the river maintaining a wide variety of current speeds and depths. Dave "Cort nowt" W proving his forum nickname wrong again Goosander are beautiful birds, but freezing over of their normal feeding areas can put a great deal of pressure on dense winter shoals of river grayling. In rivers with a little less varied habitat, the impacts can be very severe and the presence of impassable weirs or other barriers reduce the chances of fish re-colonisation. Of course, the birds are able to fly between numerous different feeding grounds if food becomes depleted in one area. All of this highlights the need to maintain good habitat and connectivity (lack of barriers) on our rivers so that nature can maintain the balance between predator and prey without too much "boom and bust". Back to the matter in hand - Danny had "sampled" 21 fish for himself and even managed to catch one perfectly to order when I pointed the camera at him (video below). I had also heard reports that Dave W managed 37 fish and I look forward to the full breakdown of numbers.

Return of the Urban Conclave - even bigger and better than the original?

2011-03-08T04:38:00.000-08:00

Friday February 25th through to Monday the 28th saw a massive payoff for over 2 years' worth of planning, design proposals, negotiation and persistance (not only on my part, but on the part of the Wandle Trust - in particular Bella Davies and Theo Pike). Members of the local E.A. fisheries team (including Tanya Houston) also pushed forward the important removal of several barriers to trout migration - which will soon see a fish pass added to a large weir to complement the lowering/removal of 3 other weirs. Finally, we had the go ahead to begin the creation of good quality spawning, juvenile and adult trout habitat patches in the upper reaches of the Carshalton arm of the River Wandle: the next step in returning truly wild self-sustaining trout populations since their demise in the polluted waters of the 1930s.

Whilst seeking to arrange this year's "Trout in the Town Urban River Champion's Conclave", the thought occurred that it would be incredibly fitting to share the groundbreaking Wandle works with the dedicated members of "Trout in the Town" branches from urban rivers across the UK. So began the plan to arrange a two-day conference and combine it with a Wild Trout Trust "Practical Visit" habitat works training event for local (and not-so-local) volunteers. Ambitious? You bet. Especially when booking "value for money" conference and accommodation facilities using WTT charitable funding(sponsored by the Esmée Fairbairn foundation) in the Wimbledon area. Since people were travelling from far and wide, I didn't want cost of accommodation to be a barrier to anyone attending the event - so B and B were free to participants (unless they willing to cover their own costs). However, Theo came up trumps with a suggestion to use the Merton Abbey Mills complex which was both convenient and surprisingly reasonably priced. Meanwhile, on the habitat works preparation front - we were anxiously awaiting delivery of the thick wad of schematic plans showing the position of any below-ground "service pipes" (i.e. electricity, sewerage, telecommunications) that could prove ticklish if we accidentally skewered any with a 2-m long steel rebar pin...

Actually, for its proper context, great credit must be given to the E.A. for"breaking out" this section of river in the first place; imprisoned as it was in a concrete box on the site of an old chemical works.
The section of River Wandle we were to work on as it was in the early 1990's

Of course, the fantastic efforts over more than 10 years of the Wandle Trust to care for the whole river also cannot be underestimated. Concerns over water quality and quantity could not have been allayed without the invertebrate monitoring (Riverfly Partnership) and the survival and fitness of the "Trout in the Classroom" fish - both programmes run so brilliantly by the Wandle Trust.
Pupils release their "Trout in the Classroom" fish into the Wandle

So - having travelled down from Sheffield with SPRITE members Paul and Nick, we installed ourselves in the William Morris pub on the Friday evening to await the arrival of the merry band of Trout in the Town members old and new. We had representatives from projects in Huddersfield, Sheffield, Nottinghamshire, Wigan, Birmingham, Manchester, Derbyshire and London (with apologies from Lancashire Colne, Glazert near Glasgow and London's River Cray). Introductions made, the conversation flowed as easily as one might expect when you unite a bunch of obsessives all working on the same problems.
Charles Rangeley Wilson gives the opening talk of the 2011 Conclave

Following a rousing introduction by Wild Trout Trust director Shaun Leonard, the Saturday programme was kicked off by an inspirational and personal perspective from Wild Trout Trust President, author, photographer, film-maker and (accidental) angler Charles Rangeley Wilson - who, by greatly auspicious coincidence, had caught his first (and to date only) Wandle trout after many years of trying not 50 yards from the conference venue. So began a day of accounts from representatives of each local branch - both giving background to their own aspirations as well as sharing lessons learned the hard way.
Charles Rangeley Wilson with his Wandle Trout photographed by David Sanderson. The conference venue is attached to the Mill Wheel in the background!

Food and liquid refreshment was amply provided by the William Morris staff at regular intervals and a great many discussions and friendships were forged across all groups throughout the day. These discussions and cross-group problem solving activities continued well into the night over dinner and drinks (even finding time to take in the Rugby game at 5pm). A great day.
Tea breaks were busy with discussions

Sunday saw the whole thing stepped up a notch with the combining of local volunteers with conference delegates to make a workforce group 49-strong to be trained by Andy Thomas and myself (Wild Trout Trust) with Bella Davies and Theo Pike (Wandle Trust) and Wild Trout Trust Director Shaun Leonard marshalling the volunteers. Amongst the people getting their hands and waders dirty was local MP Tom Brake who turned out to be remarkably handy with a bow saw.
The massed throng ready to get to work

Particularly gratifying for me was the sight of volunteers (who half an hour prior to our guided river walk and training talk knew nothing of trout habitat requirements and only a little about stream ecology) expertly and correctly fielding questions from passing dog walkers and local residents. At least half of the true value of a Wild Trout Trust Practical Visit is its educational value - not just the physical habitat restoration itself.
Here I explain how to count to 10 using only your fingers

The habitat works that we completed used a combination of logs, brash and metal pins to produce scoured spawning gravels, holding lies for adult trout and cover suitable for juvenile life stages of trout.

Installation of scour-producing log placements (above) and low-level brash shelter (below)

A hugely important aspect of these works is also the simple monitoring techniques used to track the physical effect of each structure.
Theo and Bella taking depth measurements relative to a constant point (datum) in order to track impact of structure on stream bed

The Monday following the practical works saw formal surveying and measurements carried out to complement those undertaken during the works and was followed up by an assessment and discussion with regional E.A. representatives of Flood Risk Management, Development Control and Fisheries who approved the works (there was still a chance that we would have to remove any structures that caused undue concern in this heavily urbanised environment).

When combined with the removal of 5 key barriers (3 already tackled, a fish pass imminent on a 4th and a project this year to tackle the 5th) these works pave the way for the seeding of the river with wild trout parr from a suitable donor river. This will tie in with the shift from using fertile hatchery fish in the "Trout in the Classroom" projects to sterile fish in the near future - a move that will ensure the greatest possible genetic diversity (and hence adaptability) of the self-sustaining trout within the Wandle.
Lowered and "notched" weir on the Wandle, showing removal of silt upstream of the previous barrier to reveal clean gravel and potential spawning gravel scouring and sorting downstream. The position of the notch is also promoting a more meandering flow

One word was used repeatedly (and without prompts from me!) over the course of the Conclave and the Practical Visit: "inspirational" - and I would like to add my own use of that word when applied to all Conclave participants and volunteers from each and every Trout in the Town project. I am in awe of all your undertakings and it is a privilege for me to work on your behalf.

Volunteers installing habitat works on the site of the old chemical works
Andy Thomas creating "cover logs" to produce lies for adult trout

Mike Duddy from the Salford Friendly Anglers Trout in the Town group with a wild fish that, sadly, was wiped out by pollution along with the rest of the river inhabitants for miles along a Manchester urban stream soon after this photo was taken. Trout in the Town groups will fight to prevent such disasters in the future

New dedicated website for "Mayfly in the Classroom"

2011-01-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

Mayfly in the Classroom now has its own dedicated web-space.

Everything you need to run these projects in your local schools and community groups should be found in the pages at Mayfly in the classroom

Enjoy

PG

Trout in the Town Guidelines Launched

2010-12-20T02:28:00.000-08:00

The latest in a series of river restoration guidelines has been launched by the WTT. This latest installment focusses on guiding local community members in adopting and caring for their urban river reaches and have been developed by the TinTT programme manager based on the first two years of working with the first 8 UK chapters of TinTT.

The guidelines are available for free download in low resolution here:
URBAN RIVER RESTORATION GUIDELINES

Here is the report on the first two years of the project including progress against objectives as well as lessons learnt:
FINAL REPORT
They will shortly be available to purchase at full resolution on CD from the online shop at THE WILD TROUT TRUST

Enjoy.

PG

Easiest way to keep up with SPRITE Sheffield Trout in the Town events

2010-12-06T10:09:00.001-08:00

Here on Facebook:

SPRITE facebook group

Enjoy

PG

Going all the way on the Cray

2010-11-23T02:58:00.000-08:00

A little London Chalkstream near Sidcup which has been diligently looked after in recent years by Thames21's Ashe Hurst got another shot in the arm on Thursday and Friday last week. Two of the WTT's conservation officers (Andy Thomas and Paul Gaskell) did two days of specific habitat improvement works in order to train the Thames21 staff and volunteers (including local youngsters who have been excluded from schools). A variety of uses of woody debris, brash bundles, wire, stakes and metal pin fixings were used to promote localised scouring of the stream bed, sorting and cleaning of spawning gravels and submerged "brashy" cover for juvenile fish.

The videos below show the increase in flow and change from "concreted" immobile gravels (with dark algal growth) to mobile and silt free (light coloured)particles at the pinch point created by an upstream "V" flow deflector

The flows prior to the installation of the upstream V were much more sluggish and favoured the deposition of silt. Now there is much more variety in current pace and depth.

The upstream V featured in the video clips (above)showing the focussed flow and pale gravel displaced following loosening with a metal spike. Potential spawning habitat and holding pot for adult fish

Single log flow deflector to encourage localised scour and promote more meandering flow

Brashy cover to provide habitat for fry and parr (here in a spot too shady to allow marginal plant growth)

Mini transverse log - note pronounced undershot scouring flows bubbling up on the downstream side of the log (to the right)producing patch of self-cleaning gravel and holding pot for fish

The pictures cover just a small selection of what was installed over the two day training visit and this will also be extensively added to by Ashe and his teams of volunteers in the coming months. Ultimately, it is hoped that self-sustaining populations of wild trout can be re-established in this once degraded chalkstream. What is for certain is that local volunteers like Gaynor and Alan who worked like trojans for both days are absolutely passionate about caring for their local urban river.
Well done guys.

PG

Highlighting trout spawning and what to avoid when wading in winter

2010-11-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

An example of some of the useful communication of highly relevant information that can be passed directly to grass roots participants just by contributing to an online specialist forum. Click the link below:

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/826909-post86.html
In summary - don't trim/remove debris that produces localised gravel scour:

This trailing branch debris is cleaning and "sorting" gravel for spawning - note the brighter patch of gravel

and don't tread on redds (trout "nests") containing eggs:

Newly formed redd which will allow eggs to hatch and emerging tiny fish (alevins) to shelter in the gaps between the pebbles below the surface of the gravel bed

Trout cutting a redd - photo Peter Henriksson

SPRITE (Sheffield Trout in the Town) recognised in local community awards

2010-10-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

SPRITE came runners up in the 2010 Sheffield Telegraph community environmental project awards this week.

This is great recognition for all the hard work done both on the conservation of the river but also for the invaluable community engagement and education that everone involved has put into the city of Sheffield.

Very well done also to this year's Winners - Wisewood School.

Wild Trout Trust work promoted as part of new DVD

2010-10-18T02:32:00.000-07:00

Please follow the link below and click on the video thumbnail to watch a short film that outlines the work of the Wild Trout Trust, with particular reference to some of the Trout in the Town work done in Sheffield and Colne in East Lancashire:
Fish On DVD

Last week in Waders

2010-09-13T01:09:00.000-07:00

Please see the photos and text on the link (below) that shows what we have been up to all last week on New Mills' River Goyt near Stockport:

River Goyt PV

Waving a Magic Wand(le)

2010-08-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Very hot news just in is that after many months (years!) of assessment, planning, design, negotiation and hard work; permission has just been granted for my design of habitat restoration and enhancement works to go ahead on the upper Carshalton arm of the Wandle.

Many thanks to Bella from the Wandle Trust hosting our E.A. flood risk assessor and putting our case so well and also great effort from Tanya in E.A. fisheries for making the weir removal programme happen.

An extensive array of structures will be installed over around 600 m of river which will create high quality spawning and adult holding habitat along with some additional juvenile habitat to complement the existing opportunities for young trout. When this is coupled with the increased connectivity along this section of the Wandle (through a combination of weir removals and fish pass installation), then the potential for robust self-sustaining populations of wild trout will be greatly increased.
The final piece of this part of the puzzle will come with the hoped-for opportunity to import wild trout parr from nearby in the catchment. Rather than depleting adult brood stock from the donor site - juveniles will be sourced from a population that is producing a natural surplus of parr (mixture of 0+ and 1+ age classes)in a comparable stream. In this way, with the phasing in of sterile "triploid" eggs for use in "Trout in the Classroom" instead of fertile hatchery strain fish - the adaptable and well-prepared wild fish will have the best chance of establishing themselves and successfully breeding in the Wandle once more. The classroom fish have done an admirable job in proving that survival, growth and even a little spawning can happen in stream (they have been the canaries in the cage). The next exciting phase is hoped to be to see how the streetwise wild fish take to their new home.

Busy Buzzy Bee

2010-05-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff going on at the moment (that’s the problem with blogging, when there’s loads to write about, you haven’t got time to write it). Therefore, the briefest of briefs (not in the underwear sense) for my recent activities would include, but not be limited to, the following:
Mayfly in the Classroom Taking Wing in both urban and also transferring to rural settings too.

A hugely successful (judging by the reaction of the kids alone) run of Mayfly in the Classroom (MIC) in the Staffordshire area was delivered by WTT (Paul Gaskell, Tim Jacklin) and Severn Trent Water (Hanna Sandstrom) staff in three schools. This was part of a collaborative project between WTT, Trent Rivers Trust and Severn Trent Water to teach the value of protecting stream habitat, water quality and water quantity through a variety of practical (and locally relevant) actions. In the process the children learnt about (and got very attached to) the mayfly nymphs and resultant adults in their care. Memorable quotes from the pupils included “You are the best men ever” (not sure how Hanna should take that) and, more importantly, “Mayfly and trout are indicator species that tell us when streams have clean water”.
This experience has been mirrored by the children who received their Mayfly in the Classroom from the chaps at the Monnow Fisheries Association (http://monnow.org/default.aspx ); who booked themselves some “trainer training” from yours truly so that they could deliver the activities in schools.

The quote (this time from a rather self-deprecating local E.A. person) that stands out for the Monnow MIC venture is “that has probably done more for our rivers, in one morning, than I did in 20 years working for the EA”.
Becky Helm from Eden Rivers Trust http://discover.edenriverstrust.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=403 has also been running MIC in 6 schools in the Carlisle area using the online resources and following a little bit of training and some equipment supply from Trout in the Town...updates to follow.
I’m also very pleased that Greenstreams (an urban river restoration/protection project prompted by a WTT auction lot winner and whose steering group TinTT sits on: http://www.greenstreams.org.uk) is adopting MIC as a cornerstone of its suite of educational tools in Huddersfield. Naturally it fits very well into the Riverfly days to be run by Calder and Colne Rivers Trust.
Finally for MIC updates, staff at Notre Dame High School received MIC trainer training so that it can be used in the Hallam City Learning Centre “Environmental Learning Centre” http://www.hallamclc.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=88 which will be used by around 20 local schools to deliver environmental education (now including MIC). Hopefully you will agree that this educational tool developed by TinTT for use in urban areas is giving great benefit to pupils and teachers in urban and rural areas alike.
In other urban work, I’ve recently prepared and submitted detailed plans for proposed habitat works on the upper River Wandle. I’m really hoping that we can navigate successfully through the very difficult territory of arranging all the necessary permissions and consents to get the green light for this work as it will be very cool (thanks to Tanya Houston of E.A. fisheries and all the Wandle Trust crew for pushing the consents side of things forward). This is especially exciting given this years’ “proof of concept” by the Trout in the Classroom fish who have managed to produce some offspring in stream this year. If we are able to reach our dream and introduce wild trout parr into the restored upper reaches then they should have a bonanza.
Elsewhere in the Greater London Area – Ashe Hurst is doing a great job in pushing through the thankless task of obtaining consents for WTT and Thames21 collaborative habitat works. Keep the faith Ashe, we’ll get there in the end!
World Tour of Wales
In addition to the MIC training delivered to the Monnow Fisheries Association (MFA), I also undertook a catchment-wide survey of the Monnow system hosted by Patrick Lloyd and Rob Denny of the MFA in order to assess and augment their already expansive plans and activities on their rivers. A two-day affair, which was preceded by a day visit to the lovely Rhondda Fach hosted by the fine Owen Mealing. In both the rural and post-industrial settings of these two venues, the importance of considering catchment scale processes acting on our upland rivers is very apparent. The increasingly flashy nature of many upland rivers can be attributed to aggressive drainage practices often associated with some peat moorland or coniferous forestry (and also increases in areas of hard standing drainage in urban areas). Good sediment management and understanding the process of sediment inputs is absolutely vital to the future sustainability of the Monnow system (again associated with land use) and the report I furnished the MFA with helps to target this issue. I am really hopeful and very keen that Owen can get our first Welsh chapter of Trout in the Town established and use it to help the local community to enjoy and care for their beautiful recovering river. The week was rounded off by attending a cross-disciplinary conference hosted in Bala, North Wales to introduce volunteers, angling club members and numerous interest groups to local E.A. fisheries staff (as well as hosting a programme of expert guest speakers highlighting fisheries issues in the region). But my next visit to Wales had to wait a couple of weeks so that I could take a tour of the majestic River Taff, as hosted by Colin Chapman. Again, on the back of that visit there are some exciting ways in which the WTT and the local anglers can work together on behalf of their river.
In terms of communicating useful/interesting information to the masses, I did a flying visit to Louth in Lincolnshire to speak at Lincolnshire Chalk Streams project’s “Water for Wildlife” conference. This gave me a chance to pass on the ways in which community engagement/education tools that I’ve developed for TinTT could be adapted and applied more widely to habitat conservation projects in all areas (rural or urban).
Still sticking with passing on tools developed and applied to TinTT, the first draft of my “Urban Restoration guidelines” manual is currently being reviewed by my colleagues. Revisions will be undertaken and the layout/design agreed with a July publication date in mind. Watch this space for everything you needed to know about standing up to be counted on behalf of your urban rivers. Thoughts and preparations are already being made for the CLA gamefair this year and we’ll also be going over to the Northern Ireland Fly fair as well as the Bakewell show, so on that note; I’ll sign off with another quote from one of our dear members to whom I was chatting at the Annual Get Together this year. Upon enquiring of me what I did for the WTT, and hearing that I was tasked with managing the TinTT project across the UK......”Is that all?”
Yes (and no).

Grabbed by the Proverbials

2010-04-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

I am told that there is an African Proverb (borrowed by many including Al Gore!) that says “If you want to go fast; go alone. If you want to go far; go together”. You can see these words on the displays at the Eden Project in the UK and also see how they’ve adhered to the principle in their exhibits of sustainable futures for the planet (http://www.edenproject.com/). The theme of forming a strong group in order to move mountains is pretty much the central feature of TinTT local chapters. Going together, though, is easier said than done…

If History (at least according to Edmund Blackadder) is anything to go by, then it is perhaps unclear what aspects of dear Queenie we could usefully learn from her assertion that “I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a Concrete Elephant!”. Perhaps a clearer message is the more conventionally reported quote of:
“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too…I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field”.
That is more like it, and is something of the attitude that we should all draw inspiration from – especially with our local project groups and volunteer river conservation efforts. Nowhere better is this captured than by the example of another redoubtable lady (this time from more recent history). What caught my attention (whilst driving with the radio on in the background) recently was this piece about the founding of a premier league football club (radio4).
Anna Connell is believed to be the only female founder of a professional football club in the world. The formation itself was part of her work (with her father’s support) to make a better society for the young working men of the day. What made the biggest impression on me was the fact that Anna’s “right hand man”, William Beastow had, himself, previously attempted to set up a men’s football team. However, he had been forced to concede defeat, disheartened by the declining attendance.
The crucial point is that Anna was also faced with the same problem. The only difference is, she refused to give in and by force of personality and persistence eventually beat down the apathy that had threatened her team. By the time the name had changed from St Mark’s Church football team to Gorton Association Football club in 1884, it had solidified into the club that would become Manchester City.

Its worth thinking about that a little bit – the only difference between zero and a massive premier league club is that the founder did not give up, and would not take no for an answer.

The Archdeacon of Manchester told one meeting of Anna Connell's Men's Meetings: "It must be a great source of encouragement to see how the movement had been taken up, and the highest credit was due to Miss Connell for the way in which it had been carried out. No man could have done it - it required a woman's tact and skill to make it so successful."
Whilst that is a kind complement to Anna from the old dude in a frock, it somewhat lets us blokes off the hook. We should not take the lack of a particular set of rude bits as permission to give up on something if it is truly worthwhile.

Last year's holiday trip to Japan also came to mind for this blog post. In Japan, as with any nation, the climate has had an important influence on the development of social characteristics. This climate of hot summers and prolific rainy season favours intensive agriculture – and forced people to work in tight knit cooperative communities in order to tackle the labour of irrigation, planting and harvesting in limited space. In order for the aims of the group to be achieved, people frequently had to put the group’s needs ahead of their own feelings. This maintenance of “wa” (harmony) was often achieved through “aimai” or polite ambiguity in communication – with the avoidance of stating opinions that would derail the group’s efforts. Whilst there are many extremes in Japanese culture (not always with healthy outcomes), the kind of dignified and diligent pursuit of common goals is something that anyone would do well to acknowledge. The important thing is having clarity about the important, over-arching aims of any group endeavour – and then doing what is necessary to achieve those aims.

Going together is seldom easy, but history is full of examples of how far it can take you. There will be many more (unrecorded) instances of where giving up on the group resulted in nothing at all.

Campsie Fells

2010-03-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Just back from a swift trip to Glasgow/Lennoxtown and the guys at Campsie.

Here is a fantastic river and a great group, which historically had amazing trout fishing. A cumulative effect of changes (probably land use, possibly climate, probably high water abstraction rates) often leave this river very low on water. Conversely, when it does rise; it comes up quick and drops away just as suddenly.

A very common scenario in our upland river systems that comes along with intensified pressures on land use/natural resources.

Sections of the river have been historically straightened and house continuous runs of relatively uniform depth (OK for juveniles, not so much holding water for adult fish).

However, there are a few examples of naturally occurring Large Woody Debris which are providing holding lies for good fish. Unfortunately, this also means that these spots see lots of angling attention

Trout in the Town and the guys from Campsie are putting some plans together in order to improve the habitat and holding lies in straightened sections (as well as generating localised scour pools of increased depth that will hold water at all flows - low and high).

Again, keep watching this space

Wandle update - weir'll meet again.....

2010-03-16T04:24:00.000-07:00

A quick one to make up for the lack of posts recently (I have been furiously drafting the upcoming "Urban river restoration guidelines" manual for publication this summer......)

This one is about weirs (again - see "weirs tha bin?" previous blog post)

I've lost count of the number of times that angling club members have been scared to death by the suggestion that a weir is taken down - Understandably - because often the foot of that weir (and the attendant scour hole) forms a weir pool that has the best fishing on that section of river...

Thanks so, so much to Theo and the Wandle piscators/Wandle Trust for having the faith in our advice - it is by weir lowering or removal that the single good fishing spot BELOW a weir can be transformed into tens (hundreds?) of good fishing spots above the weir! All of that current velocity that is killed behind the structure (causing silt to gather) is re-invigorated throughout the whole reach. This will clear away the silt, expose spawning gravels (and habitat for more invertebrate species) and also provide the energy to produce localised scour pools all along the river which will hold fish all the way up the reach.

In at least one study of weir removal - TEN TIMES the BIOMASS of trout and salmon were found following weir removal (compared to the biomass when the weir was in place). This is a far, far, far bigger effect than installing a fish pass (which is sometimes your only option - but is never perfect because only a proportion of fish will find and navigate them, and it also has no beneficial effect on the habitat above the weir).

A huge well done also to Tanya Houston in E.A. fisheries for getting the permissions in place and also marshalling staff/volunteers to begin taking down these key barriers (course by course!).

Here are the effects of the removal of the first tier of stones from one of the Wandle weirs:

A smallish example - but one which makes free upstream movement for fish difficult (or impossible for some). It also has accumulated a lot of silt behind it.

And here is the same weir with the top course of stone removed and a notch taken out at the near bank side. Note the large ramp of clean gravel below the weir - this now has water percolating upwards through it from the bottom of the scour hole beneath the structure - excellent spawning habitat

Contrast this with the situation just above the weir BEFORE the stones were removed - ankle to mid calf-deep in grey silty sediment (including road runoff):

Now, with just the top course removed and notched, this section is bright clean gravel with a good current flow. Ripe for trout colonisation - especially with a little small-scale LWD introduction to encourage mid-channel scour and overhead cover (note the tree towards the centre of the frame - this is the same one that Theo is standing - in silt - in front of in the previous photo):

2007 and 2008 recruitment was OK for Urban Grayling

2010-02-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

The figures from Saturday's friendly grayling match show that the very strong year class of fish avoided being badly impacted by floodwaters around the 07 period...

There are also decent numbers of juveniles around and just one or two older fish. Hopefully the very strong class of 25 to 27 cm fish will produce decent numbers of fish surviving to 3 and 4 years old over the next couple of years.....

Bold as Brash

2010-02-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

Those splendid chaps up on the Lancs. Colne have been busy again over the winter since our initial Practical Visit. Here they are finding a good green use for the whole of the local council's dumped Xmas tree collection: Completing their brash bank revetments to protect the single line of mature trees that are clinging on in the grazed surrounding fields (these are on the opposite bank to the first set of works). How did you work off your festive season surplus calories?? :)

Frosty the Grayling (and 101 of his friends)

2010-02-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

12 anglers (brave and true) met on a frosty Sunday morning this weekend. Their purpose? To seek out, catch and record the grayling living between Hillfoot Bridge and Winn Gardens on the urban river Don...The stakes were (not) high (£5) the rewards great (£40 for most fish and a tenner for the biggest fish). Oh - and we hoped to meet new angling friends as well as provide accurate records of the presence of different age-classes of game fish (in a section of river that is not monitored in conventional ways).

They came from far and near - with 3 raiding nomads heading down from East Lancashire to challenge the locals (in the event, fairness was ensured by fishing the event as pairs - one local paired with each visitor).

The proof that local Trout in the Town Group "SPRITE" are justified in their passion for clearing up and protecting their local urban river can be seen in the results:

102 grayling between 14 and 35cm in length were caught - with by far the most numerous category being the 27cm/2yr+ fish

Pink flies were the main winning medicine on the day and the winning pair of Andy Cliffe and Martin Introna took a cracking 37 fish between them and Andy also scooped the biggest fish prize at 35cm

Both Andy and Martin generously donated their prize money to the SPRITE project and both volunteer their time contributing to the care of the river.

Andy's winning fish

Getting the measurements for the biological records

Both Visitors (left) and locals (right) enjoyed terrific fishing with the grayling - a sensitive indicator of unpolluted waterways

The kind of surroundings that almost anyone would think would have a polluted fishless river running below (rather than a first class totally wild game fishery)

The all important post-match analysis and biological data collation (and fishy tales with a good pint)

A fantastic day out and another set of valuable data gathered for our local council ecologist Paula Lightfoot (do you know your own local ecologist??)that can be used to protect the Don from insensitive development. Big thanks for the support of the Travelling Colne Water AC TROUT IN THE TOWNers and the SPRITE chapter look forward to pitching in on your river in the future.

Rods for Conservation

2009-12-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

Both the Sheffield Trout in the Town project (SPRITE) and the River Erewash Foundation have now received a 4-piece SAGE VPS rod each (9ft #5 for SPRITE and 9ft #6 for Erewash. These rods are the result of a strong history of SAGE sponsorship support for the WTT through the "Rods For Conservation" programme.

The way this works is simple: The rods are kindly donated to the WTT from the manufacturer and these can then be offered as raffle prizes or auction lots to generate funding for River Habitat Conservation Projects.

In this way, the fishing tackle manufacturers - such as SAGE - have a concrete way to put something into the rivers that are cared for by dedicated local groups.

To get hold of tickets - please contact John Blewitt for SPRITE via email on blackgnat@blueyonder.co.uk
and see the rest of the great raffle prizes that John has amassed! on the SPRITE web pages: http://www.spanglefish.com/sprite-southyorks/news.asp

Similarly - for River Erewash Foundation tickets, please await details via their project blog: http://rivererewashrestorationproject.blogspot.com/ or contact Mick Martin via the Flyforums.co.uk website (Mick's username is "Trugg")

Give a helping hand for these guys: treat yourself to some raffle tickets and maybe bag a prize

Miracles on the Colne

2009-11-19T13:40:00.001-08:00

Stop press - we had a full day of work on the Colne PV today and not a single drop of rain. This despite all the surrounding counties and particularly neighbouring North Western areas of England and South Western Scotland getting batterd by torrential rain.

Here is hoping that the weather holds for Friday too.

The meeting place is still the same (see post below). There will be a small white "Colne Water AC river work" sign on a sandwich board style holder just outside Mr. Driver's house. The house is called "Eastfield" and the name is displayed on both the red brick pillars at the end of the drive. Please park either on the opposite side of the main road or on Kingsley street. We will be down the field by the river.
Please see the works in progress today in the photo on http://www.flyforums.co.uk/general-fly-fishing-discussion/52931-who-would-interested-habitat-work-training-4.html

Colne Practical Visit - come and get trained!

2009-11-03T02:55:00.000-08:00

Having studied the local weather forecasts and agonized over the potential for postponement, we are still currently planning to go for the PV on the planned dates (19th and 20th November 2009). The rendezvous point on both days (at 9:30am) will be outside the landowner's house on the A6068 Keightley road (map on link below). The house name is "Eastfield" and is on the river side of the road. PLEASE DO NOT KNOCK ON THE DOOR - this is for landmark purposes only. I suggest parking on the side streets on the opposite side of the A6068 from the river side. Please wear sensible clothes!! and bring a claw hammer and gardening gloves if you have them. The work is planned to continue on Sat and Sun (the 21st and 22nd November) following the training and demonstration work on Thursday and Friday.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en-GB&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117522040923902349444.00047774e2ab8ac085f4c&ll=53.871204,-2.128344&spn=0.020597,0.076818&z=14

Click on the map link above for the meeting spot. This is your chance to come and get hands on training in practical river habitat management skills. In the first instance we will be using brash revetments in conjuction with stock exclusion. This will slow down innappropriate rates of erosion and provide juvenile trout with shelter and cover on a fast flowing spate stream (none of your sedate chalkstream glides here; woven willow spiling would be unlikely to survive intact!!).

People are welcome to attend either one or both days as appropriate and the club plans to continue works over the weekend (materials permitting).

New Zealand Donation

2009-10-28T06:21:00.001-07:00

Quick newsflash to flag up a heartwarming tale from Sheffield. Pictured above is Mike Allen of Wanaka, South Island New Zealand. Here he is with a trout caught on the River Don in South Yorkshire (an escapee rainbow, but we'll let him off!!).
Originally from Sheffield, he left for the southern hemisphere in the 1970's. Mike says that when he left, the River Don was a gurgling mess of pollution and is delighted to see what has been achieved over the last 40 years. SPRITE (Sheffield Partnership for Rivers in Town Environments) aims to continue the protection and improvement of the Don in the urbanised reaches of the river. Mike very generously made an outright £50 donation to SPRITE saying that - whilst he couldn't help in a physical sense from his part of the world - he'd like to contribute some financial support to the project. Many, many thanks Mike for supporting a Trout in the Town project that is close to your heart and come back soon.
SPRITE's website is now up and running and can be found on the link below:
http://www.spanglefish.com/sprite-southyorks/index.asp?pageid=171511

"Himeji masu" in the Town

2009-10-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Recent travels to Japan (For a holiday-cum-martial arts competition!) revealed a wonderful example of how urban rivers can thrive and be valued by local residents. In Matsumoto, a medium-sized city in the Nagano prefecture, an engineered channel runs alongside the uptown streets and within it flows the stream known as the “Metoba gawa”. Whilst it is true that the river channel is, overall, constrained within these engineered limits to control flood risk– the authorities have retained the excellent natural substrate and allowed/encouraged natural processes of stream bed erosion, deposition and marginal vegetation development in the base of this channel. The bankside vegetation behind the marginal strip is kept to a low enough level to allow pedestrian access via regular strimming. Consequently, there is a reasonable balance between human access, mown low-level flowering plants and grassland vegetation (supporting many butterflies and other invertebrates) versus more “shaggy” vegetation that overhangs or emerges from the wetted margins and varied in-stream habitat arising from the good gradient and natural substrate. The water quality appeared to be excellent in this stream, whose source is in the mountains overlooking Matsumoto. The clear glides, riffles and pools were all visibly heaving with fish of many kinds.

A carp accompanied by hundreds of dace-like fish and minnows
Pods of Carp, shoals of small dace-like fish and even trout could easily be spotted from the bridges and bank-side paths. Even more striking to me, in my professional capacity, were the utter lack of fly-tipping and the broad cross section of society who used the riverside to relax at lunchtimes, walk their dogs and generally pass the time of day.
An approach that mirrors advice commonly given to my UK Trout in the Town projects is the use of cheap, easily replaced interpretative signage. Treating such signs as “consumables” for UK projects (to be replaced when defaced, damaged or lost) allows important messages to be continually and cheaply advertised; and highlights the utility of cheap materials. Although a similar approach is used in Japan, it would seem that the “life-expectancy” of their signs would be generally much longer.

The lady owner of the guesthouse that I stayed (Maruma Ryokan, Matsumoto) very kindly explained to me that, being in a mountainous region and far from the sea, the local people actually ate freshwater fish. This is seen as very strange in most areas of Japan – where seafood comes from the Ocean! The local name, she told me, for the delicious (!!!) little trout that I was served for breakfast was “Himeji masu” which she translated for me as “Princess trout”. Alongside the sticky rice, pickles, miso soup, green tea and fantastic fresh fruit, it made for a deeply wonderful breakfast!
Later on in that day, I was able to reflect on how catering for urban green spaces and the wildlife within it allowed the Matsumoto residents to be so connected to their river. Like all good Japanese reflection, this was undertaken in a hot bath – in this case outdoors in scalding water from hot volcanic springs and surrounded by bamboo forests, dragonflies and sunshine. It is a hard life sometimes.

Trust me this is a trout (in the middle of the frame)

Don't it always seem to go...you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone

2009-09-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

John Blewitt of SPRITE recently organised a great fun social event and friendly competition on the urban River Don in Sheffield last Saturday. And what cracking fun it was too. Run by this FREE MEMBERSHIP angling club, the competition is set to become a regular event. In future it is hoped that the comp can be incorporated into a family day event and "give it a go" free angling sessions.

David Blunkett came along to give his endorsements and to raise the profile of SPRITE and Mr. Blunkett's aspirations to link the local Further Education college to volunteer habitat works to safeguard and improve the river.

As well as being a fun event - attended by a cross section of local anglers (including competition heavyweights like Stuart Crofts and Martin Introna!) the accurate means of measurement and recording used in Catch and Release competitions provides valuable biological census data. These data will be recorded and reported centrally to Paula Lightfoot - the Biodiversity Officer for Sheffield City Council and logged locally (within the Yorkshire and Humber Ecological Data Network) and nationally (via the National Biodiversity Network).

But why bother to do this (apart from the fact that it is fun!)?

Two very good reasons:
1.) You really don't know what you've got til it's gone - and this can help in resisting unsympathetic development proposals or securing compensation following pollution incidents

2.) If you undertake any habitat works - you can get some idea from catch returns about how the population structure is affected (similar to my post below where juvenile fish were newly observed within a restored reach of river)

CLICK PHOTOS TO SEE FULL SIZE VERSIONS (click "back" button to return to blog)

Wafts of Liquorice and Tutti Frutti behind Cadbury/Bassett's...

Quickly measured in the home-made measuring trough...

...and released with wet hands

Paul Hughes in action above the scrapyard

Great grayling for the records (34cm)

The urban trout and a happy TINTT programme manager on the weekend!

If you want to join SPRITE AC (it won't cost you anything) and take part in future fun events, please contact John Blewitt on blackgnat@blueyonder.co.uk

If you fancy running your own event like this, get in contact with your local Council Biodiversity Officer, your local E.A. fisheries officer and your local wildlife Trust to offer them your data. Electronic versions of the "score cards" can be had by email from me at pgaskell@wildtrout.org and the measuring troughs are simply made from 50-cm lengths of plastic guttering - with an end cap to rest the nose of each fish against. The measuring scale is a tailor's tape measure glued to the bottom of the guttering (with the zero end next to the end cap!!). A bungy cord lanyard is useful when carrying these troughs - especially if the competitors are marking their own score cards.

Updated monitoring of Goyt LWD

2009-09-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Further to an original assessment of the effects of habitat works on Derbyshire's river Goyt (http://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2009/04/appraisal-of-trial-lwd-work-on-goyt.html), recent E.A. electrofishing results at a short section that was subjected to bankside large woody debris (LWD) installations have captured the first ever instance of trout recruiting to this reach.

Although infrequent captures of low numbers of adult trout periodically show up in surveys of this reach - there have been no previously recorded instances of juvenile fish. Furthermore, the juveniles that were captured popped up when the electrodes were swept directly amongst the branches of installed woody debris.

A small result on the chart - but potentially a biologically significant insurance against recruitment failures elsewhere in the system (pollution events are an ever present threat on this, and many similar systems).

Radio gaga

2009-08-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Link is available for 7 days covering my general introduction to the Wild Trout Trust.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0043zd5/At_the_Waters_Edge_27_08_2009/

Next week's programme will feature Andy Pritchard of Colne (East Lancashire)and his interview on the Colne "Trout in the Town" project.

Mayflies revisited

2009-08-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

This summer saw the first running of “Mayfly in the Classroom” at Brantwood School in Sheffield. I was so impressed by the Year 8 pupils (and their teachers, Mrs. Skidmore and Mr. Jones) who got completely involved with the whole exercise. The beginning of the two-week experiment saw lots of puzzled faces (at what possible importance a lowly insect could have). Puzzlement was also followed by a certain degree of surprise that significant proportions of the lessons would be made up of what the pupils thought and felt about the issues raised. By starting with students collating and prioritising basic requirements for almost all life on the planet (oxygen, water, nutrition and shelter/habitat), we were then able to examine how the simple plastic aquaria (made from fizzy drinks bottles) supplied all these needs. This led on to the apparatus construction and the introduction of the nymphs to their new homes...
Throughout the experiment, students assumed the duty of care towards the insects. This included daily observation/recording of aeration, water level, temperature and emergence of adult mayflies within the apparatus. Any conditions that were outside of the boundaries recommended in the WTT’s supporting reference material were then corrected according to the instructions supplied as part of “Mayfly in the Classroom”.

In addition, students learnt through a variety of video and printed resources about the mayfly lifecycle, how the many species are specially adapted to their environment, the fact that mayflies require high quality habitat and clean water. These “biological basics” were then linked to how studying mayflies and other stream invertebrates can indicate the presence of harmful pollutants. Similarly, the act of protecting and restoring good quality freshwater habitats required by mayflies and trout was specifically linked to the benefits that humans and wildlife gain from good quality streams and rivers. The importance of mayflies to a wide variety of other wildlife (including bats, birds, spiders and fish) as a food source was also highlighted.
The final day of the exercise was a visit to their local stream (the Porter Brook) where the adult flies had been released. A kick sample and a river walk helped to illustrate the range of wildlife that has made a home in this urban park. What impressed me most about this final day was the assembly that the students had held in the morning. In it, they had formed two groups:
Firstly, a group of developers who wanted to build over the stream and park to make way for hospitals and vital amenities “a human utopia” in the words of their spokeswoman)
Secondly, a group of campaigners who wanted to protect the park and lobby for an alternative location for the development.
The consensus view reached was that the development was valid, but should be sited so as not to impact the park and stream environments.

Poem and display work produced by Year 8 (including the essay "The mayfly: God's most underestimated creature")

SPRITE talks to David Blunkett about project support

2009-08-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

John Blewitt and David Blunkett (photo date not to be trusted!)

Last week, Kath and John Blewitt hosted a visit from Mr. Blunkett at their home in order to talk about the work that SPRITE are currently doing - and plans for the future. The potential to involve Sheffield College with their local section of the River Don, as well as finding support and resources to tackle hotspots of fly-tipping were discussed. Both SPRITE and Trout in the Town welcome further developments in both of these areas. Since the areas of the river that SPRITE have taken responsibility for incorporate several constituencies, it is hoped that similar support can be generated across relevant parties and councillors.

Triumphant Urban river Conclave

2009-08-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Along with generously contributed sponsorship from the Environment Agency, the WTT’s “Trout in the Town” project sponsored and hosted a fantastic conference over the weekend of 1st and 2nd August 2009. Participants and presenters gathered from across the UK in order to:

• Share innovative approaches between practitioners
• Receive and provide expert technical and practical guidance
• Foster support and networking between projects
• Generate and spread “Best Practice” for urban river conservation

Most participants arrived on the Friday night and took advantage of the conference venue accommodation. This allowed for one or two well-earned drinks at the end of the “normal working week”. Little did they know the rigours awaiting them over the next two days.
Proceedings were kicked off on Saturday morning by Stuart Crofts’ inspirational account of the battle for South Yorkshire’s River Don, fought since the 1970’s by himself and several other key figures including Chris Firth and Gerald Stocks. The continuing fight for the urban sections of the Don has now been picked up and driven forwards by John Blewitt’s new Sheffield Trout in the Town Project: SPRITE.

Stuart Crofts adds to his adult caddisfly collection

John Blewitt campaigns for the urban Don

Project members representing Lancashire’s River Colne (Andy Pritchard), London’s River Wandle (Theo Pike), London’s River Cray (Ashe Hurst), Nottinghamshire’s River Erewash (Mick Martin) and Glasgow/Lennoxtown’s Glazert Water (Danny Connor) each gave stirring accounts of their adopted urban watercourses. The talks detailed a multitude of under-sung river corridor wildlife havens as well as revealing the burning passion that each project member shared for these rivers. It is clear that we certainly have rivers that are worth fighting for in our towns and cities and that the Esmée Fairbairn funding to set up Trout in the Town is a vital investment. Mick Martin and Ashe Hurst (River Erewash and River Cray projects respectively)

The injection of coffee and refreshments during the morning session assisted delegates in absorbing the superb expert guidance presentations that followed. First up a virtuoso performance by Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd. managing director Mike Clough highlighted the threats to our river corridor flora and fauna (and to human skin!) posed by invasive plant species. Mike also showed how the biology of these plants brought about such threats as well as offering to field all project members’ queries about their own rivers at any time after the conference.

Mike Clough: Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd.

Gideon Reeve of the Wandle Trust was next up – showing us all the fantastic dedication and awesome organisational skills that he has brought to their Trout in the Classroom programme. Everything that we needed to know about how these programmes are run and how local schoolchildren have benefitted under Gideon’s stewardship was effortlessly conveyed to us in another wonderful presentation.

Gideon Reeve: Wandle Trout in the Classroom

The importance of capturing and recording what all of our education and participatory activities within projects have achieved was brought into sharp focus by SUBSTANCE’s Adam Brown and Paul Stolk. Adam and Paul also outlined their larger investigation into the overall social/community benefits of angling participation as well as detailing a number of generous (and hopefully mutually beneficial) services that they can offer to Trout in the Town projects.

Adam Brown: SUBSTANCE

With heads already buzzing with information; a lunch break was called and, as with the rest of the day’s activities, we were well looked after by the “Conference with US” staff and facilities. Straight after this short respite - a vital insight and guide to the workings of the Environment Agency “Land Drainage Consent” process was given by the Agency’s own Gary Cliff. This is the principle process by which any potential flooding risk associated to habitat works in and around river channels is assessed in England and Wales.

Gary Cliff: E.A. Development Control/Flood Risk Management

The WTT’s very own Denise Ashton then took centre stage for a masterclass in producing successful funding bids in order to support and sustain conservation projects. It is worth noting that this free advice (honed during Denise’s highly accomplished professional career – and already proven in the conservation sector) is of the calibre that many organisations would pay very handsomely indeed for. It is equally (i.e. more!) noteworthy that, although an integral member of the WTT conservation team, Denise donates all of her time and work for free to the cause of the WTT.

Denise Ashton: Fundraising Masterclass

Finally, Theo Pike returned to the stand for a second stint (we got our figurative money’s worth!!) in order to pass on more than a decade’s worth of invaluable expertise in securing and carrying out volunteer-led river habitat working parties. These volunteer activities are a lynch pin of all our Urban River Conservation efforts and the value of Theo’s tutorial is impossible to overestimate.

Theo Pike: Getting the job done

My very great thanks to all of Saturday’s presenters who gave such wonderful talks and who all donated their time and effort free of charge. Many thanks also to our new Director Shaun Leonard for attending the morning session before rushing over to take care of important proceedings in nearby Derbyshire.
Much discussion about key points raised during the day ensued along with question and answers within the whole group that helped to tackle a number of project-specific and generic problems. Strong cooperative bonds and friendships were forged!

Day one came to a close with a great evening meal provided by our conferencing hosts and was followed by lively discussion, drinking and general craic in the local pub. Somewhere along the way it appears that Andy Pritchard managed to make my nickname of “Bubble float” stick.
Day two started with an assortment of clear heads and hangovers over the breakfast table according to how committed delegates had become to the previous night’s discussions. Shaun also made his return over breakfast having suffered the mixed blessing of the hospitality of the Haddon Estate on the previous day.

With a wagon train finally formed, John Blewitt took centre stage in introducing people to his beloved urban River Don. Despite the theme of the conference, I think it is fair to say that this majestic (but often neglected or abused) river made quite an impact on all our visitors. So much so that two previous fly fishing “virgins” were seen to take up the fly rod with some vigour (accompanied by licensed coach John Blewitt; fulfilling our E.A. rod licence obligations). The sightings of dippers and kingfishers acted as a beautiful counterpoint to the worrying abundance of invasive plant species, tyres and odd patches of litter.

Gideon Reeve: Flyfishing virgin no longer

All too soon it was time for people to begin making their way home – many, many thanks for all who had difficult or long journeys. I look forward to continuing my work and learning alongside all of you. By just after 2pm it was left to myself and Stuart Crofts to continue the exploration of our own local urban gem – with each of us wielding fly rods on sections of the river that we had not previously sampled. Once more, the river that spawned and nurtured the Steel City gave us an unforgettable and absorbing series of wildlife encounters. Indeed, it seems that, despite man’s previous abuse and neglect, the river is still willing and able to forgive these injuries in return for the simplest of apologetic gestures – just us taking a little bit of care and interest in her once more.

Urban Wild Trout Perfection: (Japanese knotweed & Himalayan Balsam imperfection!)

More perfection: Site of the first SPRITE trash clean up

Stuart and Paul explore the back streets of Sheffield

Big wild perfection on the football terraces!

...safely returned

Final scene: first UK Urban Champions' Conclave

Radio-activity

2009-07-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

TINTT did two 20 minute radio programmes with Martin James of Radio Lancashire recently that are due to be broadcast on 27th August and 3rd September 2009 (to be confirmed). The first programme concentrates on who the Wild Trout Trust are, their philosophy, what they do and how they go about it. The second programme takes a close look at the East Lancashire branch of Trout in the Town with Colne Water AC stalwart and head of Colne TINTT, Andy Pritchard.
Both programmes will be made available on the bbc iplayer for 7 days after broadcasting so there's no excuse for missing out.
More about Martin James and his programme "At the water's edge" here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2005/12/05/radio_martin_james_profile_feature.shtml

Quick update

2009-06-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here is another (very short) video made by Albert Wood (Clapperboard productions) of an early river clean up by Colne Water Angling Club and Friends of Greenfield Local Nature Reserve (AKA: Colne Water Trout in the Town).

Colne Clear up

Colne Grafting

2009-06-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

As many of you know already, the inspiration for the WTT to seek funding to set up the national Trout in the Town project came from Andy Pritchard's band of folk on the River Colne in East Lancashire. Watch and enjoy the video below, filmed and edited by Colne's Albert Wood. Check out guest appearances of "Sheffield Trout in the Town" luminaries Kath and John Blewitt. The brash that was being collected was destined for pulping following tree works at a plantation at Stocks Reservoir. Just a few simple phonecalls and emails (via Natural England) identified this source of "soft revetment" raw material. A couple more emails to let Andy P know of the opportunity and the next thing you know he's dashed off a risk assessment and arranged a fleet of flatbed tipper vans and trailers along with a band of volunteers to shift the lot 15 miles to Colne. Andy and all the rest of the folk are, I'm sure you'll agree, an inspiration for the amount of sheer hard work they are willing to organise and complete during their "free" time.

The resultant 8 tipper loads of brash will be used to slow down the rate of inappropriate erosion that is currently exposing service pipes and putting too much sediment into the river Colne just upstream of the main town (an example of similar work on the river Manifold can be seen in the photos at the bottom of the page).

CLICK THE VIDEO LINK HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLeepRYGP80

When banks are being lost at a rate of around one metre per storm event along miles of riverbank (like here on the river Manifold), terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna are badly impacted

Brashings can be used to slow down runaway erosion and collapse of riverbanks

It is important to highlight that erosion is a vital ecological process - but can run out of control in grazed systems. In such instances, extensive regular bank loss leads to significant reductions in habitat quality for a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial species of flora and fauna. Attempts to stop erosion dead in its tracks using "Hard" revetments of blocks of stone or gabion baskets often create more problems than they solve (due to eddying currents arising from their relatively smooth, geometrically angular surfaces). Fast linear flow and whirling vortices that are both promoted by "hard" engineering result in flashier river flows and higher potential for destructive erosion. Brashings are an ideal alternative due to their very high surface area to volume ratio (hydrologically, they are much "rougher" than hard engineering). This has the effect of "stilling" or damping out fast flowing water currents next to the bank, accumulating sediment, regrading the vertical bank faces to a more shallow incline and (in combination with managed livestock access) allowing marginal vegetation to grow up and consolidate the new bank. The branches also provide habitat in their own right for a range of invertebrate and vertebrate species (including juvenile trout and kingfishers as notable, linked, examples).

Mayfly in the Classroom: resources launched

2009-05-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

The first set of downloadable resources (as well as an overview of the concept) for the educational programme "Mayfly in the Classroom" (MIC) is now available from the WTT website: http://www.wildtrout.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=340&Itemid=208

As well as the printed resources, wildlife filmmaker and angler Hugh Miles very generously re-edited and donated footage that was used in his recent "Catching the Impossible" series for use as an MIC resource. This short and beautiful piece will give participants an immediate insight into the lifecycle of these iconic invertebrates and their special link to the trout.

Please encourage your local schools to take part in this project, the apparatus can be used for almost all of our native species (51 species in the UK) - but only collect nymphs that are present in large abundances in your local streams. Queries about where to obtain particular items of apparatus should be directed to me at pgaskell@wildtrout.org .

Sheffield's Trout in the Town: S.P.R.I.T.E.

2009-05-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

The 25th of April saw S.P.R.I.T.E. launched at the opening of Sheffield Environment Weeks' fair. Cheryl Gibson and myself ran the stall in Sheffield's Fargate shopping district. Just prior to that John Blewitt had marshalled the inaugural meeting of SPRITE Anglers - an angling club with no joining or membership fees. In fact - all it takes to belong to this AC is to turn up to some working parties and social events. Importantly, even though SPRITE Anglers will be looking after sections of the urban River Don and tributaries - it won't prevent anyone from fishing "on their patch". Anglers using these urban reaches will be given the opportunity to put something back into the amenity that they enjoy by helping to organise or carry out working parties (but won't be prevented from using the river if they don't want to be part of the club).

This setup, which combines an enlightened angling club membership with local wildlife and conservation enthuisiasts' interests, is proving very successful with notable examples on Lancashire's River Colne (http://colnewaterac.blogspot.com/) as well London's River Wandle (http://www.wandletrust.org/).

The first trash clean up was carried out on Saturday 2nd May, with the next planned for 13th of June.

Here is a link to the video that shows the start of the story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-26DhAVnKk

Appraisal of trial LWD work on the Goyt

2009-04-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Project overview
Disley and New Mills Angling Club (DNMAC) secured Environment Agency (EA) funding for habitat work to preserve and encourage wild trout populations on their sections of the River Goyt. The funding was provided following an initial Advisory Visit (AV) from the Wild Trout Trust (WTT) and lead to a Practical Visit (PV) in partnership with the local EA Operations Delivery team.
Violent spate flows in the River Goyt mean that many common river restoration practices cannot be adopted (as work would quickly be destroyed). Therefore, an innovative programme of channel enhancement through robust Large Woody Debris (LWD) management was drawn up. Invertebrate community monitoring was also proposed so that DNMAC could protect their river from pollution events and investigate potential biological effects of channel management.

Major Goals

Generate cover for fish (adult and juvenile) and protect banks from excessive erosion at 26 identified locations using “tree kickers” parallel to the river bank (Fig. 1).
Installation of flow deflectors (Fig. 2) to generate localised scour/gravel sorting (initially limited to trial sites; with future installations at appropriate sites by DNMAC)
Train a core of 4 DNMAC members to identify important invertebrate families (with core members subsequently training others)
Establish an invertebrate monitoring programme

Phased approach to LWD installation

Although desirable from a fisheries and biodiversity perspective, the EA must balance potential benefits of LWD against the risk of anchor failure/bridge blockage associated with 26 tree kicker/flow deflector installations. Therefore, an initial trial was agreed using two groups of tree kickers (4 trees at Strines, 5 at Hague Bar). More extensive future works (involving further tree kickers and flow deflectors) could only be considered if the anchoring techniques were proven in the test scenario.

Figure 1: Tree kicker in summer spate and winter low flow

Figure 2: Example of LWD installed to produce localised scour (adult/juvenile habitat) and sorted gravel (spawning habitat). Short logs (1 to 3 m) are ideal and pose negligible threat of blockage to downstream structures (in the unlikely event of anchor failure)

Profile of Phase 1 work results
Direct effects

The percentage of each goal that has been attained as a direct result of Phase 1 trials is summarised graphically (Fig. 3). The agreed restriction on the number of LWD installations during such trials means that about one third of the proposed tree kicker installation goal has been achieved (N.B. the final number of tree kickers will be determined by ecological needs and available resources, rather than an arbitrary 26 based on initial assessments of candidate sites). It is noted that two tree kickers have settled in positions that mean they only function during very high flows (Fig. 3; highlighted column and Fig. 4). Whilst these will still give some erosion protection during spate flows; the resultant cover during low flows will be below their maximum potential. It is, however, important to acknowledge that all tree kickers are providing crucial shelter during spate flows that will help to prevent the washout of juvenile fish. Young grayling are particularly susceptible to washout by storm flows – and often whole year

Figure 3: Progress towards Phase 1 (trial work) goals. Works completed by September 2008 and assessed April 2009.

classes can be lost during summer spates. The accumulation of fine sediment by tree kickers (Fig. 5) shows their great capacity to calm the torrential spate flows; helping to prevent large scale losses of juvenile fish. Moreover, the 100% success rate of safely retaining tree kickers at their anchor points is encouraging – and is good evidence that the cabling technique is effective. It is particularly important to note that very substantial amounts of naturally occurring debris washed up against the bridge parapets at Strines (including a huge mature tree), whilst the installed LWD held firm over the same period.
The current trial will help “fine tune” the positioning of future tree kickers to improve the chances that they will perform optimally at all water heights. In particular, it is noted that tree kicker installation will function at the greatest variety of water heights where trees are anchored into areas of deep water. Such areas are best identified under summer low flow conditions. The re-assessment and appropriate repositioning of trees following a season of spate flows is a desirable part of LWD management. In certain cases, it may be appropriate to add rebar pins to trees that have been anchored by cables (to achieve specific positioning within the channel).
Each of the above modifications to future practice has been identified by assessing the direct results of the Phase 1 habitat works. As well as the physical habitat works, the successful training of four core invertebrate monitors is noted (Fig 3) and is intended to lead to further peer group training and a continual monitoring programme.

Figure 4: Although performing useful roles at high flows – the post-spate positions of these two tree kickers mean they are performing a more limited function during low flow conditions

Figure 5: Clear demonstration of the “stilling” effect of tree kickers during spate flows. The sediment carried by the spate flows has been dropped out of suspension where the flow has been calmed by the branches. These calmed areas are havens for juvenile fish during spates

Future Consequences
Although the invertebrate monitoring programme is still in very early stages, it is hoped that future changes to habitat (and fluctuations in water quality) will be flagged up as a result of this work. Similarly, producing and monitoring fishery catch returns could be considered (and would provide valuable additional interpretations of the biological consequences of habitat modification).
In all cases, “ before” and “after” photographs will be invaluable. Photography could be coupled with simple depth measurements over the cross section of the channel where flow deflectors are to be installed (again pre and post works). Together, these could indicate the consequences for current flow and bed morphology resulting from flow deflector installation.
It is hoped that all of these “consequential benefits” will be assessed and can be plotted following the next phase of habitat works. Although each measurement is very simple to carry out, important conclusions can be drawn from the results. Not only will concrete benefits of the work be clearly identified, but also the need for future improvements and modifications to habitat works will become absolutely obvious.

Stair Cray-zee

2009-04-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe I should lay off the puns. Who am I kidding, this is about weirs, fish passes (or stair cases if you will) and the River Cray - how can I resist?.

Down to business, I've previously posted on this blog about the assessment of water quality and invertebrate communities at specific points along the upper River Cray (http://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2009/02/this-from-ashe-hurst-river-keeper-on.html and http://urbantrout.blogspot.com/2009/03/bugs-in-cray.html). Having done that, and combined it with the information I collated in my initial Advisory Visit (http://www.wildtrout.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=166&Itemid=224) report - a number of potential sites that could benefit from habitat restoration work were identified.

However, another important factor to consider would be how best to target restoration sites such that the maximum benefit could be gleaned when weirs and other barriers start to be made passable. There are EA plans afoot to tackle such barriers, so let's be smart and understand how for the same amount of effort on the habitat - what would be the greatest length of linked high quality river?

Here is an example of how weirs are distributed on part of the River:Although a final decision has yet to be taken - there appears to be potential to overlay sites that are extremely ripe for habitat restoration (and that experience good water quality) onto very long linked sections with the easement of only one (or, even better, two) barriers.

Hopefully this is a literal and figurative example of "Joined-up thinking". And that, dear reader is a terrible pun as well as gratuitous use of management-speak jargon. Two for the price of one.

Andrew Parker and his amazing river bicycle repair men

2009-04-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

On a recent Sunday morning, Andrew organised the good folk of Disley and New Mills AC into a well-oiled machine of river trash removal. TINTT went along to help and captured a few photos between fetching and carrying an eclectic collection of discarded items (including the bottom of a fibreglass sailing boat and a large metal water tank).

The vertical hauling team at the top of the wall ready for another load from below:

Safely hoisted onto the path:

Two mystery figures emerge from the left dragging the submerged water tank from a deep pool with the rope team on the right (New Mills Railway Station is at the top of the slope on the right):

Catch of the day at the top of the beat: And the victorious trash busters with the matching collection at the bottom of the beat:

Cracking effort to all who took part. There were many members of the public that we chatted to who very much appreciated the actions of the angling club as caretakers of this section of the River Goyt.

Sheffield Partnership: Rivers in Town Environments (SPRITE) meetings

2009-04-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

John Blewitt (who is in charge of the Free membership angling arm of SPRITE) has circulated the following 2 letters about upcoming events:

"E-mail:- blackgnat@blueyonder.co.uk
Monday, 06 April 2009

Hi
Well, we have finally managed to get things moving on the River Don fishing front. A meeting has been arranged at 7.30 p.m April 20th 2009 at the Hillsborough Hotel. The Hotel is located at Langsett Road/Wood St. Sheffiled6. There is ample parking space on Wood St. The Tram stop is Primrose Hill and a map is attached. It has been agreed if anyone is under 18 they will be admitted (normal licensing rules apply). An agenda has not been formulated, but things to be discussed are.
the name of the club
the aims and objectives
how is it to be funded
rules of the fishery.

I imagine other questions will arise; hopefully they will be addressed and answered. I am looking forward to meeting you on the evening and if anyone wants to bring any other interested parties, feel free to do so.

This initiative is both exciting and innovative, it will reap untold benefits to the River Don. All persons are welcome. Can you please inform me by phone or e-mail whether you will be attending.

Hope to see you on the night

JB"

and also:

"Dear All

After quite a long and laboured start, it looks as if S.P.R.I.T.E is finally up and running. The fishing section is being formed, exhibitions and walks for various initiatives are being manned and funding for certain projects are being applied for.

One of our core businesses is the cleaning of the River Don, initially from Hillfoot Bridge upstream to the Winn Gardens estate. We are holding the initial clean up of No 1 section commencing at 10.00 on the 2nd May 2009 and finishing at 15.00. Number 1 section as I like to call it, is from Hillfoot Bridge to the first weir (Sandbed). Not only will the river be cleaned (where appropriate) but also the surrounding areas. Protective equipment will be supplied.

I am praying for fine weather and a good turnout of people, please come ready for a hard days graft and dressed accordingly. Bring wellies and waders if you have them.

Just a note on how I see the other cleanups going.
Section 2 from weir to the silver mill 13th June.
Section 3 from above the industrial estate to Coopers Bridge.
Section 4Coopers Bridge to Penistone Road.
Section 5 Penistone Road to Leppings Lane.
Section 6 Leppings Lane to Winn Gardens.
For sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, the dates will be confirmed at a later date.

Please pass this information on to any other person that may be interested in helping with the river corridor.

Cheers and thanks

J Blewitt"

We are a grandmother (and page visit counter added today)

2009-03-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

A trial of the "Mayfly in the Classroom" apparatus (a very slight modification of Finlay's (2001) system developed in Australia) has produced its first offspring. A proud moment for MITC which is, itself, a child of Trout in the Town.

Back in November 2008 a basic set of equipment was assembled from very cheaply available materials (the most expensive item is the air pump at £8).

An assembly procedure that is simple enough even for the author to complete (and therefore a doddle for the schoolkids) housed 3 pairs of nymphs for 6 weeks in perfect happiness. These were released back into their native river just before Christmas 2008 and just one of their cohort retained for further work. After continuing to graze on the algae-covered pebbles in her mini-aquarium, Thursday last week heralded the point that the nymph decided it was high time for a major change of lifestyle. As a result, she emerged as the flying sub-imago (or dun). The nymphal "shuck" (or skin) left behind on the rock clearly shows the exit point of the sub-imago just behind the head (white strands and ragged edge)
The body shape that is typical of the Brook Dun (Ecdyonurus spp.) is easy to see against a white background
Even the species can be identified from the nymphal skin if you look closely at the tarsi (feet)... ...and the remains of the "negative" pattern (i.e. light dots/lines on a dark background) on the underside of the body. Together these indicate that our newly hatched sub-imago is Ecdyonurus torrentis Then, sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the sub-imago made her final change to become the imago (or spinner) with the longer tails, legs and the shimmering gossamer wings of the mature adult.

Here is the skin of the sub-imago (dun) from the final moult:

Here is the first official offspring produced in a Trout in the Town classroom setup:

She was released and placed in the vegetation of her native stream this morning - in the hope that she may be able to make her contribution to the next generation of Brook Dun mayflies.

Soon pupils at local schools will have the chance to look after their own mayflies, compare results and observations with other schools as well as learning all about the biology of these important insects. As part of this, mayflies' importance in the foodchain (including the value to trout and birds) will be highlighted, alongside their requirement for good quality, clean rivers in which to live. Some of these pupils will go on to become the custodians of their local urban rivers.

Bugs in the Cray

2009-03-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Following on from the water quality data analysis - here is some summarised information that TINTT has pulled together using data kindly supplied by the EA. These data are drawn from sites that are being considered for habitat restoration (with a possible long-term view of restoring native trout populations). First of all, it is apparent that there are examples of a number of invertebrate families that are happily living in the Cray that would not be able to exist in polluted environments. You can particularly see the good populations of Gammarus (freshwater shrimp). These shrimp are a valuable find because they have lifecycles that can take two years or more to complete. In addition, because they can't fly, they are not very good at migrating upstream over weirs to colonise new areas (i.e. they can only really re-colonise from upstream populations if they are wiped out). Taken together - their presence in healthy numbers indicates that water quality tends to be good enough to enable them to complete their long lifecycles. They are also a good "year round" supply of protein for fish.
Another interesting pattern is the obvious cycle of Blue Winged Olive (Ephemerellidae) nymphs as they grow to a size that can be captured by the 2-mm sampling net mesh (and are visible to the naked eye!) towards the summer months - and then after mass hatches in summer - decline to become invisible to the samplers during winter (when they are present as eggs or very small nymphs). The apparent decline of Rhyacophila (a predatory caseless caddis) seems to be replaced by an initial increase in the net spinning Hydropsyche (filter-feeding caddis).
Finally - for two sites that are of particular interest in terms of the potential for nearby habitat restoration - these are averaged "biotic index" scores over several years. The big bars are the mean (average) values and the little legs indicate the variability of the figures around that mean (error bars are one "Standard deviation" - which indicates the spread that would capture about 95% of all the individual values that make up the average). BMWP scores use a ranking system based upon the sensitivity of each family to organic pollution. These scores vary between 1 completely tolerant) and 10 (exceptionally sensitive to organic pollution). The score for each individual family that is present in a sample is summed to give the BMWP. The higher the score - the cleaner the water. The average score of each family (ASPT) gives an indication of how many "sensitive" families are present - the closer this value is to 10 the better (although it is never possible that this is the case - because even the cleanest sites are home to tolerant as well as sensitive bugs). Finally, the Number of Taxa is simply the number of different BMWP families that are present in the sample. Overall - the organisms that are present here do not indicate that there is a serious problem with the water quality in these sections of the Cray. They are fairly typical of a stream that is somewhat impacted by urban effluents (compared to a completely pristine rural chalkstream). However, there is no evidence that the scale of impact on the water quality would prevent the survival of salmonid fish at this stage.

Don Vito

2009-02-25T03:42:00.000-08:00

Sheffield's own godfather of industry, the river Don, now has a small family of loyal protectors. SPRITE (Sheffield Partnership: Rivers In Town Environments) aims to work alongside local businesses, government, the Don Catchment Rivers Trust and conservation volunteers to protect and rejuvenate the urban river corridors of the city and its suburbs.
SPRITE is the Sheffield branch of the Trout in the Town family and is headed up by two figures; local ecologist Dr. Cheri Gibson and lifelong local angler John Blewitt (who was intereviewed along with TINTT by the Walkley Herald about the project):

Despite the Don's much improved water quality and the existence of nice habitat patches (with great potential for more), there are still many obstacles to tackle for wildlife in general - and the iconic wild brown trout in particular. Habitat managment and restoration for the benefit of brown trout automatically also benefits the general river corridor wildlife. The trout requires good water quality, robust invertebrate food-webs, well-connected habitats (not fragmented by weirs), balanced marginal vegetation and trees and physical variety within the river channel. Providing all these things is the key to establishing a fantastic, well rounded wildlife population of a variety of coarse and game fish, invertebrates, birds, voles, otters, bats, wildflowers, mixed-age trees (and the control/eradication of dominant invasive plant species where possible).

It is a shame that having active riffle/pool sequences like these (with good quality water)

Is no deterrent to the scenes of fly tipping along this secton of river

So, in the words of another famous Don

"What have I ever done to make you to treat me so disrespectfully? If you had come to me in friendship then this scum that ruined your [river] would be suffering this very day"

Well - perhaps we won't be asking for protection money; but just a little volunteer time and appropriate contributions from the local community, businesses, councils and Environment Agency can go a long way to repaying the injustices done to the river.

A home on the Cray....and a plan for nature

2009-02-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

This from Ashe Hurst – River Keeper on the River Cray with Thames21:
Good News, We got planning agreed tonight from Bexley Council. The River Keeper base on Foot Path 106, Barnes Cray Road Crayford DA1, will provide a focal point for River Keeper Volunteers and volunteers, storage for tools, kit, boats, canoes and enhancement materials. We will be able to hold meetings, carry out training & repairs.
At present the land is derelict and over grown. The shipping container, porta cabin & WC are being provided by Bexley Engineers Department as a mitigation from the A206 Thames Road & Bridge building project.
Although not yet envisaged as an main office as such, I will need suitable power to operate a PC, Printer, Lights, Heating, hot & Cold Water, Sink , Fridge, Microwave, Kettle.
We need to be on site by end of February or the funding from the mitigations will be withdrawn by March.
We Started Footpath 106 enhancements projects today, within 15 mins were down to T- Shirts. Thames21 River Keeper Volunteers, Northwest Kent Country Partnership volunteers and Southern EA Operations Team blitzed 100 meters and carried on for 300 meters. Bexley Contractors cleared debris and litter. Only 500 meters to go. This will open the ground up to light and moisture, regenerate fresh growth, increase Bio Diversity, remove sleeping, drinking and drug dens and give clear views along the secluded river path.
All large Trees growing in silted beds that had to be felled have been cut to lengths for use in Wild Trout Trust River Restoration Projects that RKs are working towards.
Can I thank all Thames21 RKVs, everyone for their support of our project and those of you who have supported and guided us through this Land Acquisition and planning process.
Regards.
Ashe

TINTT has been sifting the available information on the Cray’s water quality and combining this with the EA's and our own knowledge of the river structure.

Taking the raw numbers from the EA monitoring records and turning them into graphical plots allows us to visually pick out spikes in chemical levels and get a feel for the frequency of accidental inputs of chemicals to the river.

This has enabled TINTT to work alongside the EA and forward a strategic plan for appropriate habitat restoration and biodiversity management. In this way, we can maximize the potential ecological benefits for the efforts that will be put into habitat work on the Cray. We will also be providing (free of charge) a Wild Trout Trust “Practical Visit” to carry out top quality habitat restoration on substantial demonstration plots. The crucial value of the PV programme (as well as the direct habitat and overall biodiversity benefits that it generates) is that Thames21 and all associated volunteers working on the Cray can be trained in each of these techniques. In turn, this state of the art expertise can be passed on to future volunteers and the WTT are always available to respond to technical queries that arise from any of our partnership projects.

Substance over Style

2008-12-26T02:50:00.000-08:00

Young Nathan from Omagh in County Tyrone with his first Brown Trout - a wild urban fish. How do you quantify the enrichment that angling brings to individuals, communities and the environment?

Trout in the Town is looking forward to working with the SUBSTANCE group (a not-for-profit cooperative: http://www.substance.coop/) in understanding the benefits to society of participation in angling. In addition, such effects as "angling as a gateway to conservation" will also be quantified. All of our Trout in the Town project teams will be issued with the research questionnnaires produced by SUBSTANCE. There are also plans to specifically target very detailed investigations on one or two selected town communities. The overall SUBSTANCE project is outlined below - and it is mainly to research questions 1 and 2 that Trout in the Town will be contributing.

The Social and Community Benefits of Angling
A 3-Year Research Project by Substance,
funded by the Big Lottery Research Fund
Project Details
Substance, a social research cooperative, have won a Big Lottery Research Grant for a project entitled: ‘The Social and Community Benefits of Angling’. The grant will fund a three-year project from January 2009 - January 2012 that will investigate the positive role angling can play for those who participate in it, young people and communities in which it takes place.
What is the Research About?
Although millions of people go fishing, not much is known about the activity in terms of the individual and community benefits it can generate. There have been some big claims made about angling - that it has a range of benefits for participants, from health to volunteering; that it can help young people at risk; and that it can help rural communities. Yet the evidence base for this work is underdeveloped and organisations involved, as well as policymakers, need more research to understand, develop and maximise these benefits. Those representing angling need such information to help ‘make the case’ for public or other support. The project will work closely with angling and community organisations and charities, policymakers and anglers to help address gaps in knowledge about the activity and provide evidence of angling’s positive impacts and best practice to help influence changes in policy.
Research Questions
There are four Research Questions to this project, based on a recognition of the need for a better evidence base of angling’s social and community impacts:
1. What constitutes participation in angling in England and Scotland and how
do people and communities perceive and receive benefits from it?
2. How can angling help young people, particularly those who are
marginalised or socially excluded?
3. What role can angling play in rural communities and their development?
4. How can we disseminate this knowledge, engage stakeholders and
implement change?

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE RESEARCH PROJECT AS A WHOLE, PLEASE CONTACT adam@substance.coop

Litter removal on the Silver Screen

2008-11-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

Catch a glimpse of Thames21's (and the River Cray's) very own Ashe Hurst on BBC's "Wild About Your Garden". The episode "Tales from the Riverbank" is all about a section of the lower Cray and a garden that backs onto it. Hopefully, some Trout in the Town offspring will find their way downstream to these reaches to become a handful of very large predatory Ferox in years to come.....Here is the link to the programme:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fnppt

Unexpected award

2008-11-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

We were really pleased (and surprised) to find out that Dreamstore (http://www.dreamstore.org/home/) have chosen to give an award to the Trout in the Town project. Dreamstore supports and promotes activities which benefit education, social inclusion, and conservation through fishing. Trout in the town is very much community based and runs through the hard work and participation of both conservation and angling club volunteers. Therefore, the WTT is extremely pleased that Dreamstore have recognised Trout in the Town with their very kind award.

River Erewash

2008-10-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

One project that I was very remiss in not feeding back on recently is the great work that the folks on the River Erewash are doing. They have some encouraging shots (e.g. above) of potential spawning habitat from a recent river walk on their project blog (linked on the right). These are a great bunch of guys with a fantastic "can do" attitude and the WTT is delighted to be able to offer support. Although the Erewash doesn't fit neatly into a formal "Trout in the Town" project, the WTT's flexibility means that we can offer technical and practical assistance as and when required. However, at the end of the day; it is all the hard work and dedication of the Erewash restoration group that will bring about change and improvements. This is a great reminder that for all projects with any WTT involvement, the credit for making everything happens lies with the volunteers who stand up and are counted on behalf of their local streams. Well done guys, and I eagerly look forward to the habitat work on the main river and Nutt Brook.

Don dooby doo Don Don (comma comma)

2008-10-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Right now we are looking into whether a Trout in the Town project could be started on the River Don in Sheffield. Its early days yet and feasibility is still being investigated. I had a look today at the top of the section that could be considered. Although there is a lot of coloured flood water in the river today, the riffle/pool sequence of the river is still evident and suggests that there could be good habitat to work with. Both clips taken from the same point - one facing upstream and one downstream

Metamorphosis in the Classroom

2008-10-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

A concept that Trout in the Town wants to work on, produce printed educational material for and take into schools is "Mayfly in Classrooms". Through this, students would learn about and witness the lifecycle of iconic invertebrates as well as experiencing real-life hatches on their very own local "outdoor classrooms". Crucially, the accompanying educational material would include accounts of how each and every facet of the aquatic AND riparian (terrestrial) habitats are interdependent.

Aquatic invertebrates lend themselves to education about aquatic conservation very readily. Their biology perfectly illustrates requirements for good aquatic habitat. They also play a pivotal role in linking aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. These less well known aspects of their biology would (for most people) include the crucial subsidies that aquatic invertebrates make to terrestrial predators once they metamorphose and take to the air. In this way, calorific energy that has arisen in the aquatic habitat is transferred into the diet of terrestrial predators like birds, bats and spiders. An important aspect of this process is the way that the sun's energy is captured and fed into the food chains beneath the water surface in a direct pathway (i.e. in the case of mayfly nymphs grazing on algae that flourish on the sunlit stream bed). However, it is equally important to know that the terrestrial habitat also gives subsidies of energy back to the stream food chains too. There is a massive (but indirect) supply of the sun's energy from terrestrial habitats into aquatic food chains. Tree leaves (that have trapped energy by photosynthesis during summer) fall into the river in autumn. So called "shredder" invertebrates feed on this "leaf litter" and are, in turn, eaten by predators. Aquatic predators are also subsidised more directly by bankside vegetation when invertebrates drop from leaves to make unplanned crash-landings in the stream.

Everything is linked.

To conserve the aquatic, you must equally look after the riparian (and vice versa). A good lesson for everyone, whether you are in a classroom or not?

Following on

2008-09-29T03:06:00.000-07:00

So, following a couple of weeks out of the country, here are some quick updates on what is going on at Trout in the Town. We are arranging a second half-day visit to the River Cray to finalise a technical report to give our advice on the most effective restoration measures for this great little chalk river. The report will be made available (as an AV report) on the WTT website (http://www.wildtrout.org/) by the end of October. Similarly, a follow up report on the Trout in the Town visit to the beautiful (but frequently water-starved) Glazert Water, Lennoxtown will also be finalised and is planned to be made available on the WTT website as well. Ironically, when Trout in the Town visited; the river catchment was under prolonged, freak, torrential rainfall (picture).

As ever with Trout in the Town, we are always exploring ways to reach out into local communities. We have got what we believe will be an exciting and completely new classroom initiative (more details to follow when technical details have been ironed out - along with production of suitable artwork/teaching resources). This will have a strong holistic ecological message, emphasising that all aspects of the river corridor environment are inseparably linked.

The WTT (including Trout in the Town) have recently met with the EA to talk through various ramifications of the National Trout and Grayling Fisheries Strategy. We were able to give independent input to the process of deriving best approaches to salmonid fishery restoration measures (including stocking policies) as well as being updated on current and planned research programmes. As part of this process the WTT and EA will be collaborating to produce a decision tree to indicate the most appropriate approaches to restorative stocking. Naturally, all the outcomes of this process will be published in full by the EA and, where appropriate, on the WTT website.
We've had some great progress on the brilliant River Colne project (http://colnewaterac.blogspot.com/2008/08/trout-in-town.html) with formal project timelines currently being produced. This is following a pre-application meeting with relevant EA departments (i.e. biodiversity/conservation, flood risk management, fisheries/recreation and development control). We also have the addition of the invertebrate monitoring partnership between Friends of Greenfield conservation action group and Colne Water AC (the collaboration who also run the regular rubbish cleanups on the river).

There has also been Large Woody Debris (LWD) installed on the River Goyt using some novel "hinged" trees and pinning techniques. Hopefully, this can be added to in the future using the same technique in suitable spots. The Goyt now also has its own invertebrate community monitoring programme (run by Disley and New Mills AC) as a result of Trout in the Town support.

A very promising meeting in Huddersfield was held (which my colleague Tim Jacklin kindly attending in my absence) with MP Barry Sheerman that was aimed at cleaning up the rivers in the Huddersfield area (Rivers Colne and Holme, and the canal). The meeting was attended by a wide range of interested parties including EA, Yorkshire Water, Kirklees Borough Council, Paddock Community Forum, River Colne Project, Calder Catchment Rivers Assn (soon to be Calder & Colne Rivers Trust), Slaithewaite Angling Assn, Urban Mines, Environmental Alliance, and Britvic (large local drinks manufacturer, formerly Ben Shaws).
We looked at the River Colne where there was clear evidence of fly-tipping and cable burning, and where a pollution had killed hundreds of grayling and trout earlier in the year. Following this, at a round table discussion it was decided to form a partnership of those present to tackle these problems. Three of the partners (Urban Mines, Environmental Alliance & the River Colne Project) were tasked with coming up with a draft action/business plan for discussion at the next meeting.

It is worth mentioning that this came about as a result of a WTT auction lot bidder buying the lot on the River Colne supplied by Slaithwaite AA (recipients of an AV). The bidder had a great day, but was appalled by the rubbish in the river, so contacted his good friend, Barry Sheerman MP.....

Spotted amongst the ring-pulls and house bricks

2008-09-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

This little chap was seen hanging out in the town centre recently.

Updates will follow regarding the recent tour of sites and potential projects in the coming weeks

Ashe's tour

2008-08-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

I've just spent two days being given the first hand low down/backstage tour of around 8km of urban chalkstream. As a result I thought I'd post photos and a very superficial account of Thames21 Head River Keeper Ashe Hurst's patch. Ashe and his team of volunteers have a continuous rolling clear up and maintenance programme that have taken his river from ASBO to pillar of the community over the six years of work since 2002. Ashe knows everyone on his patch, is a qualified angling coach and manages volunteer river keepers in regular education as well as youngsters on probation. Ashe enforces maintenance of unmowed buffer strips next to the river, an ongoing programme to eliminate invasive vegetation, installation (at strategic spots) and regular stripping of litter booms as well as established refuse collection points/skip hire. The result is that sections of river previously qualifying for "wet landfill" status are now diverse wildlife corridors. I'm sure Ashe will correct me, but I think their record for car tires removed in a single day was an incredible 540. In one section, the council used to require monthly hire of bulldozers to push the burnt out cars and associated tipping into an impromptu landfill-cum-flood defense berm. Now, that particular reach is free from rubbish and the bulldozed bank is vegetated thanks to the regular skip hire and constant vigilance and litter collection undertaken by Ashe and co. Egrets, Herons, Kingfishers, Water voles, sparrow hawks, slow worms, grass snakes, adders are common sightings. Instream, there is a tremendously abundant and diverse aquatic invertebrate community - indicating the highest of water quality (as well as good stands of Ranunculus and thriving coarse fish populations). There is also lots of sparkling clean gravel. But these days, as far as can be determined, there is a conspicuous absence of trout....This would seem to be the result of a lack of recolonisation following catastrophic pollutions dating from the 1950s. The bottom limit of the river just before it joins the Thames sports a 15-20 ft vertical sluice; a pretty effective insurance against any sea trout colonisation for a start. The WTT is looking forward to offering technical advice with a view to complement current river biodiversity management. A key aim will be the establishment and maintenance (through sustainable habitat managment practices) of high quality mixed coarse and salmonid fish communities. It is also hoped that existing local community involvement can be advanced through fish rearing/release programmes in local primary schools.

Watch this space for updates.

Trout on Tour

2008-08-05T04:28:00.001-07:00

Trout in the Town will be visiting the following places over a two-week stint to find out how and where we can be most effective in delivering urban restoration in local communities:

River Ise (Kettering)
River Glazert (Glasgow)
River Cray (London)
Driffield Beck (Driffield centre)
River Erewash (Nottinghamshire)

In addition, support and visits will be made to existing projects on The Wandle, Colne and Goyt.
Watch this space for developments and updates and email me with news of your own local projects on pgaskell@wildtrout.org

Fair Game at the Game Fair

2008-08-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just to catch up with a quick report on the CLA Gamefair. Trout in the Town featured prominently on the WTT stand - with its artificial stream including an urbanised section for the first time. Features such as cobbled stream bed and concrete slab side walls were augmented with a couple of "fly tipped" black bin bags, an old pallet and a couple of bottles to represent typical problems faced by urban watercourses. This feature was a surprisingly effective draw (either to people who immediately "got" it - or, perversely, also for people who started to complain that the bottom end of our display looked a state......cue WTT "yes we think its unacceptable too: step this way and hear about our urban restoration project").
Entirely unexpectedly, it also turned into a spontaneous sociological experiment. Throughout the weekend the "fake" rubbish was supplemented by an increasing amount of litter deposited by the general public. A perfect illustration of the "permission" people feel to litter absolutely anywhere that there is an existing precedent. It only takes on person to break down the initial taboo - and everyone else will follow. What happend in our little artificial mock up of a stream is exactly what happens in real rivers everywhere, and it must be challenged. We have to destroy the concept of a river as a wet landfill. In its place we need to demonstrate the fantastic potential our urban streams have as vibrant wildlife corridors; and instill a proper sense of outrage at current common attitudes.
As well as flagging up the need to crusade against apathy toward casual fly tipping, some more directly positive news from the Game Fair was the terrific uptake of new memberships over the weekend. Given the current economic climate, this amazing result was especially heartening; and is a ringing endorsement for the Trust's aims and heartfelt beliefs.
If you think that what we are doing at the Trust is in any way worthwhile - join up (it costs just over 67 pence per week) so that we can do more in the future. If you join up, please email me on pgaskell@wildtrout.org and let me know if the blog helped to convince you! Membership applications can be completed via the website www.wildtrout.org .

The Craying game

2008-07-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Just a very short heads up about another fine bunch of people operating around the English capital. Thames21 is doing great things to regenerate urban waterways through community involvement. Trout in the Town will be visiting the River Cray (a Thames21 river) soon to meet Ashe Hurst and Chris Coode to see what we can learn from them and also to explore whether the WTT can have useful inputs into future work. In the meantime, please check out their great website on the link below:
http://www.thames21.org.uk/aboutthames21.html

Quaggy Island

2008-07-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

My colleague Denise introduced this fantastic project to me recently; revolutionary in a couple of respects. Firstly, that they managed to argue for re-instating a deliberately flooding wetland regime to "flood the parks - not the properties". Secondly the ambition to carry out a "daylighting" programme. Daylighting is code for digging out the river from its underground culvert. It is not a trivial undertaking. Hear and read all about this wonderful project on the following link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20070514.shtml

Also check out the link to their project pages in my blog link list to the right of this page. Just look at what they have already achieved:

1989 Proposal to enlarge and extend concrete channelling along the Quaggy for flood alleviation.

1990 QWAG successfully argues that flooding is best alleviated by water storage.

1994 QWAG publishes Operation Kingfisher - a plan for full river restoration of the River Quaggy.

2002 The River Quaggy in Chinbrook Meadows is restored.

2003/4 The River Quaggy is restored in Sutcliffe Park and John Roan School playing fields.

2005 Reed bed created to filter run off from drains into the River Quaggy at Willow Country Club.

Check out the before and after shot of Chinbrook Meadows where the QWAG (Quaggy Water Action Group) released the river from its concrete channel to reinstate a natural meandering watercourse.

Massive kudos and congratulations to QWAG; you are living proof of what local action groups can achieve.

Glorious Good Wood

2008-07-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I accompanied Tim Jacklin on an advisory visit to Cheshire's "Eaton Flyfishers" water on the River Dane. This is a stretch of rural river (rather than a Trout in the Town stretch) - but I was looking to learn from Tim's wealth of experience in general habitat restoration. The potential benefit of this would be two-fold; firstly for expanding my own knowledge and secondly for me to explore potential translations of rural restoration techniques into urban counterparts. On our visit we found a lovely, well featured stretch of river that formed an interesting riffle-pool series with a nice variety of light and shade. It was particularly gratifying to see a good selection of large woody debris (LWD) that had been allowed to remain in the channel. The cover and bed scouring provided by LWD is of huge importance to the trout and is often sadly lacking in many river reaches. The influence of such debris on the flow characteristics also provides some much needed variety in slower pools; which is of benefit to invertebrate diversity as well as improving fish habitat. Americans attach the label "lunker structure" to fallen tree debris so its presence should be welcomed by anglers. Eaton Flyfishers have not made the mistake of removing this vital habitat from their river (apart from one colossal dam that formed across the full channel during recent monster floods).

Whilst the river Dane is fortunate to have a natural periodic input (and retention) of LWD, urban rivers may not be so lucky. But, subject to satisfying flood risk concerns, there is still opportunity to deliberately pin suitable trees and logs into the stream bed in urban reaches. If such pinning is done with appropriate consideration, river bed scour can be concentrated within the existing channel (rather than towards the bank). Bed scour within the channel would promote holding "pot" formation in the stream bed as well as enhancing the cleaning and sorting of gravel that may be suitable for spawning. Focussing scour away from the banks avoids inappropriately accelerated bank erosion that could cause problems in either rural or urban streams.

So wherever your club holds fishing on rivers (whether urban or rural); don't be in a hurry to haul fallen trees out of the river during working parties. That could well lead to the best fish in your reach sidling away to pastures new in search of another lunker lair.

Weirs tha bin?

2008-07-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, the pun in the title only works if you are familiar with South Yorkshire dialect. However, the industrial North has a particularly large selection of barriers to fish movement in the form of artificially engineered weirs. These affect all gravel spawning species of fish (from barbel, grayling and trout throught to the big hitters of the migratory reproducers; the eels and salmon). In addition, all barriers to movement (including weirs) reduce the ability of fish to avoid pollution incidents and/or subsequently return to their home patch. Moreover, the impoundment of water behind weirs increases the siltation by reducing current speed (sometimes for surprisingly long distances upstream of the structure - depending on weir head height and stream bed slope). Increased siltation is obviously not good for spawning gravels. Regulated slow flows also tend to homogenise the habitat in the impounded reaches, resulting in lower variety of invertebrates and fewer good holding features for fish. The fish that are present in the slower water are often very difficult to approach without spooking them in the flat water. However, it is almost universally true that the pool downstream of the weir (where the water rushes in providing oxygen, cover and more variable/interesting habitat) will be an excellent fish holding area. Therefore, in removing such barriers, you are often asking anglers to take a great leap of faith that the resultant overall improvement will be worth it. To those people, I would ask if I could take you fishing in pocket water this summer and lets see what we catch relative to our results in the canal-like sections.

The report I'm reading at the moment details plans to tackle the 24 weirs on the 8km of the River Sheaf (a tributary of the S. Yorks Don). The tributaries of the Sheaf itself house a further 20 weirs of their own. I read somewhere that the main river Don used to have something like 300 plus weirs - but that these days there are somewhere around 30 weirs on the main river that represent a "significant barrier" to fish movement.

P.S. the title translation would be "Where have you been?" rather than an enquiry as to the location of a waste receptacle.

Loneliness of the long distance runner...

2008-07-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Studying the paperwork on existing projects (and having met a number of the staunch activists involved in these things) set me thinking about the personal qualities required to take on urban habitat restoration. The moniker "unsung heros" about hits the nail on the head I think. Making things happen by shear force of will, personality and persistence takes a very special (and rare) breed. It can be especially hard when none of your immediate peers are able to offer advice and practical support - simply because you are in uncharted territory with very little precedent for guidance. That's why the WTT thought that it could be helpful to get the key people from all the Trout in The Town projects across the UK together for a workshop social event. Advice and lessons learned from bitter experience will be shared/commiserated along with encouragement from those seasoned campaigners who have overcome obstacles that others are still to face. Make no mistake, these projects all come under the category "marathon" rather than "sprint". A little booze-fuelled refreshment stop/group therapy session along the way might just help to keep a spring in the step of our urban green space heroes and heroines. More details will follow when this concept is fleshed out fully.
Pictured is the post-industrial River Goyt (Andrew Parker's baby) at New Mills near Stockport - a tributary of the river Mersey. Another of the many precious streams we hope to safeguard and see go from strength to strength under local stakeholder stewardship.

1st-2nd July 2008

2008-07-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

My first two days in the job have already begun to give a sense of the huge potential for developing the Trout in the Town movement. However, I use the phrase "begun to give" advisedly because there is so much potentially great work to be done out there. At the moment there are at least 7 projects that are already in train (at various stages of progression). I will be poring over the details of each of these (along with the details of a similar number of prospective projects) and meeting the various activists driving these projects over the next couple of months.

As an amazing treat, I had the privilege of fishing the wonderful Lancashire Colne along with the WTT director yesterday; before meeting with the local stakeholders (lead by the trusty Andy Pritchard). These guys have already hauled around 3 tons of scrap out of the river during one of their clean ups and we are drawing up battle plans for the continuing restoration on this cracking river. We were delighted to catch some absolutely stunning wild brown trout right in the urbanised centre of this post-industrial Lancashire river.