Environment Agency - 2009 RFERAC Wessex Bridgwater Fisheries Report

Environment Agency - 2009 RFERAC Wessex Bridgwater Fisheries Report

Using new technology on the Huntspill we’re trying
to count eels leaving to go to sea and spawn. The
dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) is
capable of recording high-resolution footage from
within the river. The EU's Eel Directive says we
must allow at least 40% of the silver eels, that
would occur in the absence of man’s influences,
to escape to the sea. It’s been possible to
produce a count of eel movements and to produce
a model to measure the net biomass of eel
escapement.
The eel passes at Oath Lock (River Parrett) and
Greylake Sluice (King’s Sedgemoor Drain) continue
to yield good images on CCTV. The two Greylake
eel passes recorded 42,000 ascending eels last
year and 36,000 to date this year. They are now
seen as significant monitoring sites within Europe.
At Walrow Ponds, Highbridge, the club has put in
floating islands to provide refuge for fish with
spawning substrate. The islands also help to deter
anglers from casting towards residents’ gardens.
Up to 15 more eel passes (designed by Andy Don)
are being installed on tilting weirs throughout
Somerset contributing to the Eel Management Plan
and Water Framework Directive actions.
Fish kill response
Water quality monitoring stations are being
installed on the River Yeo and River Parrett in
Somerset to give early warning of water quality
problems. Fish kills on rivers and drains across the
Somerset Levels are associated with low oxygen
levels, algal blooms and floodwater.
The stations will automatically monitor dissolved
oxygen levels. Five sites have been identified as
part of a £45,000 pilot project. The equipment will
also help identify long term trends and changes in
the river environment. Data from each site is
sent to the Environment Agency at Bridgwater
where the data can be monitored around the
clock to allow an immediate response to a sudden
drop in oxygen levels. The project has started with
the most vulnerable sites where fish have been
killed in the past. If successful, the plan is to
create a network of sites across the Somerset
Levels.
Wessex enforcement
The River Parrett elver fishery has around 150
licensed fishermen. Bailiffs seized 69 nets this
year, of which 25 were vastly oversized flow nets.
Angling participation events
Several angling participation events were held
over the summer resulting in the coaching of over
1,500 anglers. Events included one in Eastville,
Bristol and one in Bridgwater Docks at the
Somerset Water Festival.
Projects
A new angling club at a Leonard Cheshire home
near Bath has been supported with equipment
and fishing tackle.
In July, a Trout in the Classroom project culminated
in the release of brown trout fingerlings into the
North Petherton stream near Bridgwater. Both the
infant and the junior school raised trout from eggs
to fingerlings and released them into the local
stream.
Witch Lodge Lake, near Taunton, was officially
reopened having had dam repairs, de-silting and
new access created as part of an Environment
Agency supported Heritage Lottery project carried
out with the Forestry Commission.
We have at least 15 cases pending prosecution
and three guilty pleas have already been heard.
One case was for the use of an illegal flow net and
two related to dip nets being used in an illegal
way. All three cases have seen significant fines
but also the court has banned each of the
fishermen from holding a licence for three years.
Invasive weeds
Environment Agency staff have found that two
invasive weeds are now present in the King's
Sedgemoor Drain: water hyacinth (Eichhnoria
crassipes) and water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes).
Both of these are free-floating plants which can
have detrimental effects on native flora and fauna.
Please contact the Bridgwater office on 01278
484786 if you see any of these plants.