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Environment Agency Fisheries South West Newsletter January - March 2015

Environment Agency
June 22 2015

Environment Agency Fisheries South West Newsletter January - March 2015
This newsletter is a quarterly update on some of the fisheries work undertaken by the the Environment Agency and other partners including the Rivers Trusts, within Wessex and Devon & Cornwall Fungal outbreak in Devon rivers A number of rivers in Devon have seen salmonids with relatively high rates of fungal infection over the past two years. Help for the River Cale Post pollution re-stocking The River Cale in Wincanton suffered a pollution event two years ago following a fire at a cheese factory. This resulted in a significant fish kill on the river. This event combined with noticeable amounts of litter in the river gave birth to the local community group ‘CATCH’ (Community Action to Transform Cale Habitat), who were fed up with the state the river was in.
After an initial visit from our Fisheries team with recommendations of how to improve habitat, we arranged for the Wild Trout Trust to visit the affected reach with CATCH, to provide an advisory report on habitat improvements and river restoration that the group could undertake themselves. We also surveyed the river.
Wellow Brook restoration New fish passes on the Exe Two new fish passes are being installed at Trews Weir on the River Exe. Fish passes for the Tone
Two pool and traverse fish passes located at French and Firepool weir on the River Tone, Taunton were repaired at the end of March Gussage Stream flood benefit work Congresbury Weir eel pass Navitus Bay Wind Park Over the last 9 months we have been advising the Planning Inspectorate (PI) on the proposal to install and operate up to 192 wind turbines to the South of Poole Bay. All salmon leaving and returning to our southern chalk stream rivers are likely to pass near or through the turbine development area, and we have been particularly concerned about the effect the construction of the turbine foundations will have on these fish
Fish stockings Fish delivery for Bideford Angling Club We have donated fish (crucian carp, tench and bream) to Bideford Angling Club in Devon. Our hatchery at Calverton had a surplus of fish and Fisheries Enforcement Officer Paul Carter collected and delivered the fish to the club at ‘Tarka Swims’ in Bideford Another barbel boost for the Bristol Avon At the end of February, we stocked a further 4,000 juvenile barbel into the Bristol Avon and lower Somerset Frome from our Calverton Fish Farm.