2016 has been a very busy year

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1 NEWSLETTER 2 - December has been a very busy year The Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership have delivered some exciting projects this year including the Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project and Discovering the Esk - Phase 2, a project focusing on education and community monitoring initiatives. We also held our first River Festival, helped fund juvenile fish monitoring surveys and have been involved in controlling non-native invasive plant species in the catchment. Juvenile fish monitoring (page 10) In This Issue Restoring freshwater pearl mussel rivers in England (page 11) Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project See the improvement works we have delivered (page 8) Plus Discover what our dedicated volunteers have been up to Riverfly Monitoring (page 6) Find out how you can get involved in

2 A letter from the Chairman of the Catchment Partnership Welcome to our second Catchment Partnership newsletter. Hopefully in reading this, you will appreciate both what a busy year it has been for the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership and all that has been achieved. I would in particular highlight the Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project. This seeks to address issues relating to water quality, improve habitats and the removal of barriers. Given that this beck is one of the principle tributaries of the river Esk and as such it should be a prime spawning ground for Atlantic salmon and sea trout. It is very encouraging indeed to have the support of both the Environment Agency and the North York Moors National Park Authority to continue these works into Whilst still early days, what great news it was to hear that sea trout were seen migrating up Glaisdale Beck to spawn, in mid October! The Partnership has also continued to support important community based initiatives. Engaging with, and involving people from within the local community is really key to securing the future of the river Esk. In 2016 we have hopefully added to the knowledge, skills and interests of those that have participated in programmes such as Riverfly Monitoring, Adopt a Stream and the Young Anglers Initiative. Looking to the future we have exciting plans as to how these programmes can evolve into areas such as juvenile salmonid monitoring. This is going to be really important so we can validate the results of works to improve habitat as well as prioritising future areas of focus within the catchment. What is achieved 'on the ground' is only through gaining the support of our catchment partners and the volunteers from within the local community, both to whom we are most grateful. Thank you Angus Oughtred Catchment Partnership Chairman and Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust Chairman The Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership For those of you who have not heard of us before, the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership is a partnership between the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust and North York Moors National Park Authority to protect and improve our precious water environments, with particular focus on sharing the knowledge, skills and expertise of local people. We are one of over 100 Catchment Partnerships across England and Wales, formed following DEFRA s announcement of the Catchment Based Approach. We also work with a number of other partnership organisations including Catchment Sensitive Farming, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Water, Environment Agency, Durham University and Forestry Commission, together with angling clubs and land managers, who all sit on our Catchment Partnership steering group. We meet around twice a year to discuss current projects and prioritise our next steps. If you are interested in finding out more please visit the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust website 2

3 Discovering the Esk - Phase 2 Discovering the Esk is all about bringing local communities together in caring for the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment. Following on from a hugely successful first year Discovering the Esk continues to engage with people of all ages by delivering our fantastic education and community monitoring schemes; Salmon in the Classroom (teaching primary school children about their local river ecology); the Young Anglers Initiative (delivered by the Esk Fisheries Association, coaching young people towards an accredited angling qualification); Riverfly Monitoring (volunteers monitor invertebrates and water quality in order to identify change which may signify a pollution incident); and Adopt a Stream (volunteers regularly monitor specific sites to recognise and report change). The project runs until the end of March 2017 and it has all been possible thanks to support from the Postcode Local Trust, a grant-giving charity, funded entirely by players of People s Postcode Lottery who awarded the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust 19,500. River Festival To show-case all of the fantastic work achieved through Discovering the Esk we hosted a River Festival on 28 August 2016 at the Moors National Park Centre, Danby. It was a great day despite the rain! We were joined by a number of key groups including the Angling Trust who were promoting Operation Traverse (see page 10 for further details), Esk Energy, the Environment Agency and Danby Angling Club. Lots of people braved the bad weather and there were plenty of activities for them to get involved with - our Young Anglers and volunteers from the Esk Fisheries Association were on hand to assist professional fisherman Olly Shepherd, guiding people through the art of fly casting and lots of people had a go at casting on the lawn. Olly Shepherd from Fly Fishing Yorkshire also gave a great fishing demonstration. Our Riverfly Monitoring Volunteers had set up our fantastic microscope and collected aquatic invertebrates from the river Esk to show people the wonders of life in our rivers. We also had lots of arts and crafts for children (and adults!) to do, including decorating willow fish and fly tying. We are also extremely grateful to Egton Estate and Olly Shepherd (Fly Fishing Yorkshire) who donated a guided days fishing to our winner of Guess the weight of the Salmon competition. 3

4 Salmon in the Classroom In 2016 Sleights Primary School did a fantastic job at looking after young salmon fry and learning about their fascinating lifecycle and the importance of the river environment. So, what is Salmon in the Classroom? It is exactly how it sounds! A fish tank is set up in a local primary school, and a class room session introduces the pupils and teachers to the Atlantic salmon and other species such as the freshwater pearl mussel, and how important their local river is. Salmon eggs are then put into the tank and the pupils keep a watchful eye on them as the eggs slowly develop. After the eggs hatch, the alevins (first stage) feed from the yolk sacks attached to their underside, once the egg sacks have gone the pupils then carefully feed the young fry (second stage) until it's time to return the young fry back to their local river. We had a fantastic rivers activity day with Sleights Primary School, each pupil took a kick-sample from a local beck and were fascinated by identifying the aquatic invertebrates they had found. They also did a great job at the freshwater pearl mussel lifecycle game! Salmon in the Classroom introduc on Salmon fry in the tank Pupils have a go at kick-sampling Iden fying aqua c invertebrates Learning about the river The freshwater pearl mussel lifecycle game! 4

5 Young Anglers Initiative The Young Anglers Initiative brings young people together to learn how to fish from experienced members of the community was the third season for the club and the young angler s season started with a new element this year - fly tying and identifying aquatic invertebrates. Two sessions were held where expert volunteer Peter Robinson guided the young anglers through the art of fly Taster Day tying, and everyone did a fantastic job and produced some great results. The afternoon included kick sampling for aquatic invertebrates in a local beck, taking a sample back to the classroom and having a go at identifying them. This has been an excellent addition to the scheme; our young anglers have learnt about the requirements riverflies need, such as healthy, clean water, how invertebrates fit into the food chain to support a number of key species in the river, where they are found, and how to recognise Fly tying good river habitats and favourite areas for fish. The fishing season then got underway with a well attended Taster Day at Randy Mere Reservoir led by professional angler Olly Shepherd from Fly Fishing Yorkshire. Over 10 evening sessions throughout the summer saw the young anglers develop their skills. The season ended with a Sunday Master Class and participant Anna received the Best Young Angler trophy for her accuracy in casting and the enthusiasm she brings to the club. If you know of any young people aged 11 to 16 years old who might like to have a go at fishing and learn more about their local river please contact Robert Parnaby our Fishing Club Co-ordinator. Check out the flyer opposite for more details! The Young Angler Initiative would not be possible without the dedication of volunteers from the Esk Fishery Association who coach the young anglers and provide them with all the necessary skills needed to complete the accredited angling qualification led by the Angling Trust. Thanks to the support of players of the People s Postcode Lottery new equipment including rods, reels, microscopes and identification charts have been purchased for the club. 5

6 Riverfly Monitoring It s been a busy year for our Riverfly Monitoring Volunteers, we now have 23 volunteers monitoring over 30 sites across the catchment. Each site is sampled once a month from May to October with the aim of recording aquatic invertebrate groups (riverflies) that we know require good, clean water. If very few riverflies are found compared to what we would expect to see, then volunteers immediately alert the Catchment Partnership as it may be an indication of a pollution event. We can then work with the Environment Agency and carry out further investigations. In-fact, in 2016 we did have a couple of sites which triggered an alert and we were able to investigate these to isolate possible causes for the poor water quality detected. We are now able to focus some of our river restoration efforts here demonstrating how important the Riverfly Monitoring scheme is. Our volunteers have also been advancing their skills by attending refresher workshops. With the aid of scientific keys and microscopes, along with the expert knowledge of Stuart Crofts, our Riverfly Partnership tutor, volunteers are now identifying some riverflies down to species level, and also discovering many other Riverfly groups that we see in our catchment. The key groups our volunteers record are; Caddisflies (Trichoptera) - cased and caseless Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) - Mayfly Ephemeridae - Flat bodied Heptageniidae - Blue-winged olive Ephemerellidae - Olive Baetidae Stoneflies (Plecoptera) Fresh water shrimps (Gammarus) Caseless caddis Flat bodied Heptageniidae Securing funds from the People s Postcode Lottery has funded new Riverfly Monitoring and refresher workshops, and it has enabled us to buy sampling kits for each volunteer, Freshwater shrimp microscope sets and identification guides. We are also issuing all of our volunteers with water chemistry kits so that they can record nitrate, phosphate and ph levels at their sites, which provides the Catchment Partnership with even more valuable data. If you are interested in becoming a Riverfly Monitoring volunteer please get in touch - further details of our next workshop are on the back page. 6

7 Adopt a Stream In March 2016 we launched Adopt a Stream - a community monitoring project to keep an eye on specific sites. We already have several Guardians of the Esk from a variety of backgrounds. We have local residents monitoring sections of the catchment that they see on their favourite walks, local land owners who report any changes to their stretch of the river, a local councillor is also taking part and a couple of our volunteers are also monitoring a mine-water discharge site where remediation work has recently taken place. Adopt a Stream is all about getting more people to experience the great outdoors and keep an eye out on their local patch of river, reporting changes that they see. We ask volunteers to fill in a simple form which covers points such as the wildlife that they have seen, if there is evidence of litter and pollution and what river bank features are visible. In 2017 we are also hoping to allocate the 20+ barriers to migratory fish we have in the catchment to volunteers, so that they are checked on a regular basis for debris or blockages. The scheme is very flexible and volunteers monitor their sites as and when they can, usually making a visit once a month. So, if you have a favourite walk along the river, or a regular fishing spot and would like to take part, please contact Alex Cripps our Catchment Partnership Officer (details on back page). In the spring we are also adding a practical element to the scheme - the Wild Trout Trust will be leading practical habitat workshops to show-case a variety of techniques which will improve the riparian environment. Please keep an eye on our events page for further details! Non-native Invasive Plant Species Non-native invasive plant species such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed exacerbate issues such as sedimentation in the catchment as when these plants die in winter they leave bare riverbanks exposed. Funding from Yorkshire Water is helping to continue to tackle this issue at a catchment scale. Before: Japanese knotweed Before: Himalayan balsam present on riverbank A er: Himalayan balsam has been controlled A er: Japanese knotweed controlled Please report any incidents such as; pollution events (discoloured / foul smelling water), dead or gasping fish, poaching or illegal fishing to the Environment Agency s Incident Hotline Number

8 The Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project Glaisdale Beck is one of the key tributaries of the river Esk, supporting a whole host of important species such as migratory fish, however, there are a number of pressures on Glaisdale Beck affecting its water quality. Issues such as high phosphate levels, nutrient enrichment, fine sediment, bacterial loading, pollution and habitat deterioration have all contributed to its decline. Fine sediment for example can be a huge problem to spawning fish. If a thick layer of sediment lies on top of gravels in the river, where fish eggs have been deposited, the eggs can be starved of oxygen and do not survive. Atlantic Salmon Lifecycle by the Atlantic Salmon Trust and Robin Ade Phosphate in our river systems can cause algal growths and impact the invertebrates that make up a vital part of the food chain, especially for water dependent species such as fish and birds such as dippers. Now into its second year, thanks to new funding from the Environment Agency, the Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project is delivering vital improvement works addressing water quality and improving riparian habitats in the dale. We have been working closely with local land managers and delivering a number of improvement works including; Creating riparian buffer strips adjacent to Glaisdale Beck (and key ditch networks) by erecting stockproof fencing prevents livestock accessing the beck and stops them from trampling the riverbanks. Creating these buffer strips then enables vegetation to re-establish in these previously bare and trampled areas, reducing unwanted sediments and nutrients entering Glaisdale Beck. Species such as the greater wood-rush (Luzula sylvatica) are an excellent example of plants that help stabilise river banks as they create a carpet of cover to protect vulnerable soils, and along with grasses they also filter field run-off. A successful buffer strip is establishing adjacent to Glaisdale Beck, filtering run-off from the field. A livestock drinking bay has also been installed. Watering Points are installed when riparian buffer strips are created so that livestock still have access to drinking water. There are many different techniques depending on the requirement of the site but we have installed livestock drinking bays, cattle pasture pumps, gravity fed troughs and solar powered troughs. Before: livestock trampling creates bare banks causing sediments and nutrients to enter Glaisdale Beck. A er: riparian fencing was installed along the riverbank to exclude livestock. A drinking bay was installed and vegeta on is beginning to re-establish, reducing sediment input. 8

9 Tree planting also benefits riverbanks as their root systems stabilise the banks and the canopy cover reduces the impact of surface erosion, such as protecting the ground from heavy rainfall. 65 hazel and oak trees were planted within new buffer strips in early These young trees will con nue to stabilise riverbanks. Improving crossing points - we are also assisting local farmers by improving stock crossing points, again to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering the watercourse. Before: trampled crossing point - sediments washed into ditch. A er: hard standing crossing, with new culvert underneath to reduce dirty water crea on. Gu ering needed to capture clean rainwater. Other opportunities such as small-scale farm infrastructure improvements including installing or repairing rainwater goods (gutters) to keep clean rainwater separate from on-farm dirty water are being explored. Pathways from yards to the beck need to be addressed. 13 volunteer tasks have been carried out in Glaisdale since September 2015, totalling 94 volunteer days! Tasks included; erecting new fencing and fencing repairs to retain existing buffer strips along Glaisdale Beck, removing derelict fencing and carrying out general river clean ups, installing cattle pasture pumps and tree planting. A big thank you to all our hard working volunteers. Funding this year (2016/17) has been secured from the Environment Agency ( 30,000), with an additional 10,000 from the This Exploited Land of Iron programme led by the North York Moors National Park Authority. Last year (2015/16) the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership were awarded 31,000 from the Environment Agency's Catchment Partnership Action Fund, on behalf of DEFRA. Funding from DEFRA enables us to deliver important works to improve the water quality and riparian habitats of our catchment. 9

10 Juvenile Fish Monitoring The Catchment Partnership have funded the Hull International Fisheries Institute (HIFI) to carry out juvenile fish monitoring surveys in 2014, 2015 and This will give us a clear picture of juvenile fish numbers throughout the catchment. We have commissioned HIFI to undertake this monitoring to complement the Environment Agency fisheries surveys (as part of their Water Framework Directive monitoring programme). The surveys are carried out using a method called electrofishing (over a short stretch of river - approx. 50 metres). This sampling method stuns the fish, which are caught in a net and then counted. The species and length of each fish is also recorded and scale samples are taken (in order to age the fish) before the fish are safely released. A Masters student is also undertaking a research project with HIFI to analyse the results - we will share these results once we receive them, but so far the 2016 results show that the Esk Catchment had very good numbers of brown trout which is great news as many Yorkshire rivers have seen a significant decline this year. Several Atlantic salmon fry were also present in the catchment, particularly in the main river Esk monitoring sites (as this is the type of habitat where we expect to find salmon, as opposed to sea trout which favour the smaller tributaries). Electro-fishing Measuring juvenile fish Other species such as brook lamprey were also found in good numbers. A 2016 brown trout fry (0+ age) A 2015 brown trout parr (1+ age) A brook lamprey Operation Traverse - Tackling Illegal Fishing Activities A national campaign, Operation Traverse, was launched in 2016 which aims to encourage anglers and the wider angling community to report suspicious activity to the Environment Agency on and/or the Police on 101, and to increase information and intelligence about those fishing illegally or suspected of being involved. Operation Traverse is co-ordinated by the Angling Trust and sees police and partners join forces to focus on illegal fishing, rod licence compliance and associated crime, ensuring the safe migration upstream of salmon and sea trout, especially between Whitby and Sleights, which will remain a priority in

11 Restoring Freshwater Pearl Mussel Rivers A 300,000 grant from Biffa Award has given a boost to the Esk catchment, to continue to safeguard Yorkshire s last remaining population of freshwater pearl mussels (FPM). Simon Hirst, River Esk Project Officer is delivering the project led by the National Park. Running from 2015 to 2018, the project focuses on the river Esk. The project builds on previous work to reduce sediment and nutrient input into the Esk, which is starting to deliver some great results. Simon is working closely with farmers to promote Water Friendly Farming. This has involved carrying out and helping fund a range of improvements to farm infrastructure including installing riverbank fencing and watering points, concreting farm yards (as shown below), fixing rainwater pipes and installing cross drains. This work will help the environment and also help the farm businesses too. The project is targeting the Upper Esk catchment, including all the catchment upstream of Lealholm (including Danby, Castleton, Westerdale, Commondale, Baysdale, Great Fryup and Little Fryup). A small number of Esk FPM have been translocated to a captive breeding facility in Cumbria to hopefully produce a cohort of Juvenile mussels juveniles mussels which can be (& grains of sand!) re-introduced into the Esk in the future. For further project details please visit At A Glance: 2016 February 2016 Salmon in the Classroom - at Sleights Primary School March 2016 Adopt a Stream workshop - recruiting new volunteers April 2016 Discovering the Esk-Phase 2 project launched (supported by players of the People s Postcode Lottery) Volunteers braved the wet weather in Glaisdale - riparian fencing works and tree planting May 2016 Sleights Primary School s Salmon in the Classroom rivers activity day Young Anglers Initiative taster day at Randy Mere Reservoir 2016 Riverfly Monitoring season starts Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project - Year 1 completed Before: farm yard - genera ng lots of dirty water. A er: concre ng yard (& keeping it clean) reduces amount of dirty water. July 2016 Funds secured to host the Catchment Partnership (thanks to DEFRA) August 2016 Riverfly Monitoring training workshop- 7 new volunteers take on new monitoring sites This Exploited Land of Iron In 2017 a fish pass (rock ramp) is being installed on Glaisdale Ford which should ease the way in and out of Glaisdale Beck for migratory fish, opening up new spawning grounds that will be benefiting from the work we are delivering through our Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project. The fish pass is being funded via the This Exploited Land of Iron programme - a new 5 year Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Scheme, led by the National Park. Habitat improvement works along the Esk and the Murk Esk riparian corridors are also being delivered. Funds secured to deliver the Glaisdale Beck Restoration Project - Year 2 Mini Beast Madness event at Sutton Bank National Park Visitor Centre The River Festival at the Moors National Park Centre, Danby November 2016 The National Park s Conservation and Land Management Forum - focusing on the Esk Catchment 11

12 Upcoming Events Riverfly Monitoring Workshop for new volunteers on Wednesday 1 March 2017 at the Moors National Park Centre, Danby For existing Riverfly Monitoring Volunteers we are also holding two refresher courses (beginners and advanced) on 27 & 28 February Wild Trout Trust Habitat Workshops in spring 2017 (dates to be confirmed) To book onto these events, or to find out more about volunteering opportunities, please contact Alex. Alex Cripps - Catchment Partnership Officer a.cripps@northyorkmoors.org.uk Telephone: (National Park Office, Helmsley) Please also visit our events page on the YERT website to keep an eye out for all our 2017 events Grants and Advice The North York Moors National Park Authority are building up a contact list of land managers in the North York Moors who are interested in receiving environmental and rural development information and invitations, including opportunities to access grants and advice. Please contact Rachel Smith at the National Park Office, Helmsley; conservation@northyorkmoors.org.uk or call if you d like to be added to the list. Countryside Stewardship and Catchment Sensitive Farming - keep an eye on the website for 2017 announcements. Beef and dairy farmers: apply for a Farming Ammonia Reduction Grant - A new grant scheme is available for slurry store covers, please visit beef-and-dairy-farmers-apply-for-a-farmingammonia-reduction-grant for details. Please Support Us If you would like to help care for the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment please support the Catchment Partnership by making a donation to the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust (joint host for the Partnership). Every penny helps us to deliver water quality and habitat improvement works. Registered charity: Please visit to donate online, or please write a cheque made payable to the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust and send it to Angus Oughtred, Low Mill House, Low Mill Lane, North Cave, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2NR What your donations can fund; 1 tree, planted with a tree guard and stake = 4 1 metre of riparian fencing (materials and labour) = 5 1 water quality testing kit i.e. to measure phosphate = 20 1 full set of Riverfly Monitoring kit = 97 1 cattle pasture pump with pipework = 250 Thank you! Riverfly Monitoring kit 12