East Midlands Fisheries News

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1 East Midlands Fisheries News Spring 2017 The East Midlands is home to some of the best river and stillwater fishing venues. This newsletter is a chance for us to tell you what we are doing for angling in our patch. Surveys For many years anglers have been concerned that there are few barbel present in the Soar catchment, and that there are no small fish. Working with the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust we installed a fry refuge on the River Soar, designed to protect young fish, including barbel. Environment Agency fisheries staff were out on the same section of river recently, undertaking electric fishing surveys at Cotes and Ratcliffe on Soar. The team came across a number of small barbel. The largest of the catch was 26.2 cm in length, and was likely to be around four years old; the smallest of the group was only 83 mm in length. Given its small size, this fish is evidence that barbel are successfully spawning in the river and the young are surviving, which is excellent news. Survey reports are available on request. For further information, contact Niall Freeman at paul.carrier@environment-agency.gov.uk Fishy Fact Flatfish in the Idle The River Idle is located in the north of the East Midlands area, it flows through north Nottinghamshire and briefly rubs shoulders with south Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, flowing into the River Trent at West Stockwith. Despite the freshwater nature of the Idle at Bawtry, flatfish, believed to be flounder, have been caught during routine fish surveys. The exact reason why flounder are found this far up the river system is unclear, but it s suspected they are attracted to the River Idle for increased feeding opportunities and habitat, e.g. a sandy bottom into which they can bury themselves. Flounder are able to survive in both fresh and saltwater by adapting their osmoregulatory-system. Where to fish Looking for somewhere new to fish? There are thousands of fisheries listed online. To find a location close to you go to Fishinginfo.co.uk. Look what we caught in the River Soar! Let us know what you catch. Remember your rod licence see 1 of 6

2 New Rod Licensing system Most of the work that we do, including projects, incident response and surveys, is funded by rod licence fees. You can now buy your rod licence from our website www. Changes from April 2017 include: Free licences for junior anglers, up to the age of 17, announced in November 2016 The fishing licence now lasts for 12 months from the day it is bought, rather than expiring at the end of March each year The use of three rods now needs just one licence, rather than two. There are three different types of rod licence available: Salmon and sea trout licence; Close Season reminders The close season for salmon and migratory trout (in all waters) is the period from 8th. October to the 31st. January inclusive. The close season for brown trout and rainbow trout in rivers, and for brown trout in unenclosed stillwaters, is the period from 8th. October to 17th.March inclusive. The coarse fish close season is the period from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. Fish Passage We have undertaken some maintenance at our Non-migratory trout and coarse licence, covered for 2 rods And (for the first time ever), Non-migratory trout and coarse licence, covered for 3 rods. Incidents Holme Sluices on the Trent at Nottingham. We are working on designs for an all-species fish pass around the Environment Agency owned sluices at Colwick, Nottingham. This sits within our larger ambition of enabling passage past all Trent weirs from Cromwell to Sawley. This will benefit all coarse fish, Eels as well as Lamprey and Salmon. UNCLASSIFIED 2 of 6

3 Incidents Summer is approaching, so help to avoid problems, by doing the following; Avoid stocking fish or cutting weed during hot weather. Manage numbers of anglers fishing and consider restricting the use of keep-nets and ground-bait. Contact your local Environment Agency office for further advice if needed, our details are at the end of this newsletter. You can use pond water testing kits to look monitor nutrient levels. Higher levels could lead to algal blooms and low levels of dissolved oxygen. Find out where you can source aerators at short notice. Look out for: Numbers of dead or dying fish. Groups of fish clearly in distress gasping at the water surface. Fish gathering around inlets of water. Low water levels in rivers, lakes and ponds. Green coloured water (algal bloom). Stocking our fisheries We have been working with Stanton Fishing Club at Roughs Pond (Derbyshire) and Tidal Trent Angling Club at Saundby Ponds (Gainsborough), to protect and improve their resident fish populations. Rod licence project funds helped us to install floating reed-beds at Saundby, and both angling clubs have installed aerial ropes to reduce predation. In December, following these measures, we stocked a total of 2625 fish, including common bream, roach and tench. All of these fish were reared by the Environment Agency at Calverton Fish Farm, paid for from anglers rod licence fees. A moment in time... On 7th July 1864, the Trent Salmon Fisheries (a group of landowners with fisheries interests) held a meeting at the Speakers Residence at Palace Yard, Westminster. The main topic was the restoration of salmon populations in the River Trent. One key improvement required, was a series of fish passes on the weirs..an issue that is still not resolved. We are now trying to address the problem, but for all fish species. If you have a problem we can help. If you see dead fish or signs of fish in distress, call the Incident Hotline immediately on UNCLASSIFIED 3 of 6

4 Enforcement The Enforcement Team have recently led a fisheries operation that involved six officers from Nottinghamshire Police Rural Crime Team and seven from the Angling Trust and local fishing clubs The operation involved patrols in road vehicles and the team s boat, and concentrated on high evasion areas of the River Trent and various still waters between Nottingham and Newark. They achieved a great result of 167 licence checks on the day, reassuring legal anglers and acting as a visible deterrent to those who may choose to fish illegally. The response from the public and anglers alike was brilliant and this further cemented their great working relationship local Police and volunteers. Between April 2016 and March 2017, our Enforcement Team have carried out a total of rod license checks, which has resulted in 406 prosecutions for various types of illegal fishing. Fisheries projects The fisheries team are in the final stages of completing a number of projects throughout the area, which aim to improve fish stocks in both rivers and stillwaters. These include the River Torne, Butterley Reservoir, River Wreake, River Derwent, River Leen, River Wye and Dover Beck. River Torne Fisheries and Biodiversity Officers Chris Bradley and Pete Haynes have worked in partnership with the Operations North Field Team to deliver a treeplanting project along the River Torne. A total of 480 trees, comprised of Oak, Alder, Black Poplar and Hornbeam have been split between three sites (Candy Farm, Tunnel Pits and Torne Gatehouse), once established this will provide much needed shading and areas of refuge for the resident fish populations. River Torne The project cost a total of 1,500 and was funded through the Fisheries Improvement Fund (rod licence income). Chris and Pete would like to give a big thank you to Andrew Spittlehouse, Nik Jarvis and other members of the Owston Ferry Field Operations Team (Chris Jackson, Neil Goulding, Ian Tansey, Dale Smith, Jon Langley, Jamie Fullerton and Mark Fowler) for their great work in all weathers! Butterley Reservoir Using Rod Licence money, Fisheries Biodiversity and Geomorphology (FBG) have funded the installation of 10 floating reedbeds on Butterley Reservoir. Individual reedbeds measured 1x2 metres, and these were joined together to create a larger area for fish protection. There were cages on top to reduce bird grazing on vegetation and also cages underneath to act as refuge for fish from predators. UNCLASSIFIED 4 of 6

5 These reedbeds were an addition to other enhancement and refuge works that included marginal habitat improvement, for which FBG provided 75 fence posts. Working in partnership, Ripley and District Angling Club installed the marginal refuge areas and funded a further five floating reedbeds. It is hoped that these refuge areas will help the survival rates of young and small fish in the reservoir and reduce the need for stocking in the future. River Wreake, Hoby Darley Dale fencing project, before and after Working in partnership with the landowner, we provided fencing materials to protect approximately 800 metres of the River Wreake from cattle poaching. This is an extension to a project that began back in 2012, which fenced more banks of the Wreake to protect it from cattle poaching and erosion. This will help with sediment input and nutrient levels in the river, which will in-turn help improve habitats available for fish and invertebrates. The improved bankside structure will also benefit terrestrial mammals such as the water vole. The project was funded by the Fishery Improvement Fund, derived from Rod Licence fees. River Leen Fisheries staff worked with Nottinghamshire County Council to improve the habitat for fish along the River Leen at Bestwood. Hazel bundles were used to stabilise the river bank, reposition the bank to ensure flows keep the gravels clean and to help marginal plants establish. Some trees were coppiced to increase the light over the water to encourage aquatic plants to grow and coarse woody debris was introduced to provide habitat for fish and invertebrates. Improving waters at the head of catchments ensures that fish can spawn, grow and move downstream to populate the main rivers where anglers fish. River Derwent, Darley Dale Approximately 340 metres of fencing was installed to reduce overgrazing of the river bank on the river Derwent at Darley Dale. The banks had become so overgrazed that anglers could no longer safely access the watercourse. The buffer strip of long grass will trap fine sediment and pollutants, provide habitat and refuge for terrestrial mammals and invertebrates and overhanging cover for fish. The project was carried out in partnership with a local landowner and Darley Dale Fly Fishing club and cost 3,000 to install. Brown trout caught during pre-habitat enhancement fisheries survey. UNCLASSIFIED 5 of 6

6 Dover Beck As part of the Dover Beck Agricultural Project staff from the Environment Programme Team and FBG have made improvements to a weir near Gonalston to help flow and in-channel habitats. It was identified as causing a barrier to fish movement and this month in collaboration with the landowners we re-profiled the weir. We will monitor river levels and make minor adjustments if needed. The work was recorded using the FBG Team Go-Pro camera. Salmon return to the Trent One of many Salmon that fisheries staff saw attempting to pass Cromwell Weir near Newark, autumn Once rainfall increased river levels the fish could progress upstream, and Salmon were seen as far as Belper on the Derwent. Additional funding extended the Dover Beck Project by installing 450m of fencing and 102m of coir roll and faggots. This will prevent bank erosion and allow for a greater diversity of bankside vegetation providing habitat for fish, mammals and invertebrates. Team contacts Do you have a question for your local Fisheries Catchment Officer? If so, contact: Chris Bradley (Dukeries & Trent) Christian.bradley@environment-agency.gov.uk Ryan Taylor (Nott s and Erewash) Ryan.taylor@environment-agency.gov.uk Karen Twine (Soar and Wreake) Karen.twine@environment-agency.gov.uk Alex Lumsdon (Derbyshire Derwent) Alex.lumsdon@environment-agency.gov.uk Steve Lawrie (Fisheries Team Leader) Steve.lawrie@environment-agency.gov.uk Team mailbox FBG.DNL@environment-agency.gov.uk UNCLASSIFIED 6 of 6