restoration of habitat wild trout trust & orvis conservation … · 2018-09-10 · & orvis...

Wild Trout Trust Newsletter Autumn 2010

The Wild Trout Trust is dedicated to the conservation of wildtrout in Britain and Ireland through protection and

restoration of habitat

Wild Trout Trust& Orvis Conservation

Awards 2010 PHOTOS Top-left: Tim Boycott receiving the ProfessionalWinner award on behalf of the Eden Rivers Trust, bottom-left:the team from the Avington project on the River Kennet re-ceiving the Professional Runner-Up award, top-right: represen-tatives of the Blickling Fishing Club and National Trustreceiving the Amateur Winner award for their work on theRiver Bure upstream of Blickling Mill, bottom-right: WilliamMoffitt, Blacksessiagh Regeneration Group receiving the Ama-teur Runner-up award for work on Creevan Burn, Co. Tyrone

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NoticesIn this issue...NEWS & NOTICES PAGES 2–3CONSERVATION AWARDS PAGES 4–9CONSERVATION NEWS PAGES 10–18MERCHANDISE PAGE 19

WILD TROUT TRUSTANNUAL GET-TOGETHER 2011The Trust’s Annual Get-Together will be held at thePark Hotel, Pandy, near Abergavenny on 16 & 17 April2011. The Saturday will comprise a morning of talks andan afternoon of river walks to see habitat enhancementwork on the River Monnow under the expert guidanceof the Trust’s Conservation Officers. We will hold adinner on the Saturday night and as a real highlight, theMonnow Fisheries Association has offered fishing forthose keen to stay on Sunday. Please keep an eye onthe Wild Trout Trust website for updates:www.wildtrout.org.

2011 eBayAUCTIONPreparations are underway for the 2011eBay auction already. This is an increas-ingly crucial part of the funding for theWTT. The auction will take place fromMarch 22nd – March 31st 2011. Cata-logues will come out a few weeks be-fore that date.

Already we have some interestinglots, including an Eden cane rod (7ft 4weight), donated by the maker BernardRamanauskas, and supported by MarkLeggett of The Alternative Tackle Com-pany. James Babb, editor of Gray’sSporting Journal described Eden Canerods thus:

‘Compared with his predecessors andmany of his contemporaries, (Bernard Ra-manauskas’s) Eden Cane rods are quickerand brisker, feeling familiar to anglersraised on graphite but with a subtle ele-gance and refinement graphite will neverequal. And they are beautiful, with five coatsof dipped and sanded spar varnish on thehoney-colored blanks before the PearsallGossamer silks go on, then a coat of poly-mer sealer on the wraps and anotherglasslike coat of spar varnish.

Eden Cane rods are, in a word, magnifi-cent, the best cane rods I’ve fished, andthey are, if not a screaming bargain, then atleast fairly priced’

More details are available at www.al-

↑ Mark Leggett of The Alternative Tackle Company presents Shaun Leonard with an Edencane rod for the 2011 auction.

DIARY DATE SNIPPETS 30-31 October 2010 Haddon Hall Grayling days.30-31 October 2010 British Fly Fair, Stoke-on-Trent.13-14 November 2010 Irish Fly Fair, Galway.8 December 2010 WTT Annual Raffle: draw, Orvis,

Sherborne, 6pm.10 March 2011 Riverfly Conference, Natural

History Museum, London.22-31 March 2011 WTT Annual Auction.7 April 2011 WTT/Lloyds FS/FFC Auction,

Flyfishers Club, London.14 April 2011 River Restoration Centre

Conference, Nottingham.16-17 April 2011 WTT Annual Get Together, Park

Hotel, Pandy, Abergavenny.11 June 2011 Three Fly Challenge, Meon

Springs, Hampshire.

ternativetackle.com and the rod will beavailable to view (and perhaps swish ...very carefully!) at the British Fly Fair In-ternational.

Other lots to contemplate overChristmas include bonefishing at BairsLodge in the Bahamas and fishing for seatrout in Patagonia - both courtesy ofNervous Waters.

There will be the usual wide range of

prices, from £20 to thousands ofpounds. We do try to make sure thatthere is something of interest for every-one so there is plenty of opportunity totry new waters and make new friends.

If you would like to donate somethingto the auction (fishing, flies, books orsomething more unusual) please contactDenise Ashton [email protected].


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Notices

CLA GAME FAIR 2010During the many years (about thirty-five) that your edi-tor has been attending the CLA Game Fairs it has beenremarkable how few of those events have suffered fromadverse weather. From time to time there has been ashower or two and perhaps a little breeze, but not muchto affect a well nourished fisherman. There was a notableexception at Floors Castle when the Tweed broke itsbanks overnight and swept away the casting-platformsbut everyone carried on regardless and when the waterswent down the sales of wellies and sun-hats broke allrecords.

The Fair at Ragley Hall in July 2010 did not break thegeneral pattern. There was an occassional refreshingshower but most of the time the sun shone benevolentlyon the WTT's stand and the heads of the Wild TroutTrusties therein. Shaun Leonard our director, was theredirecting, Nigel Ash was applying his own form of enter-taining terrorism to the sale of draw tickets, ChristinaBryant was present to ensure that details of the adminis-tration were correct and Tim Jacklin, Andy Thomas andPaul Gaskell were the providers of high-quality technicalinformation. Supporting cast in the form of Kristian Kent,Chris Glover, Andy Heath and Denise Ashton were inevidence and Mike Weaver (past Chairman of trustees)added a touch of seniority to the company. Above all ofthis star-spangled assembly was Allan Frake, newly re-tired and basking in the surrounding admiration. It is ru-moured that Patrick Lloyd appeared at some stage - ashe does.

A special mention must be made of Don Burgess andhis most generous provision of excellent FREEMINERbeer. If you have not encountered it previously then rushout and buy some now. It has my personal recommenda-tion.

A steady stream of visitors, members, old friends andseekers of knowledge came to the stand. Sales of drawtickets were good and sales of merchandise were satis-factory. Recruitment was somewhat disappointing asmany of the visitors were members already and atten-dance at the Fair overall was not helped by the Met. Of-fice putting out forecasts (utterly innacurate for us) ofabsolutely dire conditions.

We look forward to the next GF, in July 2011. Perhapssome of you would like to volunteer to join us on thestand at Bleinheim Palace. John Williams

THE BIG SOCIETY, THEWTT AND THE CLAGAME FAIRIn addition to the volunteers who form a substantial partof our Trustees and Executive Council the WTT hasalways worked in partnership with local volunteergroups to help them to help wild trout. Without localinvolvement, our projects would not be as effective orsustainable in the long term. Our volunteers bring awide range of knowledge - lawyers, accountants, editorsand graphic artists in addition to biologists, ecologistsand those with the invaluable skills required for practicalwork on the ground and in the stream. We believe thatthe WTT is well positioned, with our track record, totake advantage of the opportunities that ‘Big Society’may bring. We will update you in the newsletter ofdevelopments, as they become clear.

The CLA Game Fair is an occasion when volunteersfrom local groups can meet members of the Trusteesand Executive Council, both to man the stand and todiscuss the aims and the workings of the WTT. We doput a lot of effort into having an interesting stand - aLiving Stream, Bugs and Grubs and a Children’s Artcompetition: something for everyone. But we do neednew ideas and help is always welcomed. We wish to givethe stand a fresh look in 2011 and include someinteractive exhibits to show what we do and the impactit has on the river. If you have ideas, skills and time tohelp us build some exhibits, please get in touch!

And if you would like to join the team at the GameFair or to volunteer in any other way, please let us know.Contact Denise Ashton on [email protected] or07802 454157.

PHOTOSLeft: WTT Game Fairstand, centre: AlanFrake basking, above:FREEMINER hard atwork for the WTT.


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Conservation awards ceremony

CONSERVATION AWARDS 2010

AWARDS CEREMONYThe Awards ceremony this yearwas held in the splendid sur-roundings of the officers’ mess ofthe Household Cavalry inKnightsbridge Barracks. The ac-commodation was comfortableand convenient for our purposesand the service from the waiters,who brought an unceasing supplyof food and wine, was superlative.

Shaun Leonard welcomed theassembled company, describedthe background of the competi-tion and gave an outline of theevening’s agenda. Shaun thankedeveryone at HCMR, especially Lt.Col. Lockhart, Adjutant Capt.Olver and Mess Corporal Best-wick and his staff for the tremen-dous spread laid on for us. Shaunalso thanked the Award judges,Allan Frake, Jenny Mant and JohnShillcock for their huge efforts,covering 870 miles in two and ahalf days to inspect the entries.John Shillcock has signalled his in-tention to make this the lastyear as an Award judge: all at theTrust are hugely appreciative ofJohn’s efforts over the years.

Orvis are due much praise fortheir ongoing support, not only ofthe Awards but of the Trust morewidely. Finally Shaun thankedTrust Administrator, ChristinaBryant, who had responded bril-liantly to his late call for a newAward venue.

PHOTOS Above: Richard Banbury(Orvis) with Shaun Leonard, right: AllanFrake, Bottom-right: Nigel Ash and PaulGaskell, below: Allan Frake discussing theRiver Kennet entry with Russell Spencerof Cain Bioengineering Ltd.


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Conservation awards ceremony

BERNARD VENABLES AWARD 2010WILD TROUT TRUST

The second part of the evening’s formalities was thepresentation of the Wild Trout Trust BernardVenables (BV) Award 2010.

When presenting the Award Shaun Leonard said:“The BV Award is given to a volunteer contributingin an outstanding way to wild trout and also to theWild Trout Trust.

Many huge players in this field have yet to receivethis award, but a note of some of the past recipientsputs in context what it means - Allan Frake, PeterHayes, Tim Jacklin and Edward Twiddy for example.

Let me build a picture of this year’s winner withsome quotes from his friends. Firstly, on hiscontribution to WTT:

“…exactly what WTT needs…rolls up his sleeves,good fun and allergic to corporate bull****.”

“…most positive, thoughtful and givingsupporter…sage counsel…never to be ignored…”

“…the architect of so many raffle successes – afearsome predator of stray £10 notes and leaner-uponof timid souls who have not quite got themselves intothe WTT tent to pay their sub’s!”

At a personal level for me, this person brings lifeand sparkle with him, awesome stamina and rare,sound thinking.

For wild trout, he is a passionate advocate; assupporter of the small river and of trout for trout’ssake, especially in his beloved Dart catchment.There, he not only does his share of wild troutfishing (with one elk hair fly, apparently) but caresfor his river with the Dart Anglers Association anddoes his share of encouraging youngsters intofishing and understanding the river.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2010 Bernard VenablesAward winner is Nigel Ash”.

“…most positive, thoughtful and giving supporter…sage counsel…never to be ignored…”


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Conservation awards Judges report

BACKGROUND TO THE 2009 AWARDSNow in their 12th year the Wild Trout Trust’sConservation Awards are a way of celebrating andacknowledging the efforts, ingenuity, imaginationand achievements of those involved in trout habitatmanagement. Looking back over this lengthy periodthere has been an extremely wide diversity ofprojects. Inevitably things change and evolve. Goneare the days when individuals or singleorganisations submitted entries, nowadays it is allpartnerships, with collaboration and workingtogether as the normal way of getting projectsfinanced and completed successfully.

Perhaps these days, people are braver andaspirations higher. A decade ago habitatimprovements were tentative and restrained. Inrecent times it is much more of a ‘lets go for it’attitude with those involved being more confidentand better informed on best practice - largely dueto the Wild Trout Trust’s habitat-improvementpublication ‘Wild Trout Survival Guide’ and the CDguides for the restoration of Chalk, Upland andUrban rivers.

In past years the judges frequently raised someconcerns over the lack of pre and post projectmonitoring; some form of project appraisal isconsidered to be essential in evaluating whethermoney and resources represent good value. Otherpractitioners can learn from demonstrable success…and indeed, failure!

To their credit, all the finalists this year haveongoing monitoring in place. That is not easy withinthe constraints of tight budgets and the logisticaldifficulties of monitoring at the river-reach level.

Common issues were very evident amongst thisyears finalists - the old enemies of diffuse pollution,excessive sediment, bank damage from farm stock,over-wide dredged channels, poor physical channelstructure and lack of good ecological habitats forthe various life stages of fish and other river animaland plant communities.

There were some excellent examples of familiarhabitat improvements and fish passes, in whichfisheries, wild trout and other wetland conservationinterests were the primary focus, but the judgeswere particularly enthused this year to see projectswhere much careful thought had been applied atthe planning stage to ensure that the remedialtreatments being proposed and applied to improvephysical and ecological habitat were being carefully

BACKGROUND TO THE 2010 AWARDS

JUDGES REPORTthought through and evaluated; decisions werebased on reliable survey data, sound scientificprinciples and a healthy dose of pragmatism.

The competition always attracts habitatmanagement projects at various levels, carried outby a plethora of differing individuals andorganisations. This was particularly evident amongstthis year’s finalists where projects ranged fromthose costing hundreds of thousands of pounds toone which virtually cost nothing apart from someoil and petrol for the chain saw! There wereprojects involving extensive and complexengineering work to those driven by pureenthusiasm, usually from a few dedicated individualsusing what materials and pieces of equipment theycould obtain locally.

The judges arrive at their decisions for winnersand runners up in the Professional & AmateurCategories by scoring each of the projects againsta series of 12 specific criteria, amongst which are:-M impact on wild trout,M appropriateness of the scheme to the river,M techniques and materials used,M funding sources,M monitoring,M sustainability and after-care management,M value for money and value to wildlife in addition

to trout.Inevitably, with such high quality entrants, the

judges are always on the lookout for that little bitof extra enthusiasm and signs of innovative thinkingthat enhances our knowledge and helps to drivefuture initiatives and ideas forward.

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

In the Professional Category – Cain BioengineeringLtd entered a chalk stream river restoration projectat Chisenbury on the Upper Avon in Wiltshire onbehalf of the project partners who included theWessex Chalk Stream Project, Wiltshire WildlifeTrust, Environment Agency, Natural England andWessex Water. Clearly a lot of ‘detailed thought hadgone into the design and construction as well asfinding solutions to the serious logistical problemsof difficult access and a narrow working corridor.However, they managed to reinstate optimal

Continued at the top of page 7


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channel widths and bed variation, create low levelmargins for access and reduce bank scour, installspawning riffles, sedimented backwaters for lampreyand other stillwater fauna and flora, introducecopious amounts of large woody debris and createnovel experimental hurdle-sediment-traps in theheavily dredged sections of the reach. Monitoringinvertebrates, fish and the physical changes withinthe channel as a result of the work was also part ofan on-going appraisal programme. →

Cain Bioengineering also entered another chalkstream project on the River Kennet catchment atAvington near Newbury on behalf of the projectteam which included the Avington Estate,Hungerford Town & Manor, Environment Agencyand Natural England. This project was awarded theRunner –Up award in the Professional Category.Sediment- impoundments and an over-wide channelwere the main challenges at this particular site. Thesolutions involved extensive channel narrowing withsite-won gravels, bank stabilisation and sensitive re-profiling, de-silting and sediment management, largewoody debris and the creation of wetland areas inthe river margin as well as floodplain scrapes, pondsand additional wetlands.

Moving away from the southern chalk rivers thenext project in the Professional Category was onthe River Welland just north west of Peterboroughwhere the enhancement works of spawning rifflecreation (particularly for sea trout), flow deflectorsto improve channel dynamics and fish easementspast obstructions were the main priority of anEnvironment Agency and Welland Rivers Trustpartnership. A local school with a penchant for riverstudies also benefited from the project by theinstallation of a novel pumped-gravel beach therebyallowing access for the pupils to carry out riverineeducational activities.

Continued below

↑ River Avon restoration at Chisenbury

↓ Sea trout spawning riffle on the River Welland

↑ Some of the completed works on the River Kennet

↑ Fish pass on the River Colne at Marsden


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A quite different project wasentered for the River Colne inthe urban centre of Marsden,West Yorkshire. This was aclassically opportunistic projectbetween Kirklees Council andthe Environment Agency whocollaborated by combining amajor-road bridge reconstructionin the town with the installationof a Larinier fish pass on the weirbeneath the bridge. Challenges todesign and materials usedincluded working within aHeritage Conservation Area thatrequired a sensitive approach toengineering design within thebuilt environment of theimmediate surrounds and theexistence of a major sewerunderneath the weir. Althoughconstructed recently, the pass isbeing used by fish.

The winner of the ProfessionalCategory was the Eden RiversTrust who submitted “The Sub-Catchment Project”, amultidisciplinary, very muchstrategically led initiative involvingecology, GIS, aerial surveying,electro-fishing surveys andenvironmental modelling, all usedto develop costed and prioritisedconservation plans for five sub-catchments. Elements of deliveryincluded the usual problems ofaddressing point-source anddiffuse pollution, bankside damage by animal stock,barriers to migration, poor habitat and poor fishrecruitment. The judges were particularly impressedby innovative thinking that supports this project’sapproach to addressing serious bottlenecks in the

WINNER - PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

Eden Rivers Trust - Sub-Catchment Project

various life-stages of wild trout and the detailedscientific approach to determining which factors arethe most important ones to be addressed - forexample, where do you direct your effort and getmost value for money?

AMATEUR CATEGORY

The runner-up in the Amateur awards Categorywas the Blacksessiagh Regeneration Group, whohave been working very effectively in closepartnership with the Loughs Agency on the CreevanBurn, a tributary of the River Drumragh in CountyTyrone, Northern Ireland. This projectdemonstrated a robust package of habitatimprovement initiatives, particularly fencing outlivestock to reduce fine sediment input, restoring

spawning and nursery habitat, and installing lowlevel deflectors and groynes to replicate naturalriver morphology. One of major influences to thesuccessful outcome of this project was project co-ordination by the Community Development Group:this comprises members from a farming backgroundthereby encouraging the farmers themselves toimprove and maintain their river fishery asset andhighlight the positive links between sustaining both


WINNER - AMATEUR CATEGORY

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good farming and good river habitat managementpractice.

Also in the Amateur Category finalists were theKells Anglers Association, in County Meath, Irelandwho are working on streams in the RiverBlackwater/Boyne system with a great deal ofenthusiasm. They tackled the seemingly ubiquitousproblems of siltation and improving nursery andspawning habitat primarily by creating stone weirpools, gravel spawning-areas, stone, boulder andgravel deflectors and by fencing out livestock. Somevery innovative fund-raising initiatives wereemployed to ensure that this project was on a firmfinancial footing: the initial monitoring results areextremely promising with some significant increasesin salmon and trout spawning redds being observed.

The winner in the Amateur Category was thepartnership project of the Blickling Fishing Club andthe National Trust who clearly relish a difficultchallenge by re-instating woody debris in a NorthNorfolk river - in this particular case the River Bureupstream of Blickling Mill where historically theriver authorities and the club had always removedfallen trees from the river channel. Both channelmorphology and fish populations have improved and

some interesting and very comprehensiveinvertebrate, fish and geomorphological studies arealso being carried out in relation to the evaluatingthe positive effects of the increasingly popularhabitat improvement technique of installing largewoody debris in the river channel. A specialmention should be made of the role of Dave Bradyin the practical work and the team effort involved inthe monitoring work.

Blickling Fishing Club and National Trust - Installation of large woody debris into the River Bure upstream of Blickling Mill

↑ Improvement of trout habitat on the Creevan Burn


Conservation news

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Plotting a new course o TIM JACKLIN REPORTS ON

A major river restoration projectwas completed on the RiverGlaven in North Norfolk thisAugust. The work was a realpartnership effort between thelandowners, Stody Estate, andWild Trout Trust, EnvironmentAgency, Norfolk Wildlife Trust,River Glaven ConservationGroup, Professor Richard Hey,University College of London andthe Centre for EnvironmentFisheries and Aquaculture Science(CEFAS).

The project took place on a400-metre reach which, atsometime in the distant past, hadbeen straightened and moved tothe edge of the floodplain,probably for the purposes ofmilling. The project involvedrestoring the river’s natural formby putting back pools, riffles, andmeanders, narrowing the riverand reconnecting it with its floodplain. The restoration wasdesigned and closely supervisedby Professor Richard Hey, aprofessional fluvial

geomorphologist recently retiredfrom the University of East Anglia.

“Rivers like these smallchalkstreams simply do not havethe energy to restore theirnatural forms once they havebeen disturbed by man,” saidProfessor Hey. “It would take theriver literally thousands of yearsto recover if it was left to nature,but with careful planning and byworking with the river’s naturalprocesses, this can be reducedsignificantly, to a matter of a fewyears.”

Before work commenced, thesite contained an impressivenumber of species ofconservation-interest includingwater voles, white-clawedcrayfish, brook lampreys, otters,bullheads and wild brown trout.This meant that detailed planningwas required to minimise theimpact of the works upon the

existing biodiversity of the site.Close co-operation betweenWild Trout Trust, Norfolk WildlifeTrust and the EnvironmentAgency ensured the works werecarried out at the appropriatetime of year. Water vole surveyswere carried out by SteveHenson of Norfolk Wildlife Trust,ably assisted by fellow RiverGlaven Conservation Groupstalwart, Ian Shepherd. TimJacklin of the Wild Trout Trust,working under the Anglian SeaTrout Project banner, organisedthe prior rescue of fish andcrayfish from the site andoversaw the works.

Crayfish, bullheads, eel, troutand brook lamprey needed to beprotected during the works.

The works were completed in


Conservation news

on the River Glaven

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two phases, with a large volumeof earth being moved in 2009 bythe Environment Agency’s localOperations Delivery team toreconnect the river to itsfloodplain. The same teamreturned in August this year, withdriver Mick Hicks again expertlyat the helm of the excavator, tocomplete the project.

“It was amazing to see theriver taking shape,” said Tim. “The

new meanders were dug in thedry and the levels of the newpools and riffles were set. Thenthe flow was diverted into itsnew course and the old courseblocked off. Imported gravel wasintroduced to fine-tune the levelof the riffles and it was great tosee how many good troutspawning areas could be createdwith a relatively small amount ofgravel.”

Stody Estate and FarmManager, Ross Haddow said “Weare delighted with the outcomeof this project. It is an excellentexample of all the differentparties working towardsimproving the river and itssurroundings. We are committedto sensitive management of thissite in the future and all thesurrounding land has now beenput into Higher LevelStewardship.”

The site is being closelymonitored. In-stream andmeadow biological communitiesare being studied by a researchteam from University CollegeLondon, Queen Mary Universityof London, CEFAS and theEnvironment Agency. Thus fartwo PhD and four MSc studieshave been focused on the site.CEFAS and the EnvironmentAgency also have good data onthe fish stocks from this site andit will be interesting to see howthe recovery proceeds.

As a sad footnote, SteveHenson of Norfolk Wildlfe Trustdied suddenly and unexpectedlyshortly after the completion ofthis project. Steve was a highlyrespected ecologist and an activemember of the River GlavenConservation Group. He was agood friend to the Wild TroutTrust and worked with formerdirector Simon Johnson and TimJacklin on many projects inNorfolk. He will be sadly missed.


The fate of wild trout in our rivers and streamsprompted over 110 people to gather at a confer-ence in Appleby, Cumbria in March this year. Enti-tled “Trout Stream Management in the Real World”,the event was organised by Eden Rivers Trust andheld at the Tufton Arms Hotel.

Delegates and speakers came from all over theUnited Kingdom. Papers were presented on thevery latest research and advice on managing riversfor trout. Topics included river habitat-restoration,invasive-species management, monitoring, fisheriesmanagement and best-practice case studies. Thekeynote speaker was Andrew Ferguson (ProfessorEmeritus, Queen’s University Belfast) who gave anexcellent talk on “Genetic Considerations in TroutStream Management”. This explained how wildtrout populations are genetically varied and that thisis critical in maintaining the abundance and adapt-ability of trout.

The Wild Trout Trust’s Conservation Officers,Andy Thomas, Paul Gaskell and Tim Jacklin wereamongst the speakers and covered the topics of re-connecting trout habitats with easements to fishmovement, building community and volunteer in-volvement in river habitat improvement projectsand progress with the Anglian Sea Trout Project.

The conference included a special event on theTuesday night called “How Good Was Your River?”Thirty guests who have fished the River Eden sincethe late-1930s came along to share their thoughtsand experiences about the river and its populationsof wild trout and salmon. During the evening, guestsdescribed how the river had changed over the yearsand suggested possible causes for declines in troutand salmon numbers. The information was capturedduring the evening and made available on the EdenRivers Trust website – www.edenriverstrust.org.uk.

The sponsors of the conference included TheEsmee Fairbairn Foundation, Wild Trout Trust, Envi-ronment Agency (Penrith), APEM Aquatic Consul-tancy, Institute of Fisheries Management, Salmon &Trout Association and Natural England.

Simon Johnson, Director of Eden Rivers Trust,said, “The two day workshop brought together afantastic array of world class experts on troutstream management. This facilitated a highly stimu-lating debate which I am sure will lead to on theground practical work to improve rivers for trout.

This will help to deliver our goal here at EdenRivers Trust of establishing thriving populations ofwild fish in healthy rivers and streams in the Edencatchment.”

UPLAND RIVERS HABITATMANUAL LAUNCHED!Another highlight of the Trout Stream Managementin the Real World conference was the Englishlaunch of the Wild Trout Trust’s latest addition to itsrange of habitat advice manuals, The Upland RiversHabitat Manual. Launches were also held in Northand South Wales in March and April this year.

Following the successful track record of the WildTrout Survival Guide and theChalkstream Habitat Manual,the Upland Rivers Manual isaimed at fishing clubs, riverkeepers and riparian owners,helping them identify problemsand finding solutions. It givesclear ‘DIY’ advice for localriver improvement projects aswell as the fundamentalimportance of land use and

the need to work in partnership to addresscatchment wide issues.

Wild Trout Trust Director Shaun Leonard said“This guide is an excellent practical resource forclubs and owners. It is so important for grassrootsorganisations to feel they can address the problemsof their local rivers at both a reach and a catchmentscale. This guide is one way that the Wild Trout Trustcan support and inspire local groups to take action.Wild trout, including sea trout, are a strong andvisible indicator of the health of the river systemand fishing clubs and owners have a tremendousopportunity – and responsibility – to look afterthem and the wider ecosystem “

The Upland Rivers Manual is the result ofcollaboration with the Environment Agency inEngland and Wales, the Welsh AssemblyGovernment, the River Restoration Centre, theAssociation of Rivers Trusts and Eden Rivers Trust.

The Manual is available free from the Wild TroutTrust website www.wildtrout.org as a series ofdownloadable PDF files, or as higher quality files ona CD from the Wild Trout Trust office for £10.00including post and packing – contact 02392 570985or [email protected] or purchase via thewebsite shop.

TIM JACKLIN REPORTS ON EVENTS IN THE NORTHTROUT STREAMMANAGEMENT IN THEREAL WORLD

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Conservation news


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Conservation news

WEIR TODAY, GONETOMORROW

As reported in the last newsletter (Summer 2010)Leek and District Fly Fishing Association (LDFFA)were the recipients of Wild Trout Trust advice andpractical help earlier this year on the River Dove inDerbyshire. The work involved the introduction oflarge woody debris to provide vital in-stream coverfor both juvenile and adult trout and grayling.Following on from this work LDFFA havecompleted the removal of a weir from the river.This was done by hand by volunteers from the clubled by Alex Swann, Andrew Heath of Trent RiversTrust and Warren Slaney and Jan Hobot, riverkeepers from the nearby Haddon Estate waters onthe Wye.

Their work has removed a long-standingimpoundment from the river, improving in-streamhabitat and re-connecting upstream anddownstream sections. Newly available cleanspawning gravels were evident within hours of theweir removal. Monitoring work is being carried outon the site by PhD students from Hull InternationalFisheries Institute to record changes in physicalhabitat, fish and invertebrate populations. Look forthe results in future WTT publications.

GOYTDid you know that the medical condition goitre or“Derbyshire neck” was named after the Goyt valley,because of its (historically) common occurrence inthe area due to a lack of iodine in the diet? This isjust one of the many facts learned by WTT staffwhen they are out and about improving trouthabitat! Apparently this deficiency still poses

problems for the livestock in the area and farmershave to provide supplements to their cattle.

There are however no deficiencies in the effortsof volunteers from Disley & New Mills Angling Club(DNMAC) who have been instrumental incompleting a second phase of river improvementsthe River Goyt near Stockport. Following thesuccess of an initial trial to introduce and retainlarge woody debris in the form of tree- kickers intothis high-energy river, Wild Trout Trust and DNMACgained approval from the Environment Agency forfurther structures to be completed.

A further ten tree-kickers were introduced tothe river and a number of smaller flow deflectorsand cover-logs were pinned to the riverbed. Asection of bank that was being undermined andthreatening to collapse was protected with softrevetments constructed from logs and coniferbrushwood. Tim Jacklin and Paul Gaskell of WTTspent four days assisting DNMAC volunteers whowere galvanised into action and led from the frontby Andrew Parker, continuing the work over afurther two weekends to completion. Andrew wasinstrumental in organising club volunteers andcarrying out liaison with landowners.

The works were the culmination of a partnershipeffort between DNMAC, Wild Trout Trust and theEnvironment Agency. Funding and technical helpwith consents was provided by staff from theEnvironment Agency’s Warrington office, includingKevin Nash, Paul Breslin and David Astbury. Thanksare also due to Derbyshire County Council’sCountryside Service for help with the collectionand delivery of materials to site, and allowing workson their land.

More about DNMAC’s work on the River Goytis on the web at http://dnmacgoyt.blogspot.com.

↓ DNMAC volunteers on the River Goyt


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Conservation news

In early September WTT’s Shaun Leonard and TimJacklin headed north to Inverness at the invitationof Marcus Walters of the Moray Firth Sea TroutProject to a conference and demonstration day. Ata well-attended conference, delegates heard a rangeof talks on sea trout topics. Marcus gave an updateon the Moray Firth Sea Trout Project(www.mfstp.co.uk) outlining his investigations intothe decline in sea trout numbers in the region.Andy Walker, formerly of Fisheries Research Serv-ices Freshwater Laboratory, spoke about his profes-sional experience with sea trout and gave ademonstration of the mysteries of scale-reading!Simon McKelvey of Cromarty Firth Fisheries Trustgave an insight into the planning and permissions re-quired for river restoration works In Scotland,whilst Malcolm Thomson of Orkney Trout FishingAssociation and well-known angler Ally Gowansgave some fascinating insights into Scottish sea troutangling. Shaun and Tim spoke about the WTT’s roleand the techniques of river habitat improvement.

Day two was led by Shaun and Tim who demon-strated some practical habitat improvement tech-niques on the River Peffrey near Dingwall and a sidechannel of the River Conon. Volunteers assistedwith the installation of stone groynes, flow deflec-tors and vortex weirs that illustrated how trout andsalmon habitat can be restored to channels that

MORAY FIRTH SEATROUT PROJECT –DEMONSTRATION DAY

have been affected by drainage works. Partners inthe Moray Firth Sea Trout Project aim to undertakeextensive habitat improvement work on the RiverPeffrey to restore it to its former status as a goodsea-trout nursery river and we at WTT look for-ward to lending further support!

SPAWNING GRAVELS FOR THE WILLOW BROOKSpawning habitat for trout has been greatlyimproved on the Willow Brook inNorthamptonshire thanks to the efforts ofmembers of Willow Brook Flyfishers and the WildTrout Trust. One hundred tonnes of gravel wereintroduced to the river in early October to createtwo spawning riffles. The gravel was sourced from alocal quarry and moved on to site with theassistance of landowner and farmer Bill Martin andhis machinery. The volunteers then spent the dayshovelling and raking the gravel into position anddiscovering muscles they never knew they had!

Financial support from the local EnvironmentAgency Fisheries team made the project possibleand the Wild Trout Trust provided assistance withplanning and gaining approvals. Further work isplanned installing flow deflectors to scour the riverbed and produce a greater variety of depths.

↑ Tim and Shaun installing a flow deflector of the River Peffrey

↑ The Willow Brook work party


15

Conservation news

PETTERILThe River Petteril ConservationProject took another step for-ward with help from the WTTthis autumn. Under the leader-ship of Alison Reed, Eden RiversTrust is working on a number offronts to improve the river oncedescribed as the “Jewel of theEden” (see WTT’s summernewsletter). Following advicefrom Tim Jacklin of WTT, Alisoninvested a great deal of effort inlandowner liaison and securingconsents from various regulatorybodies, paving the way for a WTTPractical Visit in September.

The visit was carried out byTim Jacklin and Paul Gaskell on asection of the River in WreayWoods, a nature reserve man-aged by Cumbria Wildlife Trust.Tim and Paul introduced and se-cured large woody debris struc-tures and demonstratedtechniques for reducing excessiverates of erosion. Those benefitingfrom the demonstrations andpractical experience included

staff and volunteers from Eden Rivers Trust andother rivers trusts, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, local an-gling associations and local contractors.

Simon Johnson, director of Eden Rivers Trust said“We are delighted with the results of this visit. Thesupport and guidance from WTT has been invalu-able and anyone considering restoring a troutstream should contact them. Their advice and assis-tance is free and will ensure your project gets offthe best possible start.”

↑ Tim Jacklin andPaul Gaskelldemonstratingtechniques forsecuring largewoody debris.

ANDY THOMAS REPORTS ON PROJECTS IN SOUTH & WEST

So what has been going on down South in the lastsix months? Well, the demand for WTT advisoryvisits appears to be insatiable and the springbrought the usual flurry of requests for AVs withvisits undertaken on the Stour and Darent in Kent,the Fynn in Suffolk and a tributary of the Ouse inEast Sussex. Visits were also made to theGloucestershire Coln, the Wey (North) in Surreyand the Meon, just down the road from me inHampshire.

The start of the fishing season saw a slight shiftfrom requests for AVs to requests for trainingsessions with a combination of classroompresentations and hands-on practical workshops.One day in particular sticks in my mind, mainlybecause it absolutely poured with rain for most ofthe day. Nothing seemed to dampen the enthusiasmof the “Revive the Wye” group ! The training daywas requested initially by Jenni Balmer, who (at the

Andy explaining some “technical trickery” to the Revive →the Wye group just before the heavens opened


16

Conservation news

time) was the EA Fisheries Officer covering theBuckinghamshire Wye. She was particularly keen toorganise a habitat improvement workshop forvarious community groups in the area. Eighteenenthusiastic volunteers attended the training day;the team discussed project planning, obtainingconsents and health and safety procedures beforeinstalling an American style “tree sweeper” designedto provide habitat for juvenile fish in the rivermargin. The team also installed some large woodydebris (LWD) flow deflectors and learned how tomanage a large fallen willow, both to reduce theflood risk and create some good quality habitat.

Another valuable training day took place on thebanks of the delightful River Culm on theSomerset/Devon borders. Here the objective wasto share ideas and information with the local EAfisheries and biodiversity teams on riparian treemanagement. This was a great opportunity for theWTT to demonstrate that we have a role to play intraining the professionals as well as clubs,

community groups and landowners on aspects ofhabitat management. The EA group session startedwith a presentation, and then it was time to departfor the river and meet officers from the Culm FlyFishing Club, to discuss options for treemanagement.

For anyone planning extensive coppicing regimes,this river provided some excellent examples ofissues to consider. For me, the biggest lesson is thatcoppicing long tracks of bankside trees can lead tomore shading of the river, not less. Leavingoccasional clumps of tall landscape trees to providesome high level shade will help to control excessivebushy growth below which can, withoutconsiderable effort in management, turn rivermargins into thick hedgerows. Low bushy cover isessential but like so many aspects of trout habitatmanagement, you can have too much of a goodthing! Another example of where a mix of habitat –some tall trees, some low bushy cover, some openspaces - is the result to aim for.

SOUTH COAST SEA TROUT PROJECT – UPDATEDespite a lack of progress on securing funding for

future work, some progress in delivering action onthe ground has been made as a result of asuccessful partnership with the Sussex OuseConservation Society (SOCS) and the River AdurConservation Society (RACS). Both groupssuccessfully bid for DEFRA / Rivers Trust projectfunding to help deliver Water Framework Directiveactions within their areas. A key issue identified onsome Sussex rivers is access for sea trout to beable to freely migrate into optimum spawning areas.The Batts Bridge Culvert on an upper tributary ofthe Ouse and the Perching Weir on the WoodsmillStream (Adur catchment) were two obstructions

↑ The Batts culvert where sea trout used to pool updownstream, unable to make it up and through the culvert

identified by the groups. This was an idealopportunity for WTT to support SOCS and RACS,with our specialist knowledge and practical skills, toassist them to get the jobs done by designing andinstalling two easements.

The two projects required very differentapproaches but the principles of reducing the headloss (upstream and downstream water leveldifference) and water velocities through the twostructures were broadly similar. When creating a fisheasement it is not necessary to design a fullyfunctioning fish-pass. It is sufficient to increase theopportunities for fish to be able to swim moreeasily over a weir or through a culvert. The

↑ A new box sections bolted to the concrete aprons will makeupstream migration on the back of some extra water mucheasier this autumn


17

legislation regarding the construction andmaintenance of formal fish-passes is complex andoften results in large scale engineering works,maintenance agreements and a raft of health andsafety measures, all of which demand big budgets.The advantage of installing easements is that thesolutions can be within the capability of individuals,fishing clubs as well as larger organisations such asRivers Trusts.

After several site meetings, plans were drawn upand circulated to the EA and Sussex CountyCouncil Highways Department for the necessarypermissions and consents. Works started at the endof August and in early September with Andy Thomasproviding the technical and practical support. Thetwo projects have resulted in several miles of goodquality habitat being opened up for trout spawning.

So how did we do it? Well the first job on theBatts Bridge was to enable trout to be able tonegotiate two wide, shallow concrete aprons belowa road culvert and then provide enough depth ofwater through the culvert for fish to be able toburst upstream. Access to the site was very poor sothe solution was to hand-build two boxes with anarrow exit from oak bulks.

The preferred solution at Perching Weir wasmuch more conventional. Here the solution was to

introduce 30 tonnes of block stone (for stability)and flint reject gravels in two steps to enable troutto push upstream over a weir under a semi-derelictfarm bridge. Knocking the bridge down andremoving the weir would have been the preferredmethod but was not an option we could pursue.

When building a pre-barrage out of stone andgravels there is always the concern that, in lowflows , water will flow through the bed of thestructure rather than raising water levels. This isinvariably the case on small spate streams wherebase flows can be extremely low. However, thegravels locked between the stones will seal after aspate or two and allow the water levels to rise.One important aspect to remember is to avoidmarginal erosion problems by creating a low, dishshaped section in the centre of the pre-barrage toconcentrate flows mid stream.

The list of potential projects to improve habitatfor South Coast sea trout is a long one and with alack of overall funding for the programme, progresswill be slow. However we will find funding on aproject-by-project basis and thereby keep themomentum going in typical WTT fashion – bypractical projects carried out in partnership withlocal clubs, landowners and Rivers Trusts.

An exciting development in Trout in the Town is thelaunch of the Urban Rivers Restoration Guidelinesat this year’s conservation awards. The manual willfollow the format of the existing Chalkstream andUpland habitat guidelines and be available in highresolution on CD, or as a free (compressed)download from the WTT website. The guidelinesaim to support local interest groups who would liketo protect and enhance their urban river corridors;it offers practical solutions to the many commonchallenges faced by, for example, local Trout in theTown chapters across the UK.

Big news for the winter is the habitat restorationwork being undertaken on rivers in our capital city(rivers Cray and Wandle) as a series of Practical Vis-its. This restorative work is the culmination of longyears of campaigning, research and negotiation withrelevant authorities; it is another step towards re-establishing thriving and self-sustaining wild troutpopulations in both watercourses. As mentioned byTim elsewhere in this newsletter, some highly suc-cessful second-phase PV works have been carriedout on Derbyshire’s River Goyt (also a TinTT chap-ter). This time, we demonstrated soft revetment

techniques to control inappropriate erosion as wellas creating a second instalment of juvenile habitat inthe form of brash and tree-kickers. And, just toshow that I do get out into the countryside andkeep all my conservation skills sharp, recently wecompleted examples of habitat-restoration plots tocomplement and extend the existing skills base andwork on the River Monnow. The demonstration

TROUT IN THE TOWN UPDATES - PAUL GASKELL

Conservation news

↑ Proposed habitat restoration work on the Wandle - nowapproved


18

Conservation news

BUGS AND GRUBSIdentification courses are to be held at LangfordLakes and the adjacent River Wylye (near Salisbury)on the 2nd July 2011. In the event of over subscrip-tion for that date a second date will be arranged.

The course is run jointly by the Wild Trout Trustand the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Both organisationshave conservation and restoration, supplemented byeducation, as their objectives and this co–operationwill bring benefits to each of them. The Wild TroutTrust is species–specific but, as the trout is close tothe top of the food–chain, work done to improveconditions for the trout must improve conditionsfor almost every other living thing in and near thewater: this is embraced also by the WiltshireWildlife Trust’s fundamental policies.

Course–leaders will be Richard Cripps and ShaunLeonard. Richard has led all of the WTT’s courses inprevious years: he is well known as a speaker onmany ecological and biological subjects, notably tofishing and fisheries organisations. Also he leadsother courses for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. ShaunLeonard is the director of the Wild Trout Trust anda qualified and experienced educationalist.

Both Richard and Shaun have been studying freshwater ecology for more than 25 years.

The course will be in a format that is similar tothat followed previously but the content has beenexpanded to include external factors such as use of

land adjacent to rivers and lakes and the flora andfauna therein.

The proposed date for 2011 is the 2nd July. If thatdate is not possible for you then do record yourinterest as it could be possible to arrange a secondevent. We will be limiting the classes to twentystudents; in the event of over subscription we willtry to arrange an additional date. Please registerearly if possible.

The basic agenda for the one–day course is:9:00 am Meet for coffee 9:30 am Welcome by Richard Cripps for the Wilt-

shire Wildlife Trust and Shaun Leonard forthe Wild Trout Trust.

9:45 am Introduction to the factors that affect lifein rivers and lakes, recognition of harmfuland beneficial influences, means of collect-ing specimens, methods of identification.

10:45 am Fieldwork on the nearby river Wylye (bringyour own waders or gum boots).

12:45 pm Lunch (bring your own picnic; coffee andtea provided).

2:00 pm Fieldwork on the nearby Langford Lakes.4:00 pm Closing discussions (all times will be

flexible).The cost of a one–day course is £25. Applications,

accompanied by full payment, should be sent toChristina Bryant, The Wild Trout Trust, PO Box 120,Waterlooville, PO8 OWZ. Telephone/fax 023 92570985, email:[email protected].

works were designed and con-ceived following my grand tour ofthe catchment earlier in the year.Andy, Shaun and I colluded onsite to arrive at our jointfavourite solutions for producinghigher quality spawning and adulthabitat for the Monnow FisheriesAssociation.

A new “Urban Flyfishing” DVDis being launched at the BritishFly Fair this year. The productioncompany (Fish On Productions),that produced the film, is acorporate member of the WTTand is pledging a proportion ofsales income to the Trust. Theyhave also produced and included(free of charge) a shortpromotional film that celebratesTrout in the Town, Mayfly in theClassroom and the AV/PVprogramme of the WTT.

↓ Photograph from the Urban Rivers Restoration Guidelines


WTT BADGESCLOTH

£4PIN BADGES

£3.50CAR STICKER

£1 - all free p&pLife member badges free with £300

life membership

ORVIS SHIRTColour Indigo and

Light Blue (not shown) £39 + £2 p&psizes M, L, XL, XXL

SNOWBEE SHIRTColour Putty £30 + £2 p&p

sizes M, L, XL, XXL

SUPER WARM FLEECEWITH WTT LOGO

in dark green or black£20 + £3 p&p

sizes L, XL, XXL

FULLINGMILLEVENING RISESELECTION£9 + £1 p&p

MATCHINGTHE HATCH by Peter Lapsley &Cyril Bennett£7.99 + £1.20 p&p

WHEATLEY FLY BOXESWITH WTT LOGO1407F with 12 compartments and afoam lid at £ 30 and the 1404 with double ripple foam innerat £19 + £1.25 p&p

FINE BONECHINA MUG£9 + £1 p&p

BASEBALLCAP£15 plus £1.50 p&p

19

WILD TROUT TRUST SHOPAll WTT merchandise can be ordered via the Shop on our website at www.wildtrout.org; by

sending an appropriate cheque to the WTT Office; or by credit card over the phone – call theWTT Office on 023 9257 0985. All postage prices are for the UK, please enquire for overseas.

WTT Merchandise

We have a rangeof new, WildTrout Trust-

badged items –you can give your

loved one anexcellent

Christmaspresent and

donate to ourwork in the river

for wild trout.

WTT GUIDES AND MANUALSThe Wild Trout Survival Guide (softback) - £10 + £1 p&pThe Uplands River Habitat Manual (CD) - £10 + £1 p&pThe Chalkstream Habitat Manual (CD) - £10 + £1 p&pUrban Rivers Restoration Guidelines (CD) - £10 + £1 p&p

(available end of November)


PresidentCharles Rangeley–Wilson

Vice–Presidents Jon Beer, Professor David Bellamy, Brian Clarke,

Gareth Edwards, Oliver Edwards, Dr Malcolm Greenhalgh, Pat O’Reilly,

Peter O’Reilly, Jeremy Paxman, Paul Procter, The Rt Hon Lord (David) Steel of Aikwood

ChairmanEdward Twiddy

Director and Conservation for Scotland & Ireland

Shaun [email protected]

tel 023 8027 6037

NewsletterEditor: John Williams

Layout: Richard [email protected]

Sponsorship & Communications Denise Ashton

[email protected] 07802 454157 Conservation Officers

Tim Jacklin North East; North West; Midlands, Anglian; North

Wales [email protected] 07876 525457

Andy Thomas Southern, Thames, South West, South & Mid Wales

[email protected] 07876 525499 Paul Gaskell

Trout in the Town [email protected] 07919 157267

Wild Trout Trust Office The Wild Trout Trust

PO Box 120 Waterlooville PO8 0WZ

Tel / Fax: 023 9257 0985 email: [email protected] Christina Bryant is the Trust Administrator and is

normally at her desk 10:00–15:00, Monday to Thursday.When this is not possible and at all other times, please

leave a message on the answerphone and Christinawill respond as soon as she is able.

WILD TROUT TRUST Reg Charity No 1077041

www.wildtrout.org

Contacts

THANK YOU To all who responded to our plea for help intracing some lost members and we havemanaged to make contact with quite a few.Here are those that we are still looking fortogether with a few more that we have nowlost contact with.M Michael Albon, ThatchamM Charles Bennett, YeovilM Alastair Clarke, TanworthM Foston Fishing Club, YorkshireM Thomas Goddard, DorchesterM Stephen Grove, BarcelonaM Mark Hancox, LondonM Roger James, HorshamM Paul W Ledger, PetersfieldM D S W Lee, SheffieldM Russell Mabon, CirencesterM Kenneth Norcross, WarringtonM R J Smith, CamberleyM Mrs P A Stevens, BodminM Jamie Stewart, MatfenM Prof L Threadgold, SalisburyM J Walton, Newcastle upon TyneM Graham Wilkinson, Huddersfield

NEW CHARITY –FISHING FOR FORCESA new charity has been established, Fishing for Forces,which focuses on getting wounded servicemen andwomen to the waterside for a day of therapy and abreak from the medical environment. The fishing isopen to all who have been on operational duty in allwars back to World War 2 and disabled veterans areparticularly welcome at all the venues that have facili-ties. The charity’s spreadsheet encompasses novicesto competent anglers and all they have to do is get tothe waterside and mentors and tackle (and probablyfood) will be provided if required. A number of excel-lent events have already been held – see the websitefor further details www.fishingforforces.org or con-tact Bill Howell on 0207 385 2135.

FLY FAIR IN IRELANDThe Wild Trout Trust will be at the Irish Fly Fairthis autumn. The event will take place on 13th and14th November in Salthill, Galway. If you arecoming, do call in on the WTT stand and say hello.For more information see the event website at -ww.irishflyfair.com.


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