Fish and eel pass for River Stour
1 March 2010
A joint project by the Environment Agency and Essex Wildlife Trust has just been completed that will not only help several protected species, but benefit a range of other fish and aquatic insects. Two years in the planning, an old meander of the River Stour has been reconnected to provide a suitable passage for fish and eels In addition , Water Voles, our fastest declining mammal, will also be able to use the channel to feed, rest or disperse to other parts of the river.
Eels have declined rapidly over most of their range in Europe with flood control structures, such as the one on the River Stour at Bures Mill, identified as barriers to their movement upstream. The EC Eel Regulation is now in force with the aim to conserve eels stocks through Eel Management Plans. An important aspect of these plans is improving access for eels at barriers to their upstream and downstream migration.
The old channel of the River Stour, which until recently was just a relic ditchline, has been reprofiled to allow a continuous flow of water around the barrier and a control sluice has been installed to control the amount of water bypassing the mill. Stone riffles and deeper pools add to the diversity of the new river bed while selective clearance of overhanging vegetation allows space for essential emergent channel vegetation to flourish. The bypass will allow fish and eels to access 51.7 km of upstream habitat.
Improvements have also been made for canoeists who had a difficult time bypassing the sluice (as demonstrated by Griff Rhys Jones in his recent Rivers programme). The bridge has been raised and the canoe portage improved.
This part of the river is already a habitat well used by Water Voles, a remnant colony that survived extinction while most of the Stour's voles were wiped out by invasive North American mink. Essex Wildlife Trust's Water for Wildlife Officer has been busy surveying and working with landowners across Essex to improve Water Vole habitat including giving advice on bankside management to the local parish councils in Bures. It is hoped that the new channel will also be colonised by Water Voles and provide easier access to the area downstream.
The project was financed by the Environment Agency with DEFRA funding for fish passage improvements and Essex Wildlife Trust through a Biffaward grant, Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council; a really collective effort to fund an important conservation project.
Darren Tansley, Water for Wildlife Officer, Essex Wildlife Trust said:
"This is a really positive project on a beautiful river. So many species will benefit from the work to reconnect the old channel. Eels and fish will finally be able to migrate freely past the Mill, but Water Voles and other species are going to find this really useful too. A massive thank you must go to the Environment Agency and all of those funders who made the project possible.
Ros Wright , Environment Agency said:
"We have worked with Essex Wildlife Trust to make this project happen and have put a great deal of effort and expertise into constructing it. A fish pass is a simple concept but requires careful design to allow different fish species as well as Eels to use it. We are pleased that it will benefit the neighbouring Water Vole colony as well as allowing fish and eels to move freely upstream and downstream.
The work could not have been completed without help from Dr Nick Temple, landowner at The Mill, who is very supportive of efforts to help wildlife along the river.
