News

With so many excellent projects entering the Conservation Awards this year, we are featuring the finalists as well as the winners. 

“Adopt a Tributary” and water quality awareness work across the River Towy has been a project headed by Carmarthenshire Fishermen’s Federation (CFF), representing anglers, angling clubs and riparian owners across rivers in West Wales. The project set out to initiate a Towy-wide “Adopt a Tributary” project and raise awareness of the state of the counties’ waterways. The success of the project has outgrown the voluntary capacity of CFF, with management passing to the West Wales Rivers Trust (WWRT) from summer 2019, formally funded by Welsh Water (WW) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and supported by Afonydd Cymru (AC) and private donations.

CFF remains a lobbying group but, since 2018, has also looked to practical work, including the removal of in-river blockages, fly-tipped waste (including plastic, metal and all sorts of other debris) and invasive plants, especially Himalayan balsam. The scale of the waste that CFF volunteers have encountered is staggering, especially since much of the catchment is rural.

Our photographer, John Sutton, took some excellent photos of the Conservation Awards evening held at the Savile Club in London last week. It was uplifting and inspiring to see so much good work taking place. 

Click this link to the photo album:  https://zenfolio.page.link/vhndA  Password WTT2019HR.Conservation Award Winners details here and the winner of the Bernard Venables Award here.

We present the Bernard Venables Award to recognise those who, voluntarily, have given epic service to wild trout conservation and to WTT and whose vital work, perhaps unusual, sometimes outstanding, often goes unrecognised.

The 2019 winner is Paul Jennings of the River Chess Association.

While Paul’s focus has been on his home river, the Chess in Buckinghamshire, his work and influence (all voluntary) stretches along the rivers of the Chilterns and north London and further to the chalkstreams of Yorkshire. He fights and lobbies for those rivers at many levels: local and national government, regulators, water companies and won changes for the better. On the Chess, he teaches children with learning need how to fish and he leads groups bug hunting in the river; he’s hugely popular with the kids and their teachers.

Around 100 people gathered in the ballroom of the Savile Club on 16 October 2019 in London to celebrate the tremendous contributions of individuals and groups to improving river habitat. It is always an uplifting experience to see the dedication, determination and expertise that is demonstrated in the projects competing for the annual Wild Trout Trust Conservation Awards.

The awards are judged by the Wild Trout Trust team, under the watchful eye of Martin Jaynes of the River Restoration Centre, and presented by Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England.

WTT’s Director, Shaun Leonard said:

The Darent Valley Trout Fishers, the Environment Agency and the Wild Trout Trust have teamed up to improve two sections of the River Darent near Eynsford.

The most striking element of the enhancement has been to restore a long section of river that previously had sluggish flow, full of soft sediment and choked with emergent burr reeds, as a direct result of excessive dredging work carried out many years ago. A key part of this scheme was also to improve flood plain connectivity, as well as providing habitat capable of supporting flow-loving fish species like trout.

All of us here at the Wild Trout Trust were incredibly saddened to hear about the untimely passing of Tony Donnelly. Those who have visited the River Annan in recent years may remember Tony as the Rivers Trust and Fishery Board Director, where he worked until very recently, before heading north to take up the Director’s role at Cromarty Firth Fishery Board and Trust.

Tony has been a good friend to WTT over the years, and a mate to our staff, supporting our conservation work through project collaborations and guiding lots on the Annan for our auction, which proved ever-popular with bidders. His passion for trout and grayling conservation, in addition to salmon, demonstrated his broad knowledge and understanding of fishery management. Tony was an accomplished fly-tyer and trout, grayling and salmon angler himself and his presence will be sadly missed on the banks of rivers, burns, lakes and lochs around Britain. Our sincerest condolences go to his family.

This a short press release that we put in to the local media in Cambridgeshire, and we were very pleased to see it picked up by them:  

More than 20 volunteers from Barrington and Shepreth added the final touches to a river habitat improvement project delivered at the end of July near to Barrington on the River Shep with over 1000 plants.

The project is led by the Wild Trout Trust, and recent work included 200 tonnes of gravel carefully placed into the river to create new spawning areas for brown trout, minnows and dace. Riverbanks have also been re-graded to create new habitat for water voles, and trees managed bring more light to previously shaded parts of the river.

The BBC today tells of grim forecasts for our rivers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49131405

Link to the background information for this report. 

The piece paints a sad tale of the current quality of our rivers and hints at reduced ambition among the powers-that-be to meet previously-set targets for the future to make things better.

Following a review of evidence and a consultation earlier this year, the EA in England have decided to retain the existing dates for the coarse fishing close season, i.e. a close season on rivers and some canals and stillwaters from 15 March to 15 June. Their decision is explained here.

WTT are pleased with this outcome as we felt that, whilst not perfect, this close season period is practical and protects most species, most of the time. We believe that spawning coarse fish (especially in the light of predicted climate change and likely earlier shifting spawning times) need some protection as do salmonids (juveniles and adults) that are feeding hard as the river wakes up and are vulnerable to capture and mortality from bait fishing. We also argued that for the many mixed fisheries, the fly anglers should have some period on their own on the bank, early in the fly fishing season. You can view our response to the consultation here.