News

The WTT is a long term partner of the Moray Firth Trout Initiative on the east coast of Scotland, and our relationship with this project in its various forms goes back many years. We have worked together by supporting funding, providing practical advice, and, most recently, adding Mayfly in the Classroom to the project’s education initiative.

Click here for their latest newsletter.More information is available on their website: http://www.morayfirthtrout.org/

 

With the trout spawning season starting soon, here is a timely reminder of how to manage river gravels to boost the survival rate of eggs and increase the number of alevins and fry. 

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Gravel management from Wild Trout Trust on Vimeo.

The Glaven is a chalkstream in Norfolk which has previously been the focus of a number of collaborative projects between the River Glaven Conservation group (RGCG) and WTT, including fish passage and habitat restoration (details here).

The RGCG Autumn 2013 newsletter is now live and can be viewed here.

Past newsletters can also be downloaded via the RGCG website here.

The Environment Agency, the Nature Locator team at the University of Bristol and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have joined forces to help combat the spread of the UK’s most problematic invasive, non-native plant species using a Smart Phone app. The majority of the species on the app live in or near water, so this especially relevant for the WTT and our supporters. 

The PlantTracker app, available free from the iTunes App Store and Android Market, shows you how to identify each species and enables you to easily submit geo-located photos whenever you find one.  The app now features 14 invasive plant species and also includes a "Confusion Species" gallery for each one, to help you separate some of the similar looking plants you might encounter.

Click here to find out more and download the app.

The Kyle of Sutherland is looking for a new Director.

The job description and application instructions can be viewed here. 

Defra has announced seven ‘River Maintenance Pilots’ where farmers and landowners will be able to dredge rivers without permission (‘red tape’) from the Environment Agency.

Environment Agency Chief Executive Paul Leinster said:“We want to make it as easy as possible for farmers to undertake appropriate maintenance work on rural watercourses, whilst still ensuring that wildlife and the environment are properly protected.

The WTT (along with the Angling Trust and Salmon and Trout Association) are concerned that, in many cases, dredging rivers not only damages habitat, it also does not reduce flood risk. Many WTT projects involve creating good habitat and a sustainable, self cleansing channel in rivers that have been damaged by dredging in an (often misguided) attempt to reduce flooding. 

The Medlock in Manchester and London's Quaggy are two rivers undergoing extensive restoration as part of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The directive aims which aims to restore rivers to good ecological condition by 2027. To view the full story featured in the Guardian newspaper, click here. 

Paul Gaskell has produced the video sequence below demonstrating the destabilising impacts dredging can have on a river channel. 

This is one of a number of videos on our YouTube channel.Click here to be redirected.More WTT videos are also available on the Video Hub on this website. Click here for the Video Hub.

Nature abhors a vacuum and removing accumulated material from a river channel creates a vacuum that can have far-reaching and unintended consequences.

It’s not always easy to tell the difference between a sea trout and salmon, particularly if you are not lucky enough to see good numbers of each species at close range on a regular basis.The video below was taken by the Environment Agency using  their fish camera/counter  on the Hampshire Avon, and Paul Gaskell has enhanced it to illustrate the key differences between this big sea trout and a salmon.

Fish-Cam Telling Sea Trout Apart From Salmon from Paul Gaskell on Vimeo.

 

The latest edition to our library and website is now live. The weirs, barriers and culverts page contains both our newest information papers and links to other useful information relevant to weirs, trout, habitat and migratory access.

The library index has been updated to reflect this.

You can view the page by clicking here. 

From the 1st of October the annual ERT auction will be live and accepting bids. 

Funds raised will support the vital work of the ERT and the full catalogue and instructions for bidding can be seen by clicking here. 

The annual 3 fly challenge which raises funds for the WTT has been confirmed for 2014 and will rin from 9AM to 4PM at the usual Meon Springs venue.

Further information on the event can be seen here. 

Herpesvirus anguillae (HVA) is a virus that infects eels. It was first detected in the summer of 2009 and was the first confirmed outbreak of HVA in wild eels in the UK. Disease outbreaks have all been reported during summer and early autumn. Diseased eels: 

• May appear lethargic and swim near the surface or the water's edge.
• They may have reddened fins and a mottled appearance to the skin.The main damage caused by this virus is to the gills, with necrosis (cell death) and loss of normal gill structure.
• The internal organs can also be affected with inflammation and further necrosis. 

These changes cause organ failure, leading to debilitation and death. Little is known about the distribution of HVA in Britain.  If you experience fish mortalities, or require more information about fish diseases please contact: National Fisheries Services, Environment Agency, Bromholme Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon, PE28 4NE. Tel: 01480 483802; Email:fish.health@environment-agency.gov.uk

For more information on the disease, you can access the Environment Agency briefing note by clicking the link below:

EA HVA briefing note