News

Update: the interview also appeared on BBC Look North

WTT Conservation Officer Jonny Grey was interviewed by the BBC about the removal of Scotton weir on the River Nidd at Knaresborough. The interview was broadcast on Farming Today this morning (28/7) at 7.07 minutes into the programme. At 75m wide and 4m high, it is thought to be the largest weir removal project so far in the UK. Removing the weir will open up 18km of river to migratory fish such as the salmon, sea trout and European eel. Including the Nidd’s tributaries, this is extended to 35km of rivers that removing the weir will potentially make available for salmon and sea trout spawning. 

The project is funded by the European Open Rivers Programme.

Defra and NRW have today released their assessment of salmon and sea trout stocks in England and Wales.

The NRW Press Release is available as a PDF, and the Defra Press Release is on their website. Both contain links to the reports, background information and action plans.

For salmon in England: In 2020, 20 salmon rivers (48%) were thought to be ‘at risk’ – meaning salmon stocks are no longer at sustainable levels - but in the latest report this has now risen to 31 (74%) with rivers in the South-West, North-West and Wales considered to be the worst affected.

To raise funds for the Rosemary Foundation (Hospice at Home) in Petersfield, WTT supporter & rod craftsman, Chris Ward, has made 8 bespoke travel fly rods to sell at £285 each, with £125 from each rod going the Foundation. The rods are 7 piece, 9’, 5wt on a Batson Enterprises blank, with wood insert reel seat, luxury half wells cork grip with the Foundation’s logo and a spare, matching tip section. 

Fantastic cause. If interested, contact Chris through www.rodcraftsman.com

The EA in England have published their report on water company environmental performance for 2021.

Emma Howard Boyd, the outgoing Chair of the EA, sounded a strong warning to the water industry, making these comments (amongst others) in the Foreward:

‘In 2021, the environmental performance of England’s 9 water and sewerage companies was the worst we have seen for years.’

From 1 October 2022, beavers will have Protected Status in England. They will be listed on Schedule 2 to the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. This will make it an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb, or injure beavers, or damage their breeding sites or resting places. See below for more details .

It is the WTT’s view that protected status, combined with the proposed licensing regime will make beaver management difficult, slow and ineffective, for example in responding to blockage to smolt migration downstream caused by beaver dams. See WTT Director, Shaun Leonard’s email to Defra below.

It is an apparent peculiarity that grayling and Atlantic salmon do not have Protected Status in the UK, although they are listed in the same EU convention (Bern Convention Appendix III) used to protect beavers.

This now seems to be an annual event - a request not to fish in those rivers that are suffering low flows and high water temperatures. 

For cold water species such as trout, water temperatures over 18°C, with the associated low oxygen levels, causes stress. Left alone, the fish can usually survive but with the additional exertion of being caught and handled, it can be fatal. Even if the fish swim away, they can succumb later. For this reason, we strongly advise everyone thinking of angling in bright, hot conditions to consider fish welfare and rethink plans when water temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 18°C. Bear in mind it is the water temperature rather than air temperature that matters. The evenings may feel pleasantly cool after a hot day but water temperatures can still be high. 

We had planned to run a members fishing weekend 16-17 July on the Haddon Estate waters of the Derbyshire Wye.  Due to the high temperatures, this has now been postponed to 10-11 September. Contact Christina in the Office (office@wildtrout.org) to book; cost is £75 per rod, per day and you may book either or both days for yourself and any guests (guests do not need to be WTT members).

Update 24 June 2022

The guidance on Farming Rules for Water issued by Defra in March 2022 has been updated following a challenge by Salmon and Trout Conservation UK, who questioned the legality of the guidance. S&TC say: (the guidance) would have encouraged farmers unlawfully to apply slurries and manures to their land, in excess of the needs of the soil or crops on that land. Such excessive application is prohibited under The Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018, otherwise known as the Farming Rules for Water.

The revised guidance from Defra is here

We will be running a trout fishing weekend on the Haddon Estate waters of Derbyshire Wye on 16 & 17 July for WTT members and their guests. You may book either or both days.

The Haddon Estate in Derbyshire, through its Peacock Fishing Club, has kindly offered access to its fisheries again as a WTT fundraising and social event. This is an opportunity to fish some truly beautiful water for wild brown, wild rainbow trout and grayling across four rivers, including areas usually only available to club members.The Estate ceased stocking its waters on the Wye, Lathkill and Bradford in 2004, and since then has operated a thriving, catch & release wild fishery. The Lathkill, Wye and Bradford are strictly bankside fishing and dryfly only, but on the River Derwent, nymph fishing and wading are permitted.Local advice will be available to help you. To find out about the Peacock FFC, how the Estate’s fisheries are managed and what they offer, you are invited to meet the riverkeepers for a chat and buffet lunch (at no extra cost) should you wish. Contact Christina in the Office (office@wildtrout.org) to book; cost is £75 per rod, per day and you may book either or both days for yourself and any guests (guests do not need to be WTT members).You are welcome to join WTT’s Gareth Pedley and other attendees for a curry on the Saturday evening in Bakewell (if enough interest and at your own cost). A non-returnable £5 deposit to reserve a seat at the restaurant will be required at the time of booking the fishing. We hope to coincide with Stuart Crofts’s night-time bug sampling on the River Wye after the meal, which is a free optional activity.

One of the Wild Trout Trust’s founders, Charles Rangeley-Wilson, has been an awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to chalk stream conservation.

Congratulations Charles!

This recognition is very well deserved. Charles currently chairs the Chalk River Restoration Group, and led the development of a strategy for our chalk streams. He is both a tireless campaigner and a practical ‘doer’ – for example restoring his local chalk stream, the River Nar in Norfolk.

The Wye and Usk Foundation is working with 14 farmers in Herefordshire to help resolve the major issues in the Wye catchment. They have applied for funding to Defra under the new structure of funding that is replacing the EU Common Agricultural Policy - ELMS, in this case the top tier of funding: the Landscape Recovery Scheme.

It is good to see that rivers are a focus area for this funding and this is an excellent example of farmers and river conservationists working together.

Martin Williams, who farms on the banks of the Wye, said: “The bid is a golden opportunity for farmers in the catchment. If agriculture is 70% of the problem this project is a huge step towards us being 70% of the solution.”Our member's journal, Salmo Trutta, includes an article about phosphorous in the Wye catchment by the team at Lancaster University.