Indicang – Interreg III uk partner – Westcountry Rivers Trust

Indicang – Interreg III

• UK PARTNER – Westcountry Rivers Trust

• UK Project Manager – Dr Polly Bown

INDICANG

• Knowledge of the catchments (Environment)

• Eel Population (Resource)

• Fishing Pressure (Exploitation)

• Project Contacts and Project Promotion

• Summary of Progress in 2004

• Summary of Future Work

Knowledge of the catchments (Environment)

• Previous Knowledge

• Tamar - 975km2 catchment

• and 139km of river

• Camel - 413km2 catchment

• and 108km of river. The main

• tributary is the Allen

• Fowey - 178km2 catchment

• and 35km of river.

• Slapton Ley and the River Gara

• The largest freshwater lake in South

• West England. It is recognised as

• a National Nature Reserve (NNR)

• wetland (73ha)

Knowledge of the catchments (Environment)

• Rate of River Flow in m/s

• Past data available

• from the Environment

• Agency on all river

• catchments

• Many sites

• Data taken monthly

• Long data sets

• Environment Agency Gauging Station

• on the river Fowey

• Future work – collect and use relevant data from these large data sets.

Knowledge of the catchments (Environment)

• Water Quality

• Water quality data from the Environment Agency for sites on the Tamar and Camel (2000 – 2004)

• Water Quality parameters include:

• Pesticides – Aldrin, Atrazine, Benzo-[A]-Pyrene, DDE, DDT, Dieldrin, Endosulphan, Endrin, PCBs
• Nutrients – Nitrate, Nitrite, Orthophosphate, Phosphate, Phosphorus, Potassium
• Other – BOD, Conductivity, pH, Temperature, Wind Direction

• Future work – Collect data for the river Fowey and Slapton Ley, identify and use relevant data from these large data sets.

Knowledge of the catchments (Environment)

• Wetland Loss

• Currently obtaining permission to use wetland habitat maps created by English Nature

• UK wetland and potential eel habitat

• Future work – Potential to identify wetland loss from the use of past and present aerial photographs.

Eel Population (Resource)

• Presence/Absence

• Tamar

• Presence/absence

• of yellow eels* within

• the catchment with

• location of weirs and

• waterfalls

• *Data obtained from the

• Environment Agency (2005)

• Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf

• of HMSO. © Crown Copyright and database right 2005.

• All rights reserved, Environment Agency.

• Ordnance Survey Licence Number 100026380.

Eel Population (Resource)

• Presence/Absence

• Fowey

• Presence/absence of yellow

• eels* within the catchment

• Future work – Collect and

• digitise data for the Camel

• and Slapton Ley

• *Data obtained from the Environment

• Agency (2005)

• Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO.

• © Crown Copyright and database right 2005. All rights reserved,

• Environment Agency. Ordnance Survey Licence Number 100026380.

Eel Population (Resource)

• Length Data

• Tamar

• Length data

• obtained from

• yellow eels*

• within the

• catchment

• 2002 – 2004

• *Data obtained from the Environment Agency (2005) and Knights (Westminster University)

Eel Population (Resource)

• Length Data

• Fowey

• Length data

• obtained from

• yellow eels*

• within the

• catchment

• 1977 – 1987

• Future work – Locate more data, collect and analyse data for the Camel and Slapton Ley

• *Data obtained from the Environment Agency (2005) and Knights (Westminster University)

Eel Population (Resource)

• Density Data

• Fowey

• Density data

• obtained

• for yellow eels*

• within

• the catchment

• 1977 – 1987

• *Data obtained from the Environment Agency (2005) and Knights (Westminster University)

Eel Population (Resource)

• Density Data*

• Tamar

• Three densities estimate for three sites (1978)

• Future work – Locate more data, collect and analyse data for the Camel and Slapton Ley

• *Data obtained from the Environment Agency (2005)

Eel Population (Resource)

• Migration

• No data for elver and silver eels

• Collaboration with King’s College, London and the Field Studies Council to examine elver and silver eels at Slapton Ley

• Elver trap at Slapton Ley

Eel Population (Resource)

• Age Data

• Locating age data

• Collaboration with King’s College, London and the Environment Agency to gather age data for eels at Slapton Ley, Fowey and Tamar

• Eel Health

• Establishing links with the University of Exeter who have past data on eel parasites

Fishing Pressure (Exploitation)

• Professional Fishermen

• Sport Fishermen

• Location of Fishing Areas

• A number of local fishing groups and national fishing groups are currently being approached to determine numbers of fishermen and location of fishing areas.

• Fishing Statistics

• Characteristics of catches (past and present)

• Currently attempting to retrieve and compile this data

Project Contacts and Project Promotion

• Current Contacts

• Environment Agency

• CEFAS

• Kings College, London

• Westminster University

• Field Studies Centre (Slapton Ley)

• Local fishing groups

• South West Rivers Association

• Association of Rivers Trust

• Project Promotion

• Press Release – WRT newsletter, local and national press

• Seminar Presentation

• Distribution of newsletters

Summary of progress in 2004

Summary of future work 2005/6