Riverfly monitors do such crucial work - thank you for protecting our trout and salmon at this sensitive time of year! 🐟👏

Working with the Environment Agency and JBA Consulting, Tim has reduced the weir to a concrete slab where new monitoring equipment has been affixed. With the obstacle gone, fish can move freely, sediment can be dispersed, and water can reshape the riverbed into a mosaic of riffles and gravel bars 🐟

Previously used by the Environment Agency for flood warnings and abstraction regulation, the weir had been made obsolete by technological advances. Crucial data could still be collected at the site, without impounding the river. For our Conservation Officer Tim Jacklin, this was very exciting news.

Dykes Weir, near Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire, was 7 metres long and 0.5 metres high. It created a still, deep pool where sediment accumulated, smothering the riverbed and decreasing the channel’s habitat diversity. Below the weir, a steep drop made it difficult for fish to swim upstream.

Through his surveys, Ed found that these tributaries provide crucial nursery habitat for brown trout and Atlantic salmon. He'll be advising the club on enhancing this habitat, to support their wider conservation work in the Afan catchment.

We headed west last month, for a visit to Afan Valley Angling & Conservation Club 🐟 Our Conservation Officer Ed Noyes was excited to survey the Corrwg and Gwynfi - two tributaries of a mighty Welsh waterway, the River Afan.

This incredible work allowed Friends of Tawd Valley to achieve Trout in the Town’s Bronze Level in 2021, Silver Level in 2022, and finally Gold Level this summer. Thanks in large part to their efforts, the Tawd now has a self-sustaining population of wild brown trout; an amazing achievement 🧵5/6

The group have also set an inspiring example for others, by running events and volunteering days for the local community. All ages have been included, with primary school children having the chance to learn about rivers by raising mayfly nymphs and young brown trout in their classrooms 🧵4/6

Since then, the group have done a huge amount of good for the Tawd. They’ve created wetlands, repaired riverbanks, monitored riverflies, cleared litter, and tackled non-native invasive species. They’ve mapped the river’s tributaries and helped to remove a weir that was blocking fish passage 🧵3/6

After joining the group’s committee, Mike had a mission in mind. When documenting the fish deaths, he had encountered something unexpected: a brown trout. This led to advice from our Conservation Officer Paul Gaskell, and then participation in our urban river project – Trout in the Town 🧵2/6

In early 2021, Mike Flaherty heard some awful news. Three pollution incidents had hit Lancashire’s River Tawd in one week, causing numerous fish deaths. Being passionate about wildlife and his local area, Mike decided to join a nature-focused community group called Friends of Tawd Valley 🧵1/6

After reprofiling the riverbanks to a slope, we added woody structures to diversify the channel and provide habitat for fish, insects, and other wildlife. The improved flow has helped to clear excess sediment from the riverbed, and native plants like water crowfoot have recolonised the channel.

Near the river's source, at the Hinton Ampner estate, part of the Itchen was suffering from the effects of historic modification. Dredging and widening had left the river with unnaturally steep banks and a lack of wildlife habitat.

Hampshire's River Itchen is a chalk stream – a biodiverse and globally rare ecosystem. When in good health, it can support an incredible variety of species, from brown trout and mayflies to kingfishers and water voles.