DOCSLIB.ORG

Severn Estuary Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Severn Estuary Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority FOOD CERTIFICATION INTERNATIONAL LTD Findhorn House, Dochfour Business Centre, Dochgarroch, Inverness, IV3 8GY, Scotland, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1463 223 039 Fax: +44 (0) 1463 246 380 www.foodcertint.com Severn Estuary Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority Final Report May 2011 Prepared For: Defra Prepared By: Food Certification International Ltd FOOD CERTIFICATION INTERNATIONAL LTD Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aim of this report .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Context and boundary areas ................................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 IFCA responsibilities and objectives................................................................................. 2 1.2.2 Local Authority boundaries .............................................................................................. 3 1.3 Report structure ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Consultation ............................................................................................................................ 4 2 Commercial fisheries ....................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Overview of landings and ports ............................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 ICES Statistical Rectangles ............................................................................................... 5 2.1.2 Value and volume of commercial landings ...................................................................... 6 2.1.3 Activity from ports within Severn Estuary area ............................................................. 10 2.1.4 Economic costs and earnings ......................................................................................... 11 2.2 Fisheries management regimes............................................................................................. 11 2.2.1 Byelaws .......................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Strategy for the Severn Estuary ..................................................................................... 14 2.3 Key commercial species ......................................................................................................... 15 2.3.1 Fish assemblages ........................................................................................................... 15 2.3.2 Stock status .................................................................................................................... 16 2.3.3 Key lifecycle stages ........................................................................................................ 19 3 Recreational fisheries .................................................................................................................... 22 3.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 22 3.1.1 Fishing sites & catch characteristics .............................................................................. 22 3.1.2 Estimate of numbers ...................................................................................................... 23 3.1.3 Trends in recreational angling ....................................................................................... 24 3.1.4 Estimate of recreational sea angling catches ................................................................ 24 3.2 Businesses.............................................................................................................................. 25 3.2.1 Fishing tackle shops ....................................................................................................... 25 3.2.2 Sea angling clubs ............................................................................................................ 25 3.2.3 Commercial charter angling vessels .............................................................................. 26 3.2.4 Other downstream businesses ...................................................................................... 27 3.3 Value of recreational fishing.................................................................................................. 27 4 Natural environment .................................................................................................................... 28 Severn Estuary IFCA: Final Report i FOOD CERTIFICATION INTERNATIONAL LTD 4.1 Nature conservation .............................................................................................................. 28 4.1.1 Designations................................................................................................................... 28 4.1.2 Value of nature conservation ........................................................................................ 28 4.1.3 Legislation, protection and existing controls ................................................................. 33 4.1.4 Strategy for the Severn Estuary ..................................................................................... 34 4.1.5 Local Authority Biodiversity Action Plans ...................................................................... 34 4.2 Wider ecosystem ................................................................................................................... 35 4.2.1 Benthic habitats ............................................................................................................. 35 4.2.2 Marine ecology .............................................................................................................. 37 5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 38 5.1 Gap analysis ........................................................................................................................... 38 5.1.1 Stock status .................................................................................................................... 38 5.1.2 Fishing effort .................................................................................................................. 39 5.1.3 Environmental interactions ........................................................................................... 39 5.1.4 Supporting management information ........................................................................... 39 5.2 Summary of findings .............................................................................................................. 40 Appendix 1 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 41 Appendix 2 Maps and figures ............................................................................................................... 46 Appendix 3 Gap analysis matrix ............................................................................................................ 60 Severn Estuary IFCA: Final Report ii FOOD CERTIFICATION INTERNATIONAL LTD List of Figures Figure 1: IFCA proposed boundaries (Source: Defra, 2010) Figure 2: Severn Estuary area of the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority District Figure 3: ICES Statistical Rectangles that overlap the Severn Estuary area of the Devon and Severn IFCA Figure 4: Live weight and value of landings from 31E6, 31E7 and 32E7 by UK vessels into UK ports from 2006- 2010 (Source: MMO, 2011) Figure 5: Live weight of landings from 31E6, 31E7 and 32E7 by UK vessels into UK ports from 2006-2010 (Source: MMO, 2011) Figure 6: Live weight and value of landings from 31E6, 31E7 and 32E7 by UK vessels into UK ports by species from 2006-2010 (Source: MMO, 2011) Figure 7: Location of landing ports for catches from Severn Estuary area across 2006-2010 indicating proportions by live weight (Source: MMO, 2011) Figure 8: Competent Authorities for Fisheries Regulation in England (Source: Symes & Boyes, 2005) Figure 9: Thornback ray in the Irish Sea (VIIa) and Bristol Channel (VIIf). Mean catch rates of from the UK 4 m beam trawl survey (1993 2007). Smoothed line is the three-year moving average (Source: ICES, 2008) Figure 10 Smalleyed ray in the Irish Sea (VIIa) and Bristol Channel (VIIf). Mean catch rates in the UK 4 m beam trawl survey (1993 2007). Smoothed line is the three-year moving average. Data use trawl stations from the Bristol Channel only (Source: ICES, 2008) Figure 11 Spotted ray in the Irish Sea (VIIa) and Bristol Channel (VIIf). Mean catch rates from the UK 4 m beam trawl survey (1993 2007). Smoothed line is the three-year moving average (Source: ICES, 2008) Figure 12: Conservation and Nature Designations (Source: JNCC, 2011) Figure 13: Severn Estuary SPA bird species (Sources: RSPB, 2011; Natural England and CCW 2009; Burton et al 2010) Figure 14: UK SeaMap seabed habitats (Source: UKSeaMap, 2010) Figure 15: Proportion of landings weight and value by vessel length of vessels under 10m, 10-12m, 20-30m and 30-40m Figure 16: Proportion of live weight and value of landings by gear type in 2010 Figure 17: Seasonality of
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Severn Estuary / Môr Hafren Special Area of Conservation Indicative Site Level Feature Condition Assessments 2018
    Severn Estuary / Môr Hafren Special Area of Conservation Indicative site level feature condition assessments 2018 NRW Evidence Report No: 235 About Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales’ purpose is to pursue sustainable management of natural resources. This means looking after air, land, water, wildlife, plants and soil to improve Wales’ well-being, and provide a better future for everyone. Evidence at Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales is an evidence based organisation. We seek to ensure that our strategy, decisions, operations and advice to Welsh Government and others are underpinned by sound and quality-assured evidence. We recognise that it is critically important to have a good understanding of our changing environment. We will realise this vision by: Maintaining and developing the technical specialist skills of our staff; Securing our data and information; Having a well resourced proactive programme of evidence work; Continuing to review and add to our evidence to ensure it is fit for the challenges facing us; and Communicating our evidence in an open and transparent way. This Evidence Report series serves as a record of work carried out or commissioned by Natural Resources Wales. It also helps us to share and promote use of our evidence by others and develop future collaborations. However, the views and recommendations presented in this report are not necessarily those of NRW and should, therefore, not be attributed to NRW. Page 2 of 41 www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Report series: NRW Evidence Report Report number: 235 Publication date: January 2018 Title: Severn Estuary / Môr Hafren Special Area of Conservation: Indicative site level feature condition assessments 2018 Author(s): NRW Restrictions: None Distribution List (core) NRW Library, Bangor 2 National Library of Wales 1 British Library 1 Welsh Government Library 1 Scottish Natural Heritage Library 1 Natural England Library (Electronic Only) 1 Recommended citation for this volume: NRW, 2018.
    [Show full text]
  • Ga. COASTAL FLOODING in the BRISTOL CHANNEL and SEVERN
    INTERNAL DOCUMENT (Ga. COASTAL FLOODING IN THE BRISTOL CHANNEL AND SEVERN ESTUARY ON 13TH DECEMBER 1981 by R.A. Flather, L. Draper and R. Proctor lOS Internal Document No. 162 May 1982 [This document should not be cited in a published bibliography, and is supplied for the use of the recipient only]. INSTITUTE OF % OCEANOGRAPHIC SCIENCES % INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHIC SCIENCES Wormley, Godalming, Surrey GU8 BUB (042-879-4141) (Director: Dr. A. S. Laughton, FRS) Bidston Observatory, Crossway, Birkenhead, Taunton, Merseyside L43 7RA Somerset TA1 2DW (051-653-8633) (0823-86211) (Assistant Director: Dr. D. E. Cartwright) (Assistant Director: IVI. J. Tucker) COASTAL FLOODING IN THE BRISTOL CHANNEL AND SEVERN ESTUARY ON 13TH DECEMBER 1981 by R.A. Flather, L. Draper and R. Proctor lOS Internal Document No. 162 May 1982 Prepared at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food by the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. {Rie meteorological situation 3. Tides and surges 3.1 Observed sea levels and predicted tides 3.2 The storm surge 3.3 The surge forecasts 4. Surface waves 4.1 Incoming wave energy 4.2 Locally-generated waves 4.3 Total wave energy 5. Conclusions / 1. INTRODUCTION A storm crossing south-west Britain on the evening of 13th December I981, coinciding with high water of a spring tide, caused coastal flooding in the Bristol Channel. The area affected stretched along the south side of the Channel east of Bideford extending up the River Severn almost as far as Gloucester. The worst flooding occurred on the west-facing coast between the mouth of the River Parrett and just north of Weston-Super-Mare.
    [Show full text]
  • Front Page Graphics.Cdr
    Ecological effects of the Lundy No-take Zone: The first five years (2003-2007) MG Hoskin, RA Coleman & L von Carlshausen March 2009 Final Report to Natural England, DEFRA & WWF-UK This report should be cited as: Hoskin, M.G., R.A Coleman, & L. von Carlshausen (2009). Ecological effects of the Lundy No-Take Zone: the first five years (2003-2007). Report to Natural England, DEFRA and WWF-UK. © Hoskin, M.G 1., R.A Coleman 2, & L. von Carlshausen 1 2009 1 Dr Miles Hoskin BSc (Hons), PhD, MIEEM Liz von Carlshausen BSc (Hons) Coastal & Marine Environmental Research (CMER) 2 Raleigh Place Falmouth Cornwall England Tel: +44 (0)1326 219 498 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] 2 Professor Ross Coleman Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities (EICC) Marine Ecology Laboratories (A11) University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia Tel: +61(0)2 9351 2039 Fax: +61(0)2 9351 6713 E-mail: [email protected] Web page: http://www.eicc.bio.usyd.edu.au Ecological effects of the Lundy NTZ: 2003 to 2007 Hoskin et al., 2009 Acknowledgements This work was made possible by funds from Natural England and match-funding from the ‘Financial Instruments for Fisheries Guidance’ (FIFG) grant scheme administered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Additional funding or contributions in-kind were provided by the World Wildlife Fund (UK), the Esmée Fairburn Foundation, the Marine Biological Association of the UK, the University of Plymouth, the University of Sydney and Coastal & Marine Environmental Research (CMER).
    [Show full text]
  • History 1890 – 1966
    A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER HARBOUR TRUSTEES By W. A. Stone Clerk to the Trustees 1958 -1966 PART 1 1890 - 1966 CONTENTS Chapter Page 1 Origin, Constitution and Membership, with details of Navigational Aids erected prior to the incorporation of the Gloucester Harbour Trustees on 5 July 1890 3 2 Navigational Aids 20 3 Finances 39 4 Spanning the Severn Estuary 51 5 New Works and other installation in the Severn Estuary 56 6 Stranding of Vessels and other Incidents 61 7 Northwick Moorings 71 8 Officers and Staff 74 1 FOREWORD In compiling this History I have endeavoured to give the reasons for the appointment of a body of Trustees to control a defined area of the Severn Estuary, and to tell of the great amount of work undertaken by the Trustees and the small staff in administering the requirements of the 1890 Act. It is probable that I have given emphasis to the erection and upkeep of the Navigational Aids, but it must be realised that this was the main requirement of the Act, to ensure that the Trustees, as a Harbour authority, disposed of their income in a manner which was calculated to benefit the navigation of the Severn Estuary. A great deal of research has been necessary and the advice and assistance given to me by the present Officers, and by others who held similar posts in the past, is greatly appreciated. Without their help the task would have been much more formidable. W A Stone Clerk to the Trustees December 1966 2 Chapter One ORIGIN, CONSTITUTION AND MEMBERSHIP WITH DETAILS OF NAVIGATIONAL AIDS ERECTED PRIOR TO THE INCORPORATION OF THE GLOUCESTER HARBOUR TRUSTEES ON 5 JULY 1890 To obtain the reasons for the constitution of a body of Trustees to control a defined area of the River Severn, it is necessary to go back to the year 1861.
    [Show full text]
  • Theses Digitisation: This Is a Digitised
    https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ Theses Digitisation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/digitisation/ This is a digitised version of the original print thesis. Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] THE AGONISTIC BEHAVIOUR OF THE VELVET SWIMMING CRAB, LIOCARCINUS PUBER (L.) (BRACHYURA, PORTUNIDAE) Ian Philip Smith BSc (Wales) Department of Zoology, The University, Glasgow, G12 8QQ and University Marine Biological Station, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, KA28 OEG A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Science at the University of Glasgow, November 1990. ProQuest Number: 11007588 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11007588 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author.
    [Show full text]
  • THE FOREST of DEAN GLOUCESTERSHIRE Archaeological Survey Stage 1: Desk-Based Data Collection Project Number 2727
    THE FOREST OF DEAN GLOUCESTERSHIRE Archaeological Survey Stage 1: Desk-based data collection Project Number 2727 Volume 2 Appendices Jon Hoyle Gloucestershire County Council Environment Department Archaeology Service November 2008 © Archaeology Service, Gloucestershire County Council, November 2008 1 Contents Appendix A Amalgamated solid geology types 11 Appendix B Forest Enterprise historic environment management categories 13 B.i Management Categories 13 B.ii Types of monument to be assigned to each category 16 B.iii Areas where more than one management category can apply 17 Appendix C Sources systematically consulted 19 C.i Journals and periodicals and gazetteers 19 C.ii Books, documents and articles 20 C.iii Map sources 22 C.iv Sources not consulted, or not systematically searched 25 Appendix D Specifications for data collection from selected source works 29 D.i 19th Century Parish maps: 29 D.ii SMR checking by Parish 29 D.iii New data gathering by Parish 29 D.iv Types of data to be taken from Parish maps 29 D.v 1608 map of the western part of the Forest of Dean: Source Works 1 & 2919 35 D.vi Other early maps sources 35 D.vii The Victoria History of the County of Gloucester: Source Works 3710 and 894 36 D.viii Listed buildings information: 40 D.ix NMR Long Listings: Source ;Work 4249 41 D.x Coleford – The History of a West Gloucestershire Town, Hart C, 1983, Source Work 824 41 D.xi Riverine Dean, Putley J, 1999: Source Work 5944 42 D.xii Other text-based sources 42 Appendix E Specifications for checking or adding certain types of
    [Show full text]
  • Upper Wye Catchment Management Plan Consultation Report
    N SLA- Ij/S 5 2 UPPER WYE CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN CONSULTATION REPORT N.R.A - Welsh Region REGIONAL TECHNICAL (PLANNING) Reference No : RTP017 LIBRARY COPY - DO NOT REMOVE RECYCLED PAPER A)£A V\I^GS 52- n a t io n a l RIVERS AUTHORITY . .WELSH REGION ____ - - - UPPER WYE CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN CONSULTATION REPORT National Rivers Authority - Welsh Region South East Area Rivers House St Mellons Business Park St Mellons Cardiff CF3 OLT June 1993 UPPER WYE CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN CONSULTATION REPORT CONTENTS PAGE No. FOREWORD iv MISSION STATEMENT OF THE NRA v THE NATIONAL RIVERS AUTHORITY vi 1.0 CONCEPT OF THE CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN 1 2.0 THE UPPER WYE CATCHMENT 4 2.1 Catchment Description 5 2.2 Data collection Within the Catchment 7 2.3 Key Details 8 3.0 CATCHMENT USES 9 3.1 Introduction 10 DEVELOPMENT AND LAND USE 3.2 Development 11 3.3 Flood Defence - 14 3.4 Forestry 17 3.5 Farming 19 CONSERVATION AND FISHERIES 3.6 Conservation - Ecology 20 3.7 Conservation - Landscape and Archaeology 24 3.8 Fisheries Ecosystem 26 3.9 Angling and Commercial Fishing 29 ABSTRACTIONS 3.10 Abstraction for Potable Water Supply - Groundwater 31 3.11 Abstraction for Potable Water Supply - Surface Water 34 3.12 Agricultural Abstraction 37 3.13 Livestock Watering 40 3.14 Industrial and Commercial Abstraction 41 3.15 Water Power 43 DISCHARGES AND POLLUTION CONTROL 3.16 Sewage and Trade Discharges 45 3.17 Waste Disposal to Land 47 AMENITY, NAVIGATION AND WATER SPORTS 3.18 Amenity 48 3.19 Navigation and Boating 50 3.20 Immersion Sports 52 4.0 CATCHMENT TARGETS 53 4T Introduction.
    [Show full text]
  • River Wye SSSI Restoration Technical Report Finaldraftforconsultation
    River Wye SSSI Restoration Technical Report –Draft for Comment Issued for comment January 2015 River Wye SSSI Restoration Technical Report_FinalDraftForConsultation Executive summary Jacobs was commissioned by the Environment Agency to produce separate Technical Reports for the restoration of the Lower Wye and River Lugg. In addition, Management Reports to complement each Technical Report were also produced by Jacobs. This is a Technical Report on the geomorphological assessment of the Lower Wye. The Lower River Wye and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The river is designated due to the presence of grayling, freshwater pearl mussel, white-clawed crayfish, shad, otter, salmon, bullhead, lamprey, various invertebrate assemblages and water-crowfoot communities. The Upper and Middle Wye are also designated, however those reaches lie within Wales and were not investigated for this Technical Report. Reports for the Upper and Middle Wye will be produced separately by Natural Resources Wales (NRW). A combination of all reports will provide a catchment wide restoration strategy for all the SACs and SSSIs in the River Wye catchment. The Lower Wye mainly flows through England; however there is a section around Monmouth that is entirely within Wales. Here the right bank of the river is generally regulated by NRW, whilst the left bank is regulated by Natural England and the Environment Agency. Natural England has subdivided the Lower Wye SSSI into seven management units, six of which are assessed to be in ‘unfavourable condition’. This report is required to assess the current geomorphological condition and pressures on the Lower Wye to inform a Management Report that will provide suggestions to help achieve favourable condition in each of the management units.
    [Show full text]
  • Display PDF in Separate
    DRAFT ISSUES REPORT A joint project by the Environment Agency and the Severn Estuary Strategy November 1996 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 103433 ASIANTAETH YR AMGTLCHEDD CYMRU E n v ir o n m e n t A g e n c y w a l e s GWASANAETH LLYFRGELL A GWYBODAETH CENEDLAETHOL NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE PR1F SWYDDFA/MAIN OFFICE Ty Cambria/Cambria House 29 Heol Casnew ydd/29 Newport Road Caerdydd/Cardiff CF24 OTP ENVIRONMENT a g e n c y WELSH REGION CATALOGUE ACCESSION CODE_AO_L: CLASS N O . ______________ M151 Lydney Newport^ n Caldicot Tusker jMonks Ditcl Rock T h o rn b u ry Porion Wjefsh Llantwit Grounds v Major Cardiff M id dle Denny Dinas„ Grounds Athan ^0*2. A von mouth Portishead Clevedo S cully Island Lanaford Grounds t i n # Holm Bristol Steep Hotm Weston-super-Mare KEY Minehead Boundary Built up area Burnham-on-Sea Major River Canal Motorway W illiton A Road Railway Sandbank Bridgwater Contents 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1 2. Overview ........... .......................... ........................ ............................................. 7 3 Planning and management in the estuary. ..................................................... 25 4. Urban development, infrastructure & transport.................................................... 43 5. Agriculture and rural land use ............................................................................. 53 6. Coastal defence ......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Planning for the Protection of European Sites: Habitat Regulations Assessment/Appraisal (HRA)
    Planning for the Protection of European Sites: Habitat Regulations Assessment/Appraisal (HRA) Evidence Gathering / Baseline Report for the Gloucestershire Minerals Local Plan Update 5 February 2015 HRA Baseline / Evidence Report for Minerals Local Plan Page 1 Contents European Sites in and within 15km of Gloucestershire’s boundary .................................................................. 3 Section 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 4 International / European Sites - An Introduction ........................................................................................ 4 Update 5 for the Minerals Local Plan (MLP) .............................................................................................. 5 Background to Evidence Gathering for HRA .............................................................................................. 5 Updated List of Consultees ........................................................................................................................ 6 Other Plans & Projects ............................................................................................................................... 7 HRA Reporting: Methodology ................................................................................................................... 10 Section 2: European Sites in Gloucestershire & within 15km of its administrative boundary ......................... 11 Rodborough
    [Show full text]
  • Tidal Defences for Clevedon, North Somerset
    Tidal defences for Clevedon, North Somerset look after We are t\ your env ENVIRONMENT AGENCY B - for you, and for fi information Services Unit iter you Your envi- Please return or renew this item by the due date ti business, drink anc- Due Date Governm iking your environrr The Envir environm Published by: Environment Ag Manley House Kestrel Way Exeter EX2 7LQ _ Tel: 08708 506 506 Email: [email protected] www.environment-agency.gov.uk © Environment Agency All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency. Blind Yeo sluice Clevedon Pill Marshall’s Bank Land Yeo outfall Marshall's field River intake structure Three structures - the Land Yeo outfall, Blind Yeo sluice and Marshall’s Bank - reduce the risk of flooding for more than 4,700 properties in Clevedon, North Somerset. All three - located on the edge of the Severn Estuary - have been significantly improved by the Environment Agency. This leaflet describes our work on the Land Yeo outfall and Marshall’s Bank, carried out in 2005/2006, and the Blind Yeo sluice, carriedouLin 2004 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 1 II! 1 II J for Clevedon. North Somerset 3 102436 background The Land Yeo drains mainly rural land Marshall’s Bank - a 500-metre long upstream of Clevedon - including the embankment that stretches between low-lying Tickenham, Nailsea and the Land Yeo outfall and the Blind Yeo Kenn Moors Site of Special Scientific sluice - also dates back to medieval Interest. times. Work took place in 1958 and 1984 to raise and strengthen the When the M5 motorway was built in bank.
    [Show full text]
  • Surprise Landing of a Sea Trout from the Middle Bristol Avon
    Surprise landing of a sea trout from the middle Bristol Avon In March 2015, a local angler reported the capture of a sea trout from the Bristol Avon right up around Chippenham. Despite the fact that the Bristol Avon enters the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth, where sea trout from tributary rivers such as the Severn, Usk, Wye and many others are to be found, this is a rare capture on our home river. Sea trout are occasionally caught in the lower river, but so many weirs and other obstructions have been built on the Bristol Avon throughout history that passage is all but blocked and we A surprise sea trout from the seem to have lost what would undoubtedly have been a natural sea trout population. This fish has battled against huge odds! middle Bristol Avon What is a sea trout? The sea trout is a curious beast indeed. Sea trout and brown trout are in fact the same species (Salmo trutta). The distinction of the sea trout is that it has run down the river system to the sea to feed and grow and then returned to freshwater to breed, known as an anadromous life cycle. Whether trout remain in fresh waters or take to sea depends on a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In many short, spate rivers, the majority may take to sea often driven by a lack of food in nutrient-poor rivers systems as well as sometime by the hostility for flows where refuge habitat is impoverished. The early life stages of sea trout – the egg, alevin, fry and parr stages – are spend in fresh waters, spanning between one and three years depending on factors such as temperature and food availability.
    [Show full text]