Tinned fish
March 22, 2010
A real mixed week, last week. Very little time spent in the office, which is always good, and when we were out it was covering a whole load of different issues.
Monday after the usual morning meeting and plan for the week session, I had a little correspondence to sort, followed by a quick visit from Cathy Hopely of the Forest of Bowland AONB. We discussed a recent grant plus the Hydro electric survey project they are working on. In the afternoon we headed out to Barnoldswick to talk to a farmer about a habitat scheme. After a good early response we walked the section getting the dimensions and assessing just what was involved. The next step is to look at funding then return to the farmer to talk him into it!
Tuesday I was out all day kick sampling around Clitheroe with Jason Pusey from the EA. Gathering evidence and data for his pollution prevention campaign in Clitheroe. We identified a couple of potential sources of pollution plus further evidence of the impacts from an existing source that Jason is working on. On one of the last samples of the day, as I was climbing out of the beck (having lifted a car battery out of the stream!) I spotted an old Bean tin on the river bed, a second glance revealed is was inhabited, I though perhaps an eel but of course the tin isn’t long enough for an eel! A quick tap with the end of my net and off shot a beautiful little brownie! A whole new meaning to the term “tinned fish”!
Wednesday I wrote analysed the results from the kick sampling and wrote a concise report on our findings. It was quite a stark picture of healthy and not healthy! In the afternoon I gave a presentation to the Myerscough college fisheries diploma students. It was good to see that there are some keen guys soon to enter the rewarding field of fisheries.
Thursday I met Chris Heap from the Hodder Consultative to spend the best part of the day chasing around chipping brook looking at obstructions. We found one new obstruction, a couple of partial barriers and a lot of info on existing weirs. Although I would like to see them removed I don’t think the two main barriers can be removed. I arrived back in the office and then left straight away with Stephen to look at the progress on Padiham. Before we got there a bet was made on the level of progress, needless to say I lost – and should have been more confident of progress!
That evening was the IFM branch for the North West AGM, followed by a curry. I enjoyed the evening and we discussed a great deal, fish related and not so fish related!
Friday Janet came in to go through setting up a proper data base of all my electro fishing results and also an easy to use data entry interface. It may sound simple to set up, but I’m glad of Janet’s help as I wouldn’t really know where to start! Friday afternoon Stephen and I put in 40 trees on the banks of the new Langden off stream spawning channel, it was a rewarding way to finish off a week, I only hope to see the trees mature and provide the shelter that they can to the fish.
Comments
Got something to say?
Environment Agency news- Environment Agency moves to stop rivers running dry
- Woman rescued as car is swept away by floods
- Environment Agency tracks alien invaders
- Unwanted Christmas trees provide festive flood defences
- Queens green energy scheme nears completion
- Case for change: Drought to be commonplace by 2050s
- New taskforce will tackle illegal waste sites that blight communities
- Environment Agency moves to manage scarce water supplies across Eastern England
- Survey reveals people would save pets over gadgets in a flood
- Communities to see the future of their changing coast