“This isn’t just about fish – we want this project to reconnect millions of people with this beautiful river” ~ Sir James Bevan Chief Executive of The Environment Agency
During the Industrial Revolution, The River Severn played a vital part in transporting goods in the UK. Weirs and locks were fitted up and down the river to aid navigation by boats, but have effectively closed off many parts of the river to migrating fish who struggle to get past the barriers. Species such as the Twaite Shad were historically an important fish, and were eaten as a delicacy up and down the country. Now, they are much more unheard of due to their hugely diminished population and are one of a list of species now extinct in the upper reaches of the river where they once thrived. The River Severn Unlocking Project, a new £19.4million project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Union LIFE Programme, aims to re-open the river and one of its largest tributaries, the Teme, to fish whose numbers have declined
massively over the past few hundred years. By fitting fish passes to the sides of weirs like the one pictured, fish can navigate past them to make their way to more suitable breeding sites upstream. The Severn Rivers Trust are organising community events and encouraging local people to get involved in the project by monitoring the weir and recording any sightings of migrating fish. Observation slots can be as short as 10 minutes and volunteers need no prior knowledge - just a keen eye and a pack provided by the trust, containing guides on what to look for. Cloud cover, time of day and water temperature are all recorded, and volunteers wear special polarised glasses to cut glare from the water. By monitoring numbers of fish successfully making the journey over the weir, and also recording any failed attempts, the general public are
able to help scientists gain further understanding on the habits of the species. This can prompt speculation on what else can be done to improve their numbers and bring the population back up to what it used to be. Monitoring during the five-year project will be taking place at sites up and down the river, with a network of scientists and volunteers collecting data to pool together. Schools and community groups are also getting involved and holding workshops, inspiring a young generation to really consider how our actions within the environment can have widespread and long-lasting consequences.
