EA Anglian fisheries annual report 13 14 final by Jason Skilton

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Title here in 8pt Arial (change text colour to black)

We are the Environment Agency. We protect and improve the environment and make it a better place for people and wildlife. We operate at the place where environmental change has its greatest impact on peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. We reduce the risks to people and properties from flooding; make sure there is enough water for people and wildlife; protect and improve air, land and water quality and apply the environmental standards within which industry can operate. Acting to reduce climate change and helping people and wildlife adapt to its consequences are at the heart of all that we do. We cannot do this alone. We work closely with a wide range of partners including government, business, local authorities, other agencies, civil society groups and the communities we serve.

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Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Overview An introduction from our Fisheries Strategic Specialist summarising the key outcomes and issues Welcome to the Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14. This is the third we have produced and the last in its current format as the Environment Agency is restructuring to become a 2-tier organisation. From 1st April 2014 Anglian Region ceased to exist. Another change has resulted in the end of our dedicated website. Much of the angling information, such as details about where to fish, is now found at www.fishinginfo.co.uk. This is a joint venture with the Angling Trust. There are a limited number of fisheriesrelated webpages now available on www.gov.uk. The Agency's website has been archived and can still be accessed for historical information (http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131108051347/http:/www.environmentagency.gov.uk/). We are also very pleased that the Angling Trust Eastern Region has agreed to host reports such as area's fisheries surveys and summaries of local enforcement activity. Go to www.aterforum.co.uk to see what is available for download. The summer of 2013 was the best for several years; many warm, sunny days were an encouragement for anglers to buy a licence, take their rod and go fishing. We sold 216,936 rod licences in Anglian; an increase of 1.25% compared to 2012/13 sales. Nationally nearly 1.25 million rod licences were purchased which raised ÂŁ21.6 million. Unfortunately this was not enough to fund all our ongoing projects such as improving angling access and restoring habitat and so some work was slowed or stopped. The winter was mild, wet and stormy. The east coast experienced the highest tidal surges since the fatal incident of 1953. This time around there was no loss of life thankfully; however there was substantial damage to flood defences and inundation of coastal areas. The surge led to saline incursion in Broadland rivers. Volunteer anglers worked alongside Agency officers to help monitor water quality and we shut the barrier at Potter Heigham boatyard, saving many thousands of fish. The impact of floods and high flows on the fish stocks will only become apparent in the years to come through our survey programme and angler catches. 2013/14 saw the best ever outcomes for our Anglian fisheries enforcement service. Fully SAFFA-warranted officers checked 10,576 licences. 631 offence reports were issued which equates to a 5.79% evasion rate. We increased the number of successful prosecutions by 248% (from 190 last year to 472). The fines received also increased by 284% (from ÂŁ23,218 to ÂŁ65,992). The enforcement team have changed the way intelligence is recorded and used. Nearly 1,000 pieces of information have been added to an enforcement database in the last 12 months, which greatly improves our ability to identify hot spots of illegal activity and target our staff and resources more effectively. With the end of Anglian region all staff, past and present, should be proud of their contributions in improving fisheries and enabling anglers to (hopefully) catch more fish! We are having to adapt to decreasing funds and identifying new partnering arrangements; moving forward the new structure and working practices should not affect the fisheries service customers expect and experience.

Roger Handford, Fisheries Strategic Specialist

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

iii

Contents 1

Introduction

Delivering Water Framework Directive outcomes

Salmon and sea trout outomes

4 5

Eel outomess Coarse fish outcomes

11 12

Rod licence sales and compliance

Increasing participation

Regulating fisheries (licencing and authorisations)

Monitoring, research and incident management

Engagement and advice

Appendices

Appendix 1 Anglian WFD status 2013 by waterbody type Appendix 2, Anglian WFD projects 2013/14

29 29

Appendix 3, Anglian fish and eel pass projects 2013/14

Appendix 4, Anglian rod licence funded projects 2013/14

Appendix 5, Postcode map where non-native crayfish trapping is allowed

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

1. Introduction The purpose of the Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14 is to provide a summary of our fisheries activities during the twelve month period from the 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2014. Previous year's Annual Reports for Anglian are most easily located on the Angling Trust Eastern Region website1. The report aims to summarise work undertaken across the three areas (Northern, Central and Eastern) in Anglian region. We have included national information and data where appropriate for context. It has been kept as brief as possible, but we have included a number of 'case studies' where more detail and pictures are provided for the reader's interest. We hope you find this report readable and useful, if you have any comments or questions about the content please get in touch. Roger.handford@environmentagency.gov.uk (01733 464458)

2. Delivering Water Framework Directive outcomes The Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect and improve the water environment. It includes different types of water body: lakes, reservoirs, streams, rivers, canals, groundwaters, transitional waters (estuaries) and coastal waters. Our ambition is to achieve good overall water body status by 2015. We have produced river basin management plans (RBMPs) which describe how this will be achieved in each river basin district. In Anglian we have two River Basin Districts (RBD); the Anglian RBD, which is entirely within our Region, and part of the Humber RBD, which we share with our Yorkshire & North East colleagues. The individual RBMPs can viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anglian-district-river-basin-managementplan Anglian RBD is a unique environment; the landscape ranges from gentle chalk and limestone ridges to the extensive lowlands of the Fens and coastal estuaries and marshes of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. It covers over 27,000 square kilometres and is primarily rural, with over 1.5 million hectares of land used for agriculture or horticulture. 5.2 million people live and work in the district. Water management is one of the biggest challenges facing Anglian RBD. Parts of the district are extremely dry, receiving only two-thirds of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s average rainfall. Some of our most important wildlife sites depend on a good supply of water and it is vitally important there is also enough water available for public water supplies, agriculture and industry. Many towns in the river basin district will experience growth, adding further pressure on our water resources in terms of treatment, supplies and ensuring environmental quality.

http://www.aterforum.co.uk/ea-regional-documents/ea-regional-downloads Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

The overall classification of a surface water body (rivers, lakes, estuaries, coasts) is based on a combined assessment of its ecological, chemical and physical condition and assesses how close it is to its natural state. Ecological status is made up of up to four different assessments: • Biological quality elements, such as fish, insects and plants. • Supporting physico-chemical quality elements, such as such as levels of dissolved oxygen, phosphorus and ammonia. • Specific pollutants such as certain metals, like copper and organic compounds such as Tributyl tin (TBT). • And for high status, largely undisturbed hydromorphology. The ecological status classification for a water body is determined by the worst scoring quality element.The ecological status of surface (river and lakes) water bodies in Anglian in 2013 is summarised in the map below.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

The graphs below show the ecological status classification by percentage water body and river length. The detailed figures for each waterbody type are provided in Appendix 1. 2013 Total WFD Classification Anglian RBD

2013 River WFD Classification Anglian RBD 100%

100% 90%

17%

90%

14%

80%

70%

70% Good

60% 50%

60%

Moderate

63%

50%

Poor Bad

40%

Good

60%

Poor Bad

40%

NYA

30%

20%

10%

17%

Moderate

24% 10% 0%

Waterbodies

2% Length (km)

The high environmental standards required by the WFD meant only 18% of surface water bodies were classified as being at good ecological status or potential in 2009. The most recent status update indicates this value has reduced slightly to 17%, however, there has been an increase in the percentage of water bodies classed as moderate, and a decrease in the percentage of water bodies classified as poor or bad status. We are predicting that 19% of water bodies will achieve good ecological status by 2015. The map below shows the current fish status classification for each surface water body. In some cases it is the fish status that is preventing a water body from achieving good ecological status- this is where we will need to focus our efforts and undertake work that will result in fish population improvements.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

The top 10 reasons for not achieving good status or potential in the Anglian RBD are shown in the graphic below:

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

This assessment may be better described as reasons for not achieving good status or potential. There have been some recent changes to the way this information is recorded and reported so the largest proportion of failures is now due to phosphate. Mitigation measures assessment relates to the absence of the measures required to get a heavily modified or artificial waterbody into good ecological potential (i.e. to mitigate the impacts of the physical modifications). Whilst continuing to work on outcomes associated with the first RBD plans we are also turning our attention to producing the second cycle plans. We undertook a consultation in 2012 (Challenges and Choices) on how to best engage with people and involve more partners. We also identified what we felt were the most significant water management issues (SWMIs) in each RBD, and asked for feedback on these as part of the consultation. The main Anglian RBD SWMI's are shown below.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Within Anglian there are 880 waterbodies, nearly half of the surface water bodies are affected by physical modifications. The next two main factors were pollution from rural areas and waste water. In 2012 the Department of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have awarded the Environment Agency ÂŁ36 million over 4 years to deliver projects against these priorities of habitat improvement and reducing diffuse pollution. The Anglian WFD allocation was about ÂŁ4M in 2013/14, a summary of the projects delivered is listed in Appendix 2. The WFD programme and its funded outcomes are targeted at improving ecological status of waterbodies. The designed habitat improvements will benefit a wide range of aquatic life, including fish. A proportion of this WFD funding has been used to finance the fish and eel pass programme, which is summarised in Appendix 3. Examples of river enhancements from each area include:River Nene at Duston Mill Creation of a 2-stage channel to provide climate change protection during low flows. Narrowing and the addition of other habitat features aim to improve the stretch for fish, aquatic invertebrates and other wildlife. The work was undertaken in partnership with the River Nene Regional Park, the local Wildlife Trust and the Northamptonshire County Council. In addition to delivering outcomes for the WFD pilot catchment project it also enhances the Nene Valley NIA and benefits local people by making the river more accessible and aesthetic.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

River Glaven, Norfolk The stretch in question was subject to an excessive maintenance regime in 2011 which was deemed to be in contravention of WFD. The angling club volunteered to remediate the damaged caused by the dredging and go further to enhance the stretch well beyond the pre-works condition. We supported the scheme by funding phase 2 of the works which was a longer term aspiration. The improvements included narrowing, bed raising and the incorporation of flint groyne flow defectors; trout were soon seen using the new habitat. The club now have further plans for tree planting and installing woody debris.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

River Lark at West Stow The Lark is a chalk stream in Suffolk which has been historically modified for flood defence and navigation. Working with local angling interests we have restored the stretch near West Stow Country Park. The improvements were designed by Nigel Holmes, a renowned consultant who specialises in low cost ecological solutions. The 21 features created include, riffles, point bars and narrowing or reprofiling utilising on-site materials. A full report can be found at http://www.aterforum.co.uk/lower-ousereports/item/lark-restoration-at-west-stow

The scope of our WFD work is not solely through river restoration type projects like those described above, achieving WFD outcomes is a key part in all the work the Environment Agency does. The philosophy of retaining and protecting habitat features on a smaller scale is now well embedded in our river maintenance work. The provision of woody debris is accepted by flood risk management operational teams, provided that local impacts on flood risk are understood. The activity can be as simple as stabilising a large willow such as the one that had fallen across the backchannel at Oakley near Bedford. The concern was that in its fallen position it was causing a partial blockage of flows and an increased risk of bank erosion and associated flood risk. The solution was to cut halfway through the trunk enabling the still-living tree to be hinged and staked along the bank. The result was a localised WFD benefits and an attractant for fish. A similar approach was taken on the River Welland at Tixover where a land owner approached us to remove several â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;blockagesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The recommended outcome was to retain the large majority of woody material/fallen trees as it was not affecting flows, and could be used to gain ecological benefits by securing and retaining the material. This is a very cost effective method for managing river systems. The technique reduces costs in disposal of woody material, and in addition to local habitat gains, offers a soft engineering technique for bank protection.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Oakley

Tixover

Willow and hawthorn can also be used to protect eroding banks. It is a cheap and effective method to stabilise the bank and can be installed by non-skilled volunteers.The end result is a stretch of bank that will provide better habitat for fish and invertebrates. Over time the woody debris will accumulate sediment and so help to consolidate the bank at a point where erosion is clearly a risk. The example shown below is from the upper Great Ouse.

Weed cutting is another activity that given thought and planning should reduce flood risk and provide ecological benefits. Reviewing our maintenance activities to determine when, where and how often we cut weed is also necessary with continuing funding pressures. A good example is the Mill Stream in Nayland where we have decided to stop cutting, and in consultation with residents we undertook a final cut in August 2013. We then developed and agreed a future management plan allowing residents to cut weed by hand. The stream is diverse and vegetation was cut in a 'scalloped' design to incorporate marginal habitat features that are good for fish and other wildlife.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Nayland

3. Salmon and Sea trout outcomes There are no designated salmon rivers in Anglian; therefore there is no requirement to comply with salmon management objectives. We do however have sea trout in our waters, both mixed feeding stocks in the North Sea and small numbers of adult fish migrating into certain rivers to spawn. The population in coastal areas supports a small net fishery in Norfolk and North Suffolk (see Section 8 Regulated Fisheries). We continue to work closely with the Wild Trout Trust and other partners to undertake sea trout enhancements. We have been implementing a programme of prioritised improvements and taking any opportunities to remove barriers to fish migration or providing better habitat for the species. The completion of the works on the river Glaven was a noteworthy success.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

River Glaven at Glandford A major fish pass and river habitat improvement was completed at Glandford Mill; a site that had been identified as a critical obstruction to sea trout migration. The works involved the permanent draining of a mill pond and creation of a 230m naturalised river channel, with a meandering course and pool-riffle sequence in its place. A fish and eel pass was also constructed in one of the culverts underneath the mill building. The project was only possible with a fantastic group of partners, especially the enthusiastic and understanding landowner. The Wild Trout Trust project managed the work and the River Glaven Conservation Group helped enormously in raising awareness and securing local support. The improvements at the site will be carefully monitored; including a camera installed in the fish pass.

Eel outcomes

The Eel (England & Wales) Regulations came into force in January 2010. It requires our country to undertake actions to halt and reverse the decline in the European eel stock: our commitment is described in the Anglian Eel Management Plan. http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/fisheries/documents/fisheries/emp/anglian.pdf Using the best available data the modelling indicates Anglian RBD is currently passing its escapement target, however, we will not be resting on our laurels. We need to be taking further steps to reduce the impacts of tidal flaps, water supply intakes, barriers to migration, and poor wetland habitats on eel populations. The responsibility lies with all site and asset owners. This year we made notable progress in developing a prioritised work plan. We developed standard forms to assess passability of structures and implemented a new governance structure with Area and Regional meetings to approve and monitor eel and fish pass project delivery. Details of the elver passes installed at priority sites are included in Appendix 3. A good example of completed works is on the Little Ouse.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Abbey Heath Weir, Little Ouse A side mounted elver pass was installed at this gauging station, just downstream of Thetford on the Little Ouse. The design and installation was in close collaboration with Hydrometery colleagues to ensure that the function of the structure was not compromised. The new elver pass will help the migration of elvers within the catchment beyond a previous pinch point in their upstream movements.

5 Coarse fish outcomes Coarse fishery improvements in Anglian are an important part of our Water Framework Directive work. This integrated approach has reaped additional fisheries benefits and broadened awareness of fisheries issues amongst colleagues and partners. We combined funding from different sources- rod licence income, WFD Grant in Aid and external partnerships- to enable projects that deliver more for the environment and society as a whole to be designed and implemented. Two such projects are described below where the multi-function approach and benefits are identified and followed through to delivery.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

River Wensum Restoration In 2013 we completed two major restoration schemes on the River Wensum SSSI, one on the River Tat (a tributary which is part of the SSSI) and one on the main River Wensum above Fakenham. On the Tat last spring we implemented a variety of measures to improve habitat quality including channel narrowing, insertion of woody debris, and redistribution of the gravel bed to create glides and pools, thereby enhancing the uniform conditions that existed beforehand. Selective 'pinching' of the channel has helped mobilise silt and fine sand, exposing the gravel bed which will benefit the native brown trout population. In November we completed the second phase of our major river restoration project at Sculthorpe Moor. This means that together with the River Tat scheme we restored over 4km of the River Wensum during 2013. Combined with previous projects the work on the Wensum was awarded the River Restoration Centre's inaugural England River Prize.

Redistribution of existing gravel bed and re-profiling of spoil banks to create a narrower, more sinuous river course. And a newly installed gravel glide, resulting in varying riverbed height and flow diversity.

Removal of spoil embankments at selected locations has restored the connection between river and floodplain during high flows. And site won woody debris installed to create flow and habitat diversity; a pool upstream and a glide downstream.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Four Fish Refuges on the River Welland and Glen catchment systems Data from hydro-acoustic surveys indicated a lack of good fisheries habitat throughout a stretch of the River Welland and Glen. Fish numbers were highest at bridges and other structures offering cover. The natural morphology of the Welland and Glen Rivers has been significantly altered for the purposes of land reclamation, drainage, and flood defence. The rivers were deepened and, in places, constricted within high, straight banks. We worked with local partners and land owners to create four lagoons linked to the main river channel. These will improve habitat, providing good spawning opportunities, and act as refuges for fish, including fry and eels, during flood.

In addition to lagoons, a complex of shallow scrapes of approximately 50m in length and 12m wide have been created. These shallow pools connect to the Welland providing seasonally filled habitat for small fish and invertebrates. It is expected that these will become colonised by marginal vegetation, creating diverse aquatic and marginal habitats for a range of plants, birds and animals. Further sites are to be identified and investigated for off river habitat creation and the existing features will be monitored for fish, invertebrates and macrophytes.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

6 Rod licence sales and compliance The number of rod licence sold in Anglian Region during 2013/14 was 216,936. This was 2,668 licences more than last year, an increase of 1.25%. Nationally our total sales were just shy of 1.25M which raised ÂŁ21.6M of income. We had hoped to sell more as the weather was good for most of the summer and there were no significant competing attractions such as the Olympics or a World Cup. Looking at the sales figures in more detail there are some clear trends which continue to emerge. The number of full licences slightly declined in the last 12 months, but junior sales were significantly less (13.7%). In comparison the senior sales (available for pensioners) rose as did the short term licences (1 and 8 day licences). These changes in the current make up of the angling community need careful examination and addressing going forward. We are able to assess rod licence sales by postcode district. The map below shows relative sales (licences per 100 households) in 2013/14 in our region.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

The number of licences sold can be further split by area and licence type.

The total number of rod licence checks during 2013/14 was 10,576. Fully warranted officers issued 631 offence reports which equates to a 5.79% regional evasion rate. We set ourselves a target of 10,000 checks which we exceeded, and it is especially pleasing to report that by targeting ‘problem’ waters the evasion rate was significantly higher than in previous years. This was a fantastic result providing evidence that an intelligence-lead approach focussed patrols in the right places, at the right times. All offence reports are considered to be taken forward for prosecution. The Anglian incidents which went to court during 2013 are summarised in the tables below together with the national figures for comparative purposes. The prosecution costs and enforcement outcomes are also summarised. Area

Prosecutions Successful Success Concluded Prosecutions Rate

Fines

Average Fine

Anglian

497

472

95%

£65,992

£133

Total (all Regions)

2956

2795

95%

£358,925

£121

Area

Costs

Average Costs

Cautions

Anglian

£56,161

£113

Total (all Regions)

£322,648

£109

Case Files Received 761

Warning Letters Issued 177

4674

1048

Compared to last year we increased our number of successful prosecutions by 248% (from 190 to 472) and increased the amount of fines received by 284% (from £23,218 to £65,992). The number of case files submitted more than doubled (from 350 to 761). This again is the measureable benefit of the intelligence-led approach i.e. focusing on high evasion

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

waters and hot spots, which results in offence detection and (where appropriate) an enforcement outcome. The Fisheries Enforcement team undertook several blitzes during the year; there was a focus on all parts of region with visits targeted at locations and fisheries ('hotspots') likely to have higher licence evasion rates. For example Operation Springfield in the Broads was a multi enforcement activity over the spring bank holiday weekend. Boatyards and 10 miles of waterways were covered to crack down on illegal fishing activity. Our enforcement staff were assisted by Norfolk Police Officers and Broads Authority Rangers.

Illegal fish theft remains an important issue in Anglian; our fisheries enforcement officers are regularly contacted and investigate information about fish being removed from rivers and stillwater fisheries. We work closely with the Angling Trust's Building Bridges Project that engages and educates foreign anglers about the rules and regulations for fishing in this country to ensure they fish within the law. During 2013/14 there were 583 calls to our emergency incident hotline (0800 807060) related to illegal fishing activity. We attend or respond in line with our customer charter and make an assessment of the severity of the reported incident. Further action is taken as required. 255 of the incidents reported related to anglers fishing on rivers out of season and 328 were to do with potentially fish theft or similar. These are plotted on a graph by month to show the seasonality of reports and on a map to show the geographical spread across Anglian Region.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Fisheries Incident Reports 2013/14 100 90 80 70 60 50

Close season

Illegal fishing

30 20 10 0 Apr May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2013

Jan

Feb Mar 2014

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

7 Increasing participation There is a clear link between getting new anglers into the sport and growing our licence sales. We are reliant on working with a range of partners, offering people the opportunity to learn and to enjoy fishing. We part-fund Angling Trust development officer posts to deliver this on our behalf. We support a range of other activities including those targeting young children, for example we helped fund the 2nd Rutland Youth Fly Fishing Day and numerous events associated with National Fishing Month. We also undertake projects to improve access for anglers. To encourage more people to go fishing it is vital that safe pegs, good access paths and secure parking are available. A good example is our partnership with Brackley and District Angling Club to improve their stillwater fishery Improved Access to St James Lake, Brackley Brackley and District AC are a local club with a healthy junior section and an active coaching programme. Approximately 100m of disabled access pathway has been created to link three large angling platforms. This will enable the pegs to be better used for club events and allow access for wheel chair users. Works were undertaken with the local town council in Brackley who project managed the installation. As a result the clubs lease agreement has been extended for another 5 years to allow them to continue to deliver angling events at this high class venue and provide the incentive for further investment in the fishery's management and club's coaching delivery. The culmination of the works saw the organisation of a family fishing day that had excellent attendance. John Bailey was there to preside over the official opening of the new facilities.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

We also try to help clubs to use their waters better; in particular it has been identified as a priority to encourage more anglers to fish running waters. Our region is blessed with some of the finest river and drain fishing in the country. As part of this campaign we worked closely with the Angling Trust to promote river venues for major angling competitions- for example the Ely Ouse was chosen for the Division 2 Final in 2013.

Division 2 National Competition The Angling Trust made a bold decision to stage the 2013 Division 2 on a river rather than the preferred commercial fishery. Recently natural venues are usually not chosen as competition venues as they tend to be associated with poor access, harder fishing and a lack of infrastructure and facilities capable of supporting a huge field of up to 400 anglers. We pledged support for the 2013 Division 2 National that took place in August on Agency owned Ely Ouse between Ely and Denver. The venue had the potential to suffer from weed growth, so we arranged for weed in the margins and bank cutting prior to the competition to make access easy and safe for all. With the potential for huge bream and roach shoals, the event was a huge success with good catches along the whole length (over 16km) and the visiting anglers were very complimentary of the river and local facilities. We also benefited from the catch returns that complement our survey data - both from netting and hydro-acousticsallowing us to better understand the rivers fish stocks.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

8. Regulating fisheries (licensing and authorisations) There is a Net Limitation Order for the Anglian salmon and sea trout fishery on the Norfolk coast. In 2013/14 there were 24 licences issued for the season (AprilSeptember). 19 fishermen were licensed to use drift nets and 5 for non-drift nets. A total of 428 sea trout were caught; 25 more than the previous year. Two salmon were taken, the same number as the in 2012. All the fish are required to tagged, to enable netted fish to be subsequently tracked when they are sold on and processed. A number of interesting statistics can be pulled out of the catch returns, the data overall are similar to the previous year:-

Days fished Tides fished Hours fished Salmon No. Salmon weight Sea trout No. Sea trout weight

Fish Caught 139 149 518 2 11lb 426 1306lb

No Fish Caught 118 143 477

Total 257 292 995

The new legislation in 2010 allowed us to change our approach to regulating eel fisheries. We no longer issue eel net fishing licences to anyone who applies, but issue fishery authorisations instead. Once a person is authorised to fish for eel, a licence for each individual net or trap is issued. The season for adult eels runs from 1st April to 15th December. There are no elver fishermen in Anglian. There are 38 fishermen targeting adult eels in Anglian region and between them they have 283 licences for small wingless traps and 815 for fyke nets. From the catch returns we were able to determine that a significant proportion of the adult eel exploitation occurs in Anglian waters. It is estimated that 10,118.5kg of yellow eels were locally landed in 2013 (21% less than in 2012). Catchments across the region were targeted including the Great Ouse, Nene and Broadland rivers and coastal waters. 1,886kg (36% less than in 2012) of silver eels were caught in Anglian; of these nearly 50% came from the Great Ouse. The legislative changes resulting from the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) meant that in addition to eel, we also authorise the fishing for smelt, lamprey, crayfish and mitten crab. 2013 catch returns can be summarised below (2012 figures are in brackets for comparative purposes):Location River Yare/ Breydon Water River Waveney Great Ouse River Nene River Welland

Smelt Wt (kg) 970 (880) 6820 (5355) 2695 (1419) 48 (89) 0 (80)

Lamprey Wt (kg)

15 (10)

Overall the total smelt catch was 10,533kg, an increase of 35% from the previous year, this exploitation needs to be carefully monitored to inform good future stock management decisions.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

In 2013/14 we received 181 applications (30 more than in the previous year) for authorisations to trap non-native crayfish. We will only allow trapping in certain river catchments (see Appendix 5- postcode map); therefore 152 were consented and 22 were refused, the remaining 7 were withdrawn following discussion with the applicant. The distribution of authorisations between the 3 areas that make up Anglian is 108 in Central (104 consented), 35 in Northern (35 consented) and 38 in Eastern (13 consented). Any person wanting to stock fish into a fishery requires our consent in advance. In this region we determined 550 applications in 2013/14 (compared to 617 last year). Most applications are approved after details of the proposed introduction are considered. In some cases we needed to contact the applicant to agree amendments to an application that could pose a risk to the wider environment. Area

Application status Consented Refused

AN Central

168

AN Eastern

220

AN Northern

140

Anglian Total

528

Void

Withdrawn

Grand Total

173

229

148

550

2 2

We have a customer charter target to respond to applications within 20 working days. The table below shows the number of days taken to respond to an application for each area. Overall the majority of responses are less than 20 days with many the turnaround is sooner. The small percentage that failed to meet our target (2.18%, improved from 4.21% last year); these are the complicated applications or those requests associated with a protected site. Area

Days <2

<10

<20

>20

Total

Central Eastern Northern Anglian - cum total

78 54 76 208

138 133 130 401

158 193 146 487

171 219 148 538

2 10 0 12

173 229 148 550

Anglian - cum percent

37.82% 72.91% 88.55% 97.82%

2.18%

100%

We also issue consents for the removal of fish, allowing people to capture fish from a water to be moved elsewhere. The most common method of removing fish is using a seine net. In 2013/14 we consented 238 removal activities across Anglian (compared to 284 last year). The breakdown by area was as follows: Area

Application status Consented Refused

Void

Withdrawn

Grand Total

AN Central

AN Eastern

122

124

AN Northern

Anglian Total

232

238

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Our customer charter of respond within 20 working days also applies to these consents. The table below shows the number of days taken for each application received by each Anglian area. Again it is pleasing to report the majority of applications were dealt with promptly and within target times. Area

Days <2

<10

<20

>20

Total

Central Eastern Northern Anglian - cum total

26 38 33 97

44 78 49 171

49 100 59 208

54 119 60 223

0 5 0 5

54 124 60 238

Anglian - cum percent

40.76% 71.85% 87.39% 97.90%

2.10%

100%

9. Monitoring, research and incident management Each area fisheries team undertakes a survey programme to gather fish population information. The data collected are analysed and the results used for a number of purposes. The core monitoring programme informs permit decisions and provides a long term data set that shows trends in fish populations. It helps to identify any changes in fish populations, and highlight where management intervention may be necessary. WFD monitoring data are also collected and used to assess a water bodies WFD status. In Eastern Area we completed 97 main river surveys and 27 headwater surveys. The rivers included the Gipping, Mardyke, Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation/Canal, Stour, and Wensum catchment. Staff also undertook elver monitoring and hydro-acoustic validation surveys at some locations. In Central Area there were 61 main river surveys including the Great Ouse, Ouzel, Ivel, and Cam; 9 investigatory headwater surveys and sampling of elvers, yellow and silver eels. A hydro-acoustic survey of the Ely Ouse was also undertaken. In Northern Areas 85 sites on the main river survey programme and a further 63 sites for WFD and local needs were surveyed. Elver monitoring, yellow eel surveys and checking the eel rack on the Nene also took place. A hydro-acoustic survey was undertaken on the Witham. The survey reports have been modified with the intention to make them more accessible for the everyday angler. These summary documents, once produced will be available on the web with the help of our local Angling Trust partner at www.aterforum.co.uk. In addition to fisheries assessments we also undertook some specific surveys such as: 

Stock assessments for angling clubs



Monitoring success of river restoration works



Local research (including fish movements and behaviour)



DIDSON studies (using Dual frequency IDentification SONar to investigate fish movements in and around water control structures)

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

We have continued to be able to support research by academic partners. Our funding contributes to university studentships and projects.

Title

Partners

Lead Area

Using ADCP technology to develop indicators for fish passage assessment DIDSON assessment of fish behaviour at tidal flap fish passes Validation study for Siphon Fish Pass

Cranfield University

Central

Investigation into minimising fish entrainment and mortality at EA Pumping Stations Development of fish passage and guidance technology at obstructions and intakes Providing robust on-water positioning & 3D environmental mapping for autonomous river ecosystem monitoring Developing sensors for Prymnesium and its natural product toxin. Investigating barbel populations on the Upper Ouse Crayfish impacts on fine sediment dynamics in lowland rivers Developing a monitoring tool to identify and quantify the impacts of particulate matter in freshwater ecosystems. Understanding the behaviour & movement of eel in relation to physical and hydrodynamic conditions at riverine & tidal structures Quantifying fish response to acoustic bubbles in fresh and saline water: the pathway to effective "Scarefish" technology

Central Aquatic Control Engineering/Fish Flow International/HIFI HIFI

Central

University of Southampton Cranfield University

Central/Eastern

John Innes Institute

Eastern

University of Bournemouth Loughborough University Brighton University

Central

CEFAS

Eastern

NERC/University of Southampton/CEFAS

Eastern

Northern Northern

The Interreg II European funded project aimed at improving our understanding of natural fish movements between rivers and the sea came to a successful close. As well as raising the profile of migratory fish species across Europe it has enabled us to better design and operate fish easements. The salmonid genetic results, and the new understanding acquired, will shape our activities for years to come. A good local example of us working to better understand fish stocks is the pike tagging project in the Broads.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Pike tagging and monitoring The Broads Angling Strategy Group has raised concerns about local pike populations. We have designed a tagging project to help us learn more about stocks and work with anglers to improve future pike fishing. In association with members of the Norwich and District Pike Club and the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain, over 400 pike have been caught and tagged. Recaptures of these fish by anglers and during Agency monitoring surveys will enable information to be collated on age, growth rates, population size, fishing pressure (though frequency of capture) and spawning success.

The summer of 2013 was one of the better ones in recent memory and is likely to have resulted in the successful spawnings of most species. The survival of the 2013 year class is likely to have been affected by the subsequent wet and stormy winter. The impact of the floods and high flows on fish populations will only become apparent in the years to come through our survey programme and angler catches. The east coast experienced the highest tidal surges since 1953. It led to saline incursion in Broadland rivers; we were grateful to the trained angler volunteers who helped to monitor water quality. The barrier at Potter Heigham boatyard was closed for several days saving many thousands of fish. The two category 1 chemical pollutions that occurred in 2012, on the Nene and Stour, both went to court resulting in guilty verdicts and substantial fines. The cases relied heavily on the fisheries information recorded both during the incidents and afterwards-

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

a clear inditement of our monitoring staff that they were able to collect information and draw on historic data to prove the numbers of fish killed and the impact on the populations. We will continue to review the recovery of the affected stocks.

10 Engagement and advice We continued to actively engage with the Angling Trust and local fisheries representatives across the Eastern Region. The Regional AT forum met four times during the year including two open meetings. The spring 2013 event included a presentation from Geoff Batemen (Head of Fisheries and Biodiversity in the Environment Agency) and attracted over 40 delegates. The local arrangements in the Upper Ouse, Lower Ouse and Fenland, the Broads and Nene, Welland and Witham continued to thrive. The Broads Angling Strategy was published and well received. The strategy sets out the issues and required actions for this important area moving forward. They have also improved their website with a small contribution from funds generated through rod licence sales, a ÂŁ10,000 grant from Broads Sustainable Development Fund and a significant amount of volunteer time.

We produced three newsletters published in June and December 2013 and March 2014; these are intended for both internal staff and our external angling partners. During 2013/14 we issued more than 20 fisheries related press releases that resulted in appearances on local TV, radio and newspapers. We also have a number of staff who regularly tweet fisheries information on Twitter. Eels continue to generate a lot of interest due to their incredible life cycle and the ongoing work to arrest the decline in eel numbers returning to our rivers. They featured in an item on the One Show last year.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Our eel work gets the Inside Out treatment Northern Area fisheries team hosted the BBC One show â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inside Outâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, who were filming a special edition of the programme that focussed on eels. James Askham from F&B gave an interview to the presenter Mike Diliger explaining the workings of the eel pass recently installed at Tallington gauging weir, emphasising the importance of free seasonal migration in the recovery of the eel, a UK protected species. Tallington fish and eel pass on the Maxey Cut is a critical project to enable upstream fish movements in the Welland catchment

We also demonstrated techniques used to monitor eel stocks including a DIDSON camera, fyke netting and electric fishing. We also spent time hosting visits for MPs, Defra officials, overseas visitors and other senior figures interested in knowing more about our role and what we do for fisheries. Showcasing Constituency Outcomes The MP for North West Norfolk, Henry Bellingham, was particularly interested in sea trout migration and so we showcased some of the impressive work we have been doing with our Norfolk partners to improve fish passage. We visited the River Wissey siphon fish pass, and improvements on the Nar at West Acre and Castle Acre. David Ruffley, the MP for Bury St Edmunds, joined us for a tour of the River Lark to discuss the state of the river and the environmental challenges that face it. This was an opportunity for us to demonstrate the restoration work we have completed and ongoing work to tackle the issues of abstraction, growth, habitat, biodiversity and non-native invasive species. The day was a great success and received positive coverage in the Eastern Daily Press.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

We continue to take a more of an integrated approach with site visits; on several occasions fisheries enforcement officers have joined up with other fisheries officers to offer advice on issues such as non-native species regulation. We also take the opportunity to spread the message about killer shrimp and the Check, Clean Dry message whilst out checking rod licences. Our local fisheries staff dealt with 100s of enquiries from anglers, angling clubs and fishery owners. We offered advice on stock management, habitat improvements, fish in distress incidents and illegal activities.

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Appendices Appendix 1. Anglian WFD status 2013 by waterbody type 2013 Classification: No. of Waterbodies Class Canals Coast Lakes Rivers Good 7 3 9 108 Moderate 5 8 22 478 Poor 1 14 123 Bad 1 21 NYA 7 Sum: 13 11 46 737

SSSID 3

SWT 7

Estuaries 1 16 1

Sum 138 529 139 22 7 835

% 17% 63% 17% 3% 1% 100%

Appendix 2. Anglian WFD fish focussed projects 2013/14. Benefits to other WFD related pressures are also shown. Project name

Area

Habitat improv ement

Agricul tural diffuse

INNS

Other

Nonagricul tural diffuse 0%

Welland Pilot Restoration fish pass Modelling for WFD

Northern

100%

Region

WQ Modelling and Consultancy DWPA improvements Letchworth Pesticide and Catchment Investigations Woody debris management River restoration feasibility studies Implementation of ambition projects Sawston Groundwater Pollution Welland Pilot Catchment Project Diffuse Pollution Welland Pilot Catchment Project River Restoration Welland Pilot Habitats Works Laceby Beck Habitats Enhancements Milton Keynes Floodplain Forest habitat design and Phosphate removal

Region

600

100%

Central

50%

2.7

Region

100%

5.6

Eastern

100%

Eastern

100%

Eastern

100%

133.2

Central

100%

Northern 0%

50%

100.2 5 66.13

Northern 100%

172

Northern

100%

400

Northern 100%

Central

100%

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Actual spend

Diffuse Pollution from Agriculture Willow Brook Restoration (Rockingham Development) Orthophosphate in sediment investigation Welland and Nene Slade Brook Renaturalisation (Kettering Town Centre) Linked2Energy Ltd

100%

Northern 100%

2.05

Northern

50%

Northern 0%

100%

Northern 0%

100%

Northern 100%

Central

50%

24.14

Central

75%

25%

Single Issue Agricultural Phosphate Project Suffolk FWAG - Ecopig

Region

100%

Region

100%

Wise Water/Metaldehyde Workshops FPP - Phosphorous Project Total

Region

100%

Region

50%

100

Nene Nature Improvement Area and WFD. Upper Witham Restoration Strategy INNS control and river habitat improvements River Lark Enhancements

Central

1940

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Appendix 3. Anglian fish and eel pass projects 2013/14 Area

Project Title

Stage

Expenditure

Central Northern Northern Northern Central Central Eastern Eastern Northern Eastern Northern Northern Northern Northern Central Northern Northern Northern Northern Northern Northern Northern Northern Central Northern Northern Northern Northern Region Total

Abbey Heath FGS Ashley Barrowden Belmesthorpe (Ryhall) Fish Pass Brandon Staunch Denver Complex/Ely Ouse Costessey Mill Weir Ellingham Sluice Fish pass Tallington GS Flatford Mill Fosters Bridge Fulney Lock (Fish Pass) Gretton (Fish Pass) Hudds Mill Ingol Langton GS Lolham (u/s& d/s Lolham Bridge) Lolham Bridge Market Harborough 2 (Fish Pass) Market Harborough1 (Fish Pass) Maxey Cut Rock Ramp Newstead Orton Lock (Fish Pass) St Ives Staunch Stonton Weir Tinwell US of Nine Bridges Tidal Sites Package ARIS Camera

Design & Construction Constructed Design Design Design & construction Design Construction eel pass Construction eel pass Constructed Construction eel pass Constructed Design Design Design Construction Recon Construction Design Weir removal Weir removal Construction Detailed design Detailed design Construction Construction Design Construction Planned for 13-14

18.90 93.43 22.84 16.24 5.00 10.00 9.75 3.70 498.91 5.00 88.86 25.80 32.14 6.13 20.00 20.15 20.15 6.12 151.44 128.37 20.15 51.03 47.56 14.00 20.15 6.12 20.15 54.78 86.00 1502.84

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Appendix 4. Anglian rod licence funded projects 2013/14 Name of project

Description of project

Regional Angling Participation Otter Fencing

Coaching programmes and club support across Anglian Contribution to fencing at 4 stillwater fisheries

Eastern Access Projects

Buckenham Access Improvements

Hickling Staithe and Horsey Mere improvements, slipway maintenance, erosion protection and access upgrades (inc 10 year management agreement and partner contributions) Install 3 disabled accessible swims and improved bank access in collaboration with RSPB and BASG

Eastern Fish Population Studies Broads Angling Promotion Eastern Fisheries Revenue and small project budget Central Access Projects

Initiative the pike tagging project. Wensum barbel stocking and monitoring Production and distribution of the Broads Angle and DVD. Contribution to BASG website upgrade Inc volunteer angler water quality (salinity) monitoring. Electric fishing, netting and hydroacoustic costs Supporting Brackley AC access improvements. Preparation for Div. 2 National final

River Lark Enhancement

Improvements to the River Lark d/s Cavenham Stream, worked closely with the Lark Angling Preservation Society Continuing research with academic partnerships

Equipment and overtime budget

Inc Wissey siphon fish pass monitoring Electric fishing, netting and hydroacoustic costs. Gravel jetting. Angling access Access improvements and site maintenance at Wainfleet, Maud Foster, Peterborough and North Bank. River Witham improvements at Great Ponton, Easton and Barkston Included in part funding from FCRM, WFD and partners River Nene improvements at Dustin and River Ise

Trout improvements to the river Lymm at Snipe Dales Electric fishing, netting and hydroacoustic costs. Fisheries Science. Angling access and participation

Great Ouse barbel population study Central Fisheries Enforcement budget Central Fisheries Revenue and small project budget Northern Access improvements Witham Fisheries Habitat Improvement Nene Fisheries Habitat Lincolnshire Chalk Stream Project Northern Fisheries Revenue and small project budget REGIONAL TOTAL

Budget (k) 15 10

18.3

15 20

177.3

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

Appendix 5. Postcode map where non-native crayfish trapping is allowed (areas shaded red).

Anglian Fisheries Annual Report 2013/14

* Website replaced by http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency Alternative Flood line number 0345 988 1188