Exciting work to install a rock ramp at Howden weir on the River Almond continues. This installation will have long term benefits to the river and the species it supports. To ensure that the work has minimal impact on the river, its environment and the species on which it depends, a range of environmental protection measures are being employed.
Areas of the river are having to be dried out using a coffer dam and fish species can be caught up in this operation. To protect them the Trust is working with the contractor to rescue them and then release them safely back into the river so they are safe and well. This is done by using specialist equipment to temporarily immobilise the fish and catch them in a net. The fish are then revived in a bucket and allowed to recover before releasing them into the river, out with the working area.
As water is being diverted gradually from the work area most fish will have the opportunity to drop back into the main river channel, however during the first fish rescue, 4 brown trout were caught and moved downstream. A second fish rescue moved any fish left over at the bottom of the site in the final pool and out into the main channel, hundreds of minnow, stoneloach and bullhead were rescued once the site had been enclosed.
Now that any fish that might have been trapped within the working area have been rescued, the contractor can work in a dry and controlled area. This marks a milestone in the project with the river now diverted around one of the islands. The fish rescue team will return to site to help with the re-watering of the completed half of the structure and creation of a dry area to install the second half. Watch this space for more updates.
Did you know you could get involved with monitoring fish within the Almond & Avon catchments? Throughout the summer, staff are collecting information on fish populations through the activity of electrofishing as described above. If you would like to get involved during summer 2019 please email a.fergusson@forthriverstrust.org .
RiverLife: Almond & Avon is a partnership project between the Trust, West Lothian Council The City of Edinburgh Council funded by The Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) WEF and the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland.
