Fish passage is currently a high profile topic due to the Water Framework Directive and recent eel regulations. Given the rapidly evolving policy and technical developments in this area, APEM and IFM identified the need to disseminate these advances amongst regulators and practitioners and other interested organisations, which was achieved at a Lowland Fish Passage Conference hosted at Begbroke Science Park, Oxford on the 25th March.
A variety of well received talks were packed into the day to ensure the event was a success. The broad range of organisations represented and over subscription to attend the conference was a testament to the current relevance of this topic within fisheries management. Staff from APEM’s Oxford office, based onsite, were on hand throughout the day to ensure the smooth passage of the conference.
Following a brief introduction from APEM’s David Fraser, IFM’s President Peter Spillett Chaired the first session which covered a national perspective on fish passage, including legislation and priorities. Led by the Environment Agency, talks highlighted the enormity of the driving legislation, prioritisation process and design options available to address fish passage.
Despite conclusions that there is still a lot of work to be done, it soon became apparent that efforts towards achieving a programme of fish passage solutions are already underway. During the second session, Environment Agency staff presented fish pass case studies, between which certain similarities were realised and a process of sharing information and learning was inspired.
Throughout the course of the afternoon, project and design considerations were further explored such as the need to consider flood risk in asset management. Some interesting questions were raised by Alan Butterworth regarding the requirement for hydropower developments within lowland rivers.
Much of the species specific discussion centred upon eels and elvers in response to requirements under the recent European legislation. Eels provide new challenges for fish passage solutions in that they differ from salmonids in terms of their behaviour and body shape. In a talk by Iain Russon at Southampton University, video evidence provided rare insight into these behavioural differences within a flume laboratory.
The first talk of the final session was kicked off by APEM’s Stuart Clough who posed a number of questions to emphasize the importance of monitoring; in particular as a means of ensuring confidence in achieving legislative requirements (please find a copy of this presentation below). In a presentation focusing on eel monitoring, the days talks were brought to a close with a piece of captivating video footage speeded up over one evening to show the successful passage of large numbers of elvers via a novel ramp design.
We’d like to say a big thank you to all that attended and we hope it was as enjoyable as it was informative!
Click here to view a copy of the presentation given by APEM's Stuart Clough. To view further presentations and posters from the event please visit http://www.ifm.org.uk .
To discuss how APEM can assist with prospective fish passage projects, please contact David Fraser on 01865 854 853 or e-mail d.fraser@apemltd.co.uk
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