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Environment Agency April - June 2013 SW Fisheries Newsletter

Environment Agency
September 9 2013

Fish passage improvements
We have paid for the feasibility studies and designs for fish and eel passes at Clapton and Seaborough on the River Axe, Dorset. Both of these projects are being managed by the Westcountry Rivers Trust with funding through the Axe Exe River Restoration Project. Feasibility studies and initial designs have also been completed for a number of other sites, including St. James weir in Exeter. Pre-work preparations are also underway, for the removal of two weirs at Storridge on the River Yealm, Devon.
After significant operational issues throughout construction, the Tipton St. John fish pass on the River Otter is due for completion in September. The Colleton fish pass on the River Taw has now been completed, with work now focusing on reinstatement of the working area.
A ‘pet flap’ (small tidal flap) has been installed on the tidal gate of the River Amble. This forms part of the Amble Marches SSSI water level management plan as well as contributing to Good Ecological Status under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). We have also installed retarders on 14 tidal flaps and dampners on 1 tidal flap, from the River Axe in Somerset to the Little Avon in Gloucestershire. These modifications slow the rate at which the tidal flaps close, increasing the opportunities for fish to migrate upstream. We have also improved fish and eel passage at our Iwood gauging weir on the Congresbury Yeo by installing a vertical tile eel pass and low cost baffles.