Esk Rivers Trust -remedial work on the Pow Burn and Lunan Waters

[admin]

Two significant dams required fish passes:

Pow Burn (a South Esk tributary) : An old fish pass  no longer operational and required renovation.  Consideration is also being given to the migration of eels in the renovation of the pass.


Lunan Water a low energy, small  coastal plain river once known for its sea trout. Boysack Dyke: A Mill Dam allowing passage of salmon and sea trout only at high water levels . A fish pass has now been installed that will allow fish to pass at much lower water levels.


More information about the Esk Rivers Trust can be viewed here   http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/specials/esktrustposter.pdf

[zeolite]

Good stuff!

Having seen what fishy life can be contained in these small streams when the access is right these streams should be optimised and cherished.

[hopper]

Fish were seen running the new fish pass in its first season

[tomcatin]

Thats really is great work.

It gladdens my heart when I hear that in redesigning fish passes species other than Salmon/Sea Trout are being considered. In my youth when fishing, eels were a pain ....... now almost forty year later I'd love to catch an eel again (I did scoop an elver up with my hands last year which was a thrill). Great to hear that the Esk Rivers Trust are considering these amazing creatures in planing their schemes

[admin]

Thats really is great work.

Indeed it is.

The Rottal burn work is impressive on the South Esk, a fine salmon and sea trout river, but what blew me away was the effort and money put into the Lunan and Bervie waters, small, some might say insignificant or even unimportant waters, club waters available to ordinary fishers for a few pounds / day. Certainly not big buck salmon rivers anyway. Fantastic public relations!   As I understand it The Esk Rivers Trust has no employees, company vehicles and other overheads. All the money raised goes into the rivers.

[hopper]

Under the mink eradication program 27 mink have been captured on the Lunan and humainly shot they are all taken away for genetic sampling to see which river system they may have come from.

[admin]

The fish pass at Boysack Dyke on The Lunan Water was very badly damaged by last winter's massive floods. I was there today for a look and see that repairs have been carried out. Looks good.
The sides of the pass appear to have been extended down to the bottom edge of the old dyke which can only help.



The river is desperately  low, but I noticed that in the one pool I really studied farther downstream the water was very clear and the pool was just teaming with ultra-spooky fish. This wee river does not need stocking with more and more farmed trout year after year, there are more than enough wild trout in it.

[tomsampson]

Totally agree with last sentence Fred. Let's discuss at next Trust meeting. Not sure if we have any powers to stop stocking though.

[admin]

Don't know if anyone other than  the riparian owners or perhaps  SEPA can stop that Tom, but the river like most other lowland streams has been used and abused over the past few hundred years. Habitat restoration  with C&R  and restraint  by anglers seems to be the modern approach. The Wild Trout Trust has  some great information on this.