IFM50thAnniversaryConference

“LearningfromthePasttoInformtheFuture”

TheNottinghamConferenceCentreOctober8th–10th,2019

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PROGRAMME

Tuesday October 8th 9.30 – 17.00

Opening Session

Session Chair: Karen Twine, Environment Agency

09:30 Karen Twine Conference Chair

Welcome from the IFM Midlands Branch

09:40

Chris Mills IFM

Fisheries Management – Threats and Opportunities

09:50

Peter Spillett IFM

The John Gregory Memorial Lecture

50 Years of the IFM

10:40

Break

Session 1. Technology – Tracking

Session Chair: Ian Wellby, Blueroof Ltd

11:10

Andy Moore Cefas

A brief history of fish tracking in the UK

11:30

Ros Wright Environment Agency

Satellite tracking the European Eel from the Azores (EEL Trek)

11:50

Andy Hindes and Steve Lane Fishtrack Ltd and Environment Agency

The Northern Broads Project

12:10

Michael Case & Jenny Bond HR Wallingford & SEACAMS

Using low cost Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for long range tracking of migratory fish

12:30

Panel Q&A

12:40

LUNCH

Session 2. Governance and Economics

Session Chair: Will Pope, Society of the Environment

13:40 Steve Axford IFM

50 years of fisheries management in the UK

14:00

Florian Stein Sustainable Eel Group

Global exploitation of freshwater eels with a focus on trafficking in European glass eels

14:20

Robert Rosell Agri - Food and Biosciences Institute NI

From yesterday’s good ideas to today’s masterplan. Freshwater fisheries management in Ireland, 1970 to 2020.

14:40

Guy Mawle Independent Consultant

Decline and fall: Rod licence sales in England and Wales

15:00

Panel Q&A

15:10

Break

Session 3. Fish Session Chair: David Bunt, IFM

15:40 Jack Perks Underwater & Wildlife Media

Filming every British freshwater fish

16:10

Jason Olive, American Fisheries Society

Fish Need Water: How Convoluted Water Policies in North America Threaten Aquatic Conservation

16:30

Paul Coulson and Andy Don IFM and Environment Agency

Launch of EELS

16:40

Panel Q&A

Break

17.00 IFM Annual General Meeting All IFM members are invited to attend. The agenda, and minutes of last year’s meeting, will be available in advance on the IFM website and in hard copy at the conference.

18.15 – 22.00 An evening on the Trent Our networking and poster session will be held aboard the Nottingham Princess, the premier boat operating on the River Trent. We will eat, drink and be merry on a cruise along the river. There may even be a fishy quiz if the weather isn’t too great Posters will be on display in the clubhouse to peruse over a welcome drink The bus will leave Nottingham Conference Centre promptly at 18:15. We will be cruising from 19:15 to 22:00

Wednesday October 9th 9.10 – 17.45 Session 4. Historical Perspectives

Session Chair: Bryan Hemmings, Environment Agency

09:10

John Ellis Canal and River Trust

The evolving world of fisheries & angling: 50 years of change

09:40

Derek Evans AFBI

Fishing for a future

10:00

Steve Colclough IFM

River Thames, 50 years of fisheries improvement

10:20

Joe Pecorelli Zoological Society of London

What we have learnt from fifteen years of eel monitoring in the Thames Basin

10:40

Panel Q&A

10:50 Break

Session 5. Rewilding

The Simon McKelvey Memorial Session Session Chair: Lawrence Talks, Environment Agency

11:10

Matt Parr and Richard Jeffries Environment Agency

Restoring channel-wetland-floodplain connectivity to recover lost habitats and fisheries

11:30

Hamish Moir cbec Ltd

The benefits to salmonid habitat resulting from process-based river engineering

11:50

Carys Hutton JBA

Pinch points and the Middle Calder: A catchment wide re-wilding approach

12:10

Alison Debney Zoological Society of London

Rewilding oysters in Essex – navigating our way to a self-sustaining Ostrea edulis

12:30 Elly Andison Environment Agency

Natures ecosystem engineers – beavers and the Environment Agencies approach to their reintroduction

12:50

Panel Q&A

13:10 – 17:45 Field Trips (packed lunch provided)

Trip 1. Attenborough Nature Reserve

Travel by coach to Attenborough and hear an introduction by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust about the proposed changes to the flow of the River Erewash through the reserve. The river was diverted into the reserve in the 1970s to facilitate barge traffic and resulted in pollution in some of the gravel pits. Now gravelling has ceased mitigation measures are required to alter the course of the river and close off the barge channel. Attenborough is renowned for its bird life and there will be an opportunity to undertake some bird watching whilst there

Trip 2. The Trent Gateway Project

The Trent Gateway project will restore the River Trent to a thriving green corridor, focussing on enabling fish passage to over 400km of river. Through working in partnership, the project will also deliver a range of recreational and economic benefits by linking the people to the social history of the area and the role the Trent has played in shaping the communities along its route.

Trip 3. Calverton Fish Farm

A visit to the Environment Agency fish farm at Calverton. A guided tour of the state of the art facilities, and an opportunity to learn how the EA produce the hundreds of thousands of fish that they stock in to England’s rivers and stillwaters each year. There are limited spaces for this trip.

A three-course dinner with wine and coffee served by the excellent team at the Council House The dinner will be followed by the IFM Training Awards for 2019 Drinks from 19.30

19:30 50th Anniversary Dinner and Awards The Nottingham Council House

Thursday October 10th 9.15 – 16.00

Session 6. Fish and Fisheries Challenges

Session Chair: Lauren Vickers. Aecom

09:15

Ian Cowx University of Hull

Evolution of fisheries management: from taxonomy to the SDGs

09:45

Ronald Campbell Tweed Foundation

Informing the present from the past. The importance of the long-term view in fisheries management

10:05

Adrian Pinder Bournemouth University

Surviving against all odds: conservation status and environmental challenges facing the tiger of the water

10:25 Ke Wang and Daqing Chen Chinese Academy of Fishery Scientists

Progress and prospects of fish passage in China

10:45

Panel Q&A

10:55

Break

Session 7. Technology – Monitoring

Session Chair: Jim Lyons. Environment Agency

11:30

Bill Beaumont Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

To infinity and beyond: a perspective of past, present & future methods for positional and biometric data gathering in fish.

12:00

Demetra Andreou Bournemouth University

eDNA based detection methods and their use in fish conservation

12:15

Peter Clabburn Natural Resources Wales

Long term monitoring of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) run size with multibeam sonar – analysis of ten years of data from the River Tywi in West Wales.

12:35

Rob Britton Bournemouth University

Revealing the trophic ecology of invaded freshwater fisheries using stable isotope analysis

12:55

Panel Q&A

13:05

Lunch

Session 8. Environmental Challenges

Session Chair: Graeme Peirson. Environment Agency

14:00

Chris Williams Environment Agency

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – A history of fish health in the UK

14:30

Anna Cucknell Zoological Society of London

Estuary edges, the biggest environmental challenge for Early Life History Stage Fish?

14:50

Adam Fryer Fishtek Ltd

Establishing solutions to mitigate barriers to prawn passage at large African dams

15:10

Dave Ottewell Natural England

Protected lake habitats - The objectives for fish populations in these special places

15:30

Panel Q&A

15:50

David Bunt IFM

Closing Comments from the Institute

CONFERENCE CLOSE

Abstracts Tuesday October 9th Opening Session The John Gregory Memorial Lecture 50 Years of the IFM Peter Spillett Institute of Fisheries Management E-mail address of the corresponding author: peterspillett@tiscali.co.uk A look back at 50 years of the IFM, highlighting the key dates, the key events and the key people who helped shape the Institute. What lessons can be drawn from the past as we look forward into the future? Session 1. Technology – Tracking A Brief History of Fish Tracking in the UK. Andy Moore Cefas E-mail address of the corresponding author: Andy.Moore@cefas.co.uk The tracking of fish using electronic tags is a powerful tool at the disposal of fisheries biologists and managers to support the conservation and management of fish stocks in the UK. The early development of much of the tracking technology used to describe the behaviour and distribution of fish in freshwater, transitional waters and the marine environment was pioneered by the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Fisheries Laboratory at Lowestoft, together with researchers at the University of Aberdeen. In the 1960s a dedicated team of engineers and biologists at Lowestoft developed radio technology to study fish in freshwater and acoustic technology to monitor fish behaviour in the sea to answer management questions associated with the assessment of stocks and the impact of the environment on migratory fish.

In the marine environment, high frequency, high-resolution sector scanning sonar was deployed on a Ministry research vessel and used in conjunction with acoustic transponding tags to examine the movements of fish in the open sea. Using this technique, the position of a fish could be determined precisely and its track reconstructed accurately to determine both its movement and depth. The Lowestoft Laboratory first used this method in 1970 to track fish in the open sea and the research lead to the confirmation that fish used tidal stream transport to migrate between feeding and spawning grounds in the North Sea. Although this technology continued to be used for a number of years to track plaice, cod and salmon, it was expensive and only a single fish could be tracked at a time. Therefore, in the early 1990’s the archival or data storage tag (DST) was developed to support the management of marine fisheries. DSTs record data such as depth, temperature and light but are fishery dependant and the tags need to be recovered to download the data. A large number of these were deployed on released tagged plaice in the North Sea. Using the knowledge that plaice used tidal stream transport to migrate, their position in the North Sea and English Channel could be determined by depth information retrieved from the the DSTs. The times of high water and tidal range calculated from the depth records and compared with a tidal database (12 km resolution model) identified the positions of the fish by matching times of high water and tidal ranges. The information derived from the movements of individual fish was scaled up to the population level and improved the stock assessment methods used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to advise on total allowable catches (TACs) and technical conservation measures of exploited fish stocks. More recently studies have been refined and developed into fishery models to predict such things as the impact of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Fisheries Exclusion Zones (FEZs) and to assess the impact of fisheries management options prior to their implementation.

Although DST technological innovation continues to this day with the miniaturisation of the tags and inclusion of novel sensors, it was recognised that a fishery independent method of data collection from free ranging fish was required. This led to the development of popup satellite archival tags (PSAT or PAT). These tags are large versions of archival tags that are combined with an Argos transmitter. A recognized advantage of PSATs is their ability to collect data on temperature, depth, and light levels and then transmit those data directly through the Argos satellite system following their programmed release and emergence at the water’s surface. In the UK, PSAT tags and conventional DSTs with a floatation mechanism have been used to study the marine spawning migration of the European eel.

In the freshwater environment, the early tracking research used radio transmitting tags to describe the behaviour of migratory fish. Radio tracking is limited to freshwater (saline or brackish water is effectively opaque to radio frequency (rf) signals) and relatively shallow rivers. However, if the tag is within a few metres of the surface a detectable signal will emerge from the surface directly above it. As attenuation is very low in air, detection of the signal may then be possible from a considerable distance, typically 500 - 1,000 m. Although tracking of fish implanted with radio transmitting tags had been undertaken in North America for a number of years, the method was not used in the UK until equipment was developed by the Lowestoft Fisheries Laboratory in the late1970's. The development was undertaken to provide a method for investigating the migration of salmon and sea trout on the River Fowey in Cornwall. The Fowey study saw considerable development of the

methodology for tracking migratory fish and of the equipment for its execution, including reliable tags, automatic listening stations (ALS) and an approach to tracking in both salt and fresh water using combined acoustic and radio tags. This and later work on other river systems in South West England lead to a significant increase in our understanding of salmonid migration and river flow and has formed the basis for the management of salmonid stocks in the UK. In the late 1980s, further developments at the Lowestoft Laboratory included the “sonar buoy” tracking system which allowed acoustic tags to be detected by a number of acoustic receivers within an estuary and transmit the signals to a land based automatic recording station close by on the shore. The system was first used on the River Fowey to track adult salmon as they entered the river. The system was further developed at a different frequency to utilise the new miniature acoustic tag that had been developed at the 300kHz frequency. Biologically friendly tag attachment techniques were also being developed at the Lowestoft Laboratory, particularly the implantation of miniature tags into the body cavity of a fish. Laboratory studies on the effects of this technique on fish behaviour and survival formed the basis for its acceptance by the Home Office as an appropriate licenced method for tagging fish. For the first time, fish the size of wild Atlantic salmon smolts could be tracked as they migrated continuously from freshwater and into the marine environment and studies in the early 1990s on the Rivers Avon and Conwy employed the first versions of acoustic arrays to study fish behaviour in the UK. Subsequently, more sophisticated, user friendly acoustic tags and receivers were developed by other manufacturers (e.g. Vemco, Canada) and this equipment is now widely used to address a range of fishery and conservation issues in UK rivers and seas. Specific examples are fish pass consent studies on the Tees Barrage, impacts of construction on migratory salmonids in the River Tyne, the impact of small in-river hydropower schemes on migratory fish and the role of pesticides on regulating the behaviour and marine survival of emigrating salmon smolts and silver eels. More recently, attempts to assess the marine survival of Atlantic salmon is being addressed by the deployment of large arrays of acoustic receivers in UK coastal zones, an approach pioneered by the Ocean Tracking Network. The tracking of fish using electronic tags is now an accepted and reliable tool for the management of many fish stocks. With so much interest in tracking techniques and a rapid expansion in the number of fish species being studied in UK rivers and coastal waters there is an acceptance that there are advantages in the establishment of tracking networks. The advantage of networks is that they increase efficiency, expand the scope of research, promote science integration, enhance the opportunities and success of acquiring research funding and foster collaborations. In addition, with the migratory nature of many fish species information on where a fish goes once it has left a particular study area provides much needed management information. Recently, the European Telemetry Network has been established which will form the basis for an integrated and expanding network which will benefit fishery managers and aid the conservation of many of our embattled fish stocks.

Satellite tracking the European Eel from the Azores (EEL Trek) Ros Wright1 Adam Piper2, Andy Don1, Randolph Velterop3, Alan Walker4, Matthew Gollock5, Kim Aarestrup6, George Cowan7, Sara Rodriguez Ramallo7, Jon Bolland7, David Righton4 and Jose Manuel Azevedo8 1 Environment Agency, England, 2 Institute of Zoology, UK, 3 Defra, UK, 4 Cefas, UK, 5 Zoological Society of London, 6 DTU, Denmark, 7 University of Hull, 8 University of Azores E-mail address of the corresponding author: ros.wright@environment-agency.gov.uk The once extremely abundant European eel, Anguilla anguilla is now listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The exact causes and mechanisms underlying their catastrophic decline are uncertain but climate change and impacts on the oceanic phases is likely to be one factor. Their incredible life history is still much of a mystery – European eels migrate over 5,000 km across the Atlantic Ocean before reaching the Sargasso Sea where they are thought to spawn and die, but their migratory route and precise location(s) of spawning are still unknown. Understanding their whole life history will be a valuable step forward for aiding their recovery through effective management of the panmictic stock. Several attempts have been made to monitor the oceanic spawning migration of silver eels from Europe. The waters around the Azores are the last point to which an eel has previously been tracked using satellite tags. An international partnership project led by the Environment Agency is underway. The specific objective is to track the migration routes and behaviour of eels from the Azores to their spawning area. Surveys of rivers and lakes across 6 islands of the Azores confirmed the presence of European eel. Obtaining silver eels large enough to carry a satellite tag was a challenge but after weeks of intense fyke netting three large individuals were caught, satellite tagged and released on the night of December 9th 2018 from San Miguel, Azores. Progress so far and other insights from the project are presented. The Northern Broads Project Andy Hindes and Steve Lane Fishtrack Ltd and Environment Agency E-mail address of the corresponding author: fishtrackltd@gmail.com

Using low cost Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) for long range tracking of migratory fish Bond J1, Pierce I1, Teahan W1, McCarthy I1, Newell D1, Nash J1, Woodrow I1, Mowat R2, Case M3

1 Bangor University, 2 RS Aqua, 3 HR Wallingford E-mail address of the corresponding author: M.Case@hrwallingford.com Fish populations in coastal waters are under pressure from a number of sources including fishing activity, pollution and coastal development. Understanding how fish populations use coastal waters informs both management practices and the consenting process to allow coastal developments to be of reduced environmental impact and for mitigation measures to be effective and fit for purpose. As marine renewable energy technology develops, proposed developments grow in number and scale around the globe. Marine renewable energy developments vary in design, harnessing tidal range, tidal stream and wave energy, with various designs being progressed and tested within each of these resource categories. In order to understand the potential impacts that existing and novel technologies may have on fish populations in coastal waters, is it vital that knowledge gaps in our understanding of these populations are filled. Research and development work is key in order to explore novel approaches to these issues. SEACAMS2 is a £17M partnership between Bangor and Swansea Universities, partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The project was established to forge strong relationships between academia and the marine renewable energy sector in Wales through collaborative research and development work. Each collaboration focusses on a particular company need, allowing research and innovation to address specific applied questions. SEACAMS2 established an innovative project, collaborating initially with Tidal Lagoon Power, and later with RS Aqua and HR Wallingford to explore novel approaches to tracking fish in coastal waters in order to inform the consenting process in marine renewable energy developments as well as for wider applications. Acoustic technology has allowed tracking of tagged fish in both fresh and salt water environments and has provided insight into a number of aspects of their ecology including migration events, home range and foraging behaviour. Existing approaches to tracking fish have varying limitations including spatial and temporal restrictions, high resource use and logistical challenges. In order to explore a novel approach to fish tracking, this collaborative project focussed on developing an active tracking system integrated with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). AUV’s have previously been successfully used in actively tracking large slow moving sharks, and this project explores the concept of how these principals could be applied to fast moving smaller fish in coastal waters. This project looked to develop a low cost system that would be based on open source software with the aim of producing multiple days of fine scale tracking data beyond the confines of a moored acoustic receiver array. The hope was that this system would fill

the gap between the river and the high seas, eventually providing information on migratory routes of priority species that are currently poorly understood. A Riptide ‘Micro-UUV’ was purchased as an off-the-shelf platform, running MOOS IvP, an open source autonomous behaviour software. A schematic of the system being developed is shown in Fig 1. The system is designed to track a fish tagged with an acoustic tag using positional data generated by a hydrophone array attached to the AUV. The positional data is received by the on-board autonomous behaviour software, which sends motor commands to the fin actuators to allow the vehicle to change its position and speed to maintain a favourable tracking position. The vehicle continues tracking until a critical power level is reached, it then surfaces for recovery. In order for the vehicle to log its position accurately during a mission, GPS fixes are gained during periodic surfacing events; whilst underwater, an on board Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) estimates and logs the vehicle’s position.

Fig 1. System diagram showing on-board information flow for autonomous underwater active fish tracking using a Riptide Micro-UUV To allow a comparison of surface and underwater vehicles for this application, the project will also integrate the system with the ARCboat, a surface vehicle developed by HR Wallingford for riverine and estuary survey work (Fig 2). A surface platform could offer added ease of operation through continual communications with the base station, as well as reducing the risk of vehicle loss. It may be however, that increased noise levels from surface interactions may impede tracking capabilities. The systems are both currently under development, and open water trials are planned for Spring 2020.

Fig 2. The ARCboat surface vehicle, developed by HR Wallingford which will be adapted to undertake autonomous active fish tracking. This is a proof of concept project, to explore the application of the system to smaller highly mobile fish species, if successful, this work can be extended to explore fish movement ecology at a population level. The tracking system in development has the potential to offer opportunities to better understand migratory routes of priority species; highlight sites of importance such as breeding grounds and provide information to better inform the consenting process for coastal developments. This system may offer a low-cost solution to a wide range of stakeholders for a variety of applications, with reduced equipment and logistical costs when compared to the established tracking methodologies. The results of this project will be available as an output of SEACAMS2 or through RS Aqua and HR Wallingford. Session 2. Governance and Economics 50 years of fisheries management in the UK Steve Axford Institute of Fisheries Management E-mail address of the corresponding author: steveaxford@madasafish.com Global exploitation of freshwater eels with a focus on trafficking in European glass eels*

*the author summarizes Chapter 23 of EELS Biology, Monitoring, Management, Culture and Exploitation and presents a brief update on glass eel trafficking Kenzo Kaifu1, Florian Stein2,3, Willem Dekker4, Nick Walker5, Andrew C. Dolloff6, Kristen Steele7, A. Alonso Aguirre5, Vincent Nijman8, Penthai Siriwat8 and Pierre Sasal9

1Chuo University, Japan; 2Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany; 3Sustainable Eel Group (SEG), Belgium; 4Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden; 5George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA; 6USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; 7University College of London, UK; 8Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK; 9Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, Perpignan, France

E-mail address of the corresponding author: FStein.SEG@gmail.com Abstract. Freshwater eels of the genus Anguilla are among the most widespread freshwater fish species and many of the 19 species are globally exploited for consumption. Historically, the Japanese eel (A. japonica) and the European eel (A. anguilla) were the primarily targeted species, in Asia and in Europe respectively. During the past century, small-scale fisheries, which originally provided for local consumption, have developed into internationally linked and economically important industries, centred in East Asia. Recent declines in recruitment of Japanese and European species have resulted in several side effects: (1) the European eel has been regulated under CITES since 2007 and its export outside the EU is prohibited since 2010; (2) the American eel (A. rostrata) and tropical Anguilla species have been targeted as replacements for European and Japanese eels in aquaculture; and (3) Sustained global demand triggers a black market for trade in young, wild- caught eels that raises concerns about the sustainable use of freshwater eel species in the future. The primary targeted species - European, Japanese and American eel - are subject to illegal exploitation and trade. Eels are: (1) Poached or fished outside quotas and not reported (all three eel species), (2) Traded across Europe’s outer borders violating the zero export/import quota (European eel), and (3) Traded globally as life/dead fish or processed product without required CITES permits (European eel).

East Asia has the highest demand for anguillid eels. Japanese consumption accounted for approximately 70% of the global Anguilla production in the early 2000s but has significantly decreased to 15-34% between 2000 and 2013. In the same period, Chinese production (>80% of global) slightly increased from approximately 210,000 MT to 233,00 MT. It is unclear, where the increased volume of production is consumed since only approximately 20% is reported as eel commodities exported to East Asia, North America, Europe and former Soviet countries (e.g. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan). Historically, eel dishes were only popular in Southern China

Figure 1: Figure 1. Chinese eel farm production (FAO), declared export and potential production from declared glass eel input (in tonnes x1000). a) Prodpot1 = Potential production, considering that market size is reached in the year following the glass eel input ; b) Prodpot2 = Potential production, considering that market size is reached two years after glass eel input. For both scenarios we considered three different market sizes of grown eels (200 g, 250 g and 300 g

and probably in coastal communities and a major shift from local consumption to wide spread mass consumption within a few decades is not very plausible. Additionally, the officially reported glass eel input into Chinese farms is much lower than the supply that is required to reach the reported production (Figure 1), indicating that the production relies on unreported supply including illegal supply from Europe. This would correspond with findings from North America (50% of eel products identified as European eel) and enforcement information in Europe. EUROPOL estimates that about 100 MT European glass eels -approximately 300 Million fish - are annually trafficked to China. In season 2014-2015, Japan reported 18.3 MT of glass eel input into Japanese aquaculture. Of that, 5.7 MT (31%) were properly reported as domestic catch. Additional 3 MT (16%) were imported from Hong Kong where no glass eel fishery exists. It is therefore assumed, they were smuggled into Hong Kong from a different country, and re-exported to Japan. The source of the remaining 9.6 MT (53%) have not been traced; they probably originate from domestic poaching and unreported fishery. The majority of harvested American glass eels or sold live to Asian markets, where they are raised in aquaculture and later resold, sometimes returning to the USA where eel sushi is becoming increasingly popular. The glass eel fishery in the USA and Canada is strictly regulated by quotas. Nevertheless, glass eels trade is extremely lucrative reaching $US6,160 per kilogram at the beginning of the 2018 season. Control “Operation Broken Glass” resulted in guilty pleas for 19 individuals whose combined conduct resulted in the illegal trafficking of more than US$5.25 million worth of American glass eels. The operation is still ongoing and so far, five glass eel traders received jail sentences from 6 months to two years and many poachers received up to 2 years’ probation and fines. The contribution of tropical eel species to the East Asian aquaculture production and the potential involvement of illegal activity is much less documented and investigated. Some tropical countries like the Philippines and Indonesia adopted restrictions for the export of live glass eels and there are indications that the real quantities are substantially higher than the official figures imply. All freshwater eel species are threatened by illegal wildlife trafficking or are at high risk to get targeted by criminal organizations once the market lacks in supply of the preferred species. Implementation and enforcement of full traceability in all freshwater eels’ trade, in combination with sustainable management within their native ranges, will be required to counter this development. Otherwise, trafficking jeopardises the success of species-specific protection policies. From yesterday’s good ideas to today’s masterplan. Freshwater fisheries management in Ireland, 1970 to 2020. Robert Rosell Agri - Food and Biosciences Institute NI E-mail address of the corresponding author: robert.rosell@afbini.gov.uk

Decline and fall: Rod license sales in England and Wales Guy Mawle Independent Consultant E-mail address of the corresponding author: guy.mawle@gmail.com

Since 1992, all freshwater anglers in England and Wales have been legally required to hold a national rod licence covering the two countries. Reported sales therefore reflect both angling participation and legal compliance. National licences are issued by government agencies, now the Environment Agency in England and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in Wales, which have duties to promote angling using the income to fund fisheries work.

From 1994 to 2010, marketing was used to increase licence sales which, as shown in Figure 1, rose by 67 percent from 893k (£10 million) in 1993 to a peak of almost 1.5 million (over £25 million) in 2009. Marketing included restructuring the types of rod licence; pricing; changes in sales outlets; and extensive promotion, informed by market research and prompt, detailed reporting of licence sales.

In 1994, the types of rod licence which could be purchased at different prices were increased from three to nine. The price of the cheapest rod licence, to fish for non-migratory trout and coarse fish, was reduced from £6.75 for a week in 1993, to £1.50 for a day in 1994. The price of a one-day licence was then 10 percent of the price of a full annual licence. It was increased in 1997, and subsequently, to be between 12 and 14 percent of the price of a full annual licence. The prices of all rod licences were raised regularly, to help increase income but, other than for migratory salmonid licences, not to maximise it. The price of a full annual licence increased from £13.25 for all species in 1993 to £26 to fish for trout and coarse fish in 2009.

The number of sales outlets was hugely increased in 1994 by using the Post Office instead of tackle shops. Telephone sales were introduced in 1999, internet sales in 2001, and direct debit in 2003.

Promotion included below-the-line publicity as well as advertising campaigns across the media, including television, radio, newspapers and on-line as well as posters at fisheries and tackle shops. Following the first coordinated campaign, sales increased by 17 percent in 1996. Direct mail was used after 2000, initially by sending a magazine the week before the first May bank holiday to every household with one or more licence holders from the previous year. The purpose of the magazines was not only to remind anglers to renew their rod licence but to encourage angling activity. From 2005, a simple reminder letter was also sent mid-season to lapsed licence holders. Subsequently, such reminders were also sent to all licence holders before the start of the angling year on 1 April. Email reminders were introduced for those who had bought on-line and so provided an email address. In 2009, after a partial trial in 2006, local angling guides were sent, either hard copy or on- line, to every licence holder household, instead of a magazine. This entailed the development of an up-to-date and extensive database of open access fisheries. All promotions entailing significant expense were checked for cost-effectiveness either by market

research or analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of licence sales. In 2009, when the marketing budget was about £1 million, sales increased by 120,000 and income by almost £3 million.

Aside from marketing, a factor stimulating angling participation and hence licence sales, may have been the removal of the coarse fishing close season on most still waters in 1995, and subsequently on canals. This effectively doubled the length of the warm weather season for the most common form of angling in England. It also increased the financial viability of coarse fisheries encouraging the creation of many new, often purpose-built, fisheries close to population centres offering better opportunities for angling.

Since the peak in 2009, licence sales have fallen by 34 percent to less than the number sold in 1994. This is shown in Figure 1 which, for recent years, combines sales data from the Environment Agency and NRW. Likely reasons for the decline in sales include political dogma, social changes, and recent changes to the rod licence, including price.

In 2010, despite the excess rod licence income generated in 2009 and market research showing that sales would be reduced, the Environment Agency chose to raise prices. Also, most promotion ceased for political reasons following a general election in May 2010. The new government banned advertising by the Environment Agency as well as imposing severe budget cuts. Since then, promotional activity has been limited largely to licence reminders both direct mail and, where possible, on-line. The Agency has, with its partners, continued with its Angling Participation Programme in England aimed mainly at young anglers, many below the age at which a licence is required.

Government policy also prevented any further increase in the prices of rod licences until 2017. Although inflation was at a relatively low level, the prices of rod licences therefore fell in real terms by over 10 percent from 2010 to 2016 which should have encouraged sales.

The population of potential licence holders has continued to grow. From 2008 to 2018, the population of the United Kingdom, aged 12 to 74 years, increased by 6 percent. Although growth has not been universal across all age groups, that should also have helped licence sales. It is beyond the scope of this short presentation to explore other social changes affecting the demand for angling. However, surveys by Sport England indicate that frequent participation, once or more a month, declined across many sports from 2006 to 2016, suggesting that wider social factors are involved. A reduction in frequent participation in angling is also one explanation for the reducing ratio of sales of full annual licences relative to one-day sales for trout and coarse fishing from 2008 to 2016.

The Environment Agency and NRW raised prices in 2017. As in 2010, the priority was to increase income. Indeed, most prices were now set to maximise income despite lower sales, based on market research in 2015. To encourage infrequent anglers to switch to buying more costly annual licences, the cheapest licences were made relatively more expensive. For trout and coarse fishing, the price of a one-day licence was increased by 60 percent from £3.75 to £6 while that of a full annual licence rose by 11 percent to £30. A 12-month rolling licence was also introduced so that an annual licence was valid for 12-months from the day of purchase as opposed

to a fixed year from 1 April. This made annual licences better value-for-money. A single licence to cover the use of three rods, as opposed to two, for coarse fishing was also introduced benefiting some anglers who would previously have required two licences. Nonetheless, for occasional and novice anglers who would want a one-day

rod licence, the price barrier was significantly raised. Also, the rolling licence year creates a clear incentive to delay buying an annual licence until immediately before fishing, rather than early in the spring in preparation for fishing later. This delay may have increased the lapse rate amongst licence holders.

In 2017, following the changes, licence income increased as predicted, but with a substantial fall in licence sales, shown in Figure1. In 2018, licence sales fell again, as did rod licence income. As some anglers buy more than one licence, licence sales are not the best index of changes in the number of licence buyers. The Environment Agency therefore now also records the number of unique anglers buying licences. That fell in 2017, despite higher numbers of Juniors with free licences, and more sharply in 2018. Preliminary data to the end of June indicate further falls in income, sales and the number of unique anglers in 2019.

In 2006, the Environment Agency published ‘Angling in 2015’, its first long-term plan to increase angling participation. A key measure of success was an annual increase of 2 percent in rod licence sales. That was exceeded up to 2009. Since then, sales, participation and aspirations have not been sustained. The 2019 National Angling Strategy for England aims only to reverse the decline within five years, given funding. Major changes are needed in both countries, applying lessons from previous success as well as learning new lessons. Otherwise the continued fall in sales, and that of licence income, look set to continue with consequences for government agencies, their partners, and angling.

Figure 1: The number of rod licences (millions) sold for angling in England and Wales from 1993 to 2019, compiled from Environment Agency and NRW data. The 2019 total is a projection based on sales to the end of August

0.80.9

11.11.21.31.41.5

1993 1999 2005 2011 2017

Session 3. Fish Filming every species of British freshwater fish Jack Perks Underwater & Wildlife Media E-mail address of the corresponding author: jackperksphotography@hotmail.co.uk Jack Perks is a leading wildlife photographer and cameraman in freshwater habitats particularly fish. Over the last 7 years he's traveled from Cornwall to Shetland trying to track down and film all 53 species in this talk he shows how he films them, some of the species he's encountered and what he's learned about fish along the way" Fish Need Water: How Convoluted Water Policies in North America Threaten Aquatic Conservation. Jason Olive American Fisheries Society E-mail address of the corresponding author: jason.olive@agfc.ar.gov Eels Paul Coulson and Andy Don IFM and Environment Agency E-mail address of the corresponding author: paul.coulson@ifm.org.uk After working together on two other eel focussed events including the European Eel Conference in 2013 Paul and Andy decided to spread their wings a little wider. As a result of this global expansion June 2017 saw the 1st International Eel Science Symposium take place at the Zoological Society of London. Following this truly global event Paul and Andy set about pulling together the wealth of information delivered into a formal book. Over time the list of contributors was expanded to include people who were unable to attend the symposium but are working with one of the 16 species of freshwater anguillids. After two years of work the finished book has 23 chapters spilt into 6 different sections and features 80 contributors from 17 different countries.

Wednesday October 10th Session 4. Historical Perspectives The evolving world of fisheries & angling: 50 years of change John Ellis Canal and River Trust E-mail address of the corresponding author: John.Ellis@canalrivertrust.org.uk Fishing for a future Derek Evans, Robert S. Rosell & Miran W. Aprahamian Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) E-mail address of the corresponding author: Derek.Evans@afbini.gov.uk Migratory fish species such as the European eel often have either locally significant commercial value and/or an intrinsic cultural and conservation importance. As researchers we often note such stocks as being localized, or scattered across their range, whilst many are currently considered to be in a dangerous state. However, even in today’s modern era its often the case that data with which to assess the status of such stocks for setting precautionary baselines, and informing management strategies, are frequently lacking – or are they? The Lough Neagh eel fishery is the largest remaining commercial source of wild European eel. Annual time-series catch (kg) data were available for silver eel from 1905 to 2016 and for yellow eel from 1911 – 2017. The yellow eel catch was converted into silver eel equivalents (the number of silver eels that would have been expected to emigrate if the yellow eels had not been caught) using the Scenario-based model for eel populations. Demographic data on age, mass and sex were used to convert catch data to cohort numbers. The estimated total output; catch of silver eels, of yellow eels as silver equivalents and escapement, at the start of the 20thC increased from ~600 t yr-1 to 1,200 t yr-1 by the late 1910s, before declining to ~400 t yr-1 during the 1920s. Total output then increased steadily with a period of high production from the 1950s to the mid-1980s, with a peak output of ~2,000 t yr-1 in 1955. Since the mid-1980s, output has declined steadily. At its peak, Lough Neagh was producing annually between 35 – 45 kg ha-1 yr-1, in recent years this has fallen to 10 – 15 kg ha-1 yr-1. Fishery yields at the start of 1900s were in the region of 400 – 600 t yr-1 (10 - 15 kg ha-1 yr-1), they then fell to c. 200 t yr-1 (5 kg ha-1 yr-1) before increasing to 800 – 1,000 t yr-1 (20 - 25 kg ha-1yr-1) from 1960 – 1985, then between the mid-1980s and 2000 the

yield remained relatively stable at 600 – 800 t yr-1 (15 - 20 kg ha-1 yr-1) before declining to the current level of approximately 350 t yr-1 (9 kg ha-1 yr-1). The level of exploitation for both the silver and yellow eel fisheries combined, for harvest years 1905 – 2016, was at a low level until 1911 when only the silver eel fishery operated. The total exploitation level then increased with the inclusion of the yellow eel fishery, from ~12.2% to between 30 – 50% during the mid-late 1920s. The exploitation level dropped steadily until the late 1940s when the new silver eel weir at Toome was installed. From then, the exploitation rate rose steadily from 20 – 30% up to ~60% during the 1990s and early 2000s, before declining slightly. Current levels of total exploitation are estimated at around 50 – 60%. The analysis suggested that there has been a regime shift within the Lough. The carrying capacity in terms of silver eel output for the 1923 – 1943 cohorts was estimated at ~ 3.25 M ind. (~800,000 kg). Over the next five cohorts (1944 – 1948), there was a gradual increase in the carrying capacity to ~5.0 M ind. (~1,230,000 kg), the carrying capacity remained at this level for glass eel cohorts from 1948 – 1971. It then declined gradually for the next four cohorts (1972 – 1975) to stabilize again at the lower level of ~ 3.25 M ind. (~800,000 kg), where it has remained for the 1976 – 1988 cohorts. The findings are discussed in relation to 1) attainability of the European Eel Regulation 40% escapement biomass target and 2) the ecological changes that have occurred within the lough, particularly that of eutrophication and the introduction of roach (Rutilus rutilus L.), affecting this attainability. With the potential of fundamental changes being brought to the management and harvest of UK eel stocks as a consequence of BREXIT, we discuss how digging into the past and unearthing a 106 years continual data set on Lough Neagh eel catches disclosed the origins and organisms driving unknown ecological changes, witnessed decades later. Using this knowledge from the past and modelling its predictive capacity for the years ahead has been the main stay in the UK’s application for a CITES Non Detriment Finding for the export from the UK of European eel. It is anticipated that post-BREXIT an understanding of this historical perspective will provide the scientific advice upon which to base the application of future management undertakings.

River Thames, 50 years of fisheries improvement Steve Colclough Institute of Fisheries Management E-mail address of the corresponding author: srcifm@gmail.com The Thames Estuary (aka the River Thames through Central London) supported major fisheries for a range of migratory and marine fish species as far back as records and available evidence shows. So important had these fisheries been for so long that archaeologists now speculate that “villages” such as Putney, Wandworth, Isleworth and Chelsea started life as fishing stations where small tributaries entered the main stream. In the 17th century byelaws existed to manage the timing of the

smelt fishery which then employed 500 fishermen in a highly seasonal fishery. There were more long-standing regulations to control fisheries for shrimp, twaite shad, eel, salmon and other species. All of this came to an abrupt end in the 1830’s after introduction of the modern water closet. Industrialisation and population growth made matters progressively worse. Bazalgette’s sewers created in the 1860’s removed most of the worst problems from central London, but recognisable modern sewage treatment only began in the 1880’s. Water quality was probably at its nadir in the 1950’s reflecting both massive interwar growth and structural damages in World War II. In 1957 one of the pioneers of the recovery programme Alwynne Wheeler described the river as “effectively biologically dead from Kew to Gravesend”. Recovery began in the 1960’s with significant improvements to the main sewage treatment plant. This paper describes the recovery in the fish communities and fisheries which have taken place over the past half century, describing some of people who were involved, many of the challenges faced, together with the development of fish monitoring programmes, policy initiatives taken and management regimes employed. Further improvements in

water quality are described, together with partnerships, development challenges, environmental education and citizen science. In terms of fish ecology, today we have one of the best studied estuaries in Europe, containing at least 125 species of fish. We also have a proud record of using that

science to make a difference in a variety of management challenges. Truly a world class recovery to promote and encourage others who face similar challenges. The author has been involved with the Thames estuary for 35 years and as one of many workers who have contributed to what is there today, feels honoured to present the modern story on behalf of many colleagues both alive and now sadly gone.

Tidefest September 2019 Clearwater Photography Meanwhile the Thames rolls on….. long may it do so… liquid history!

What we have learnt from fifteen years of eel monitoring in the Thames Basin Joe Pecorelli, Thea Cox, Darryl-Clifton Dey Zoological Society of London E-mail address of the corresponding author: Joe.Pecorelli@zsl.org The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is Critically Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Categories and Criteria because it has markedly declined in abundance across all life-history stages in much of its natural range. Barriers to migration, such as weirs and sluices, that prevent access to upstream habitat are a key threat to eels in freshwater systems. The impact of these barriers can be partially mitigated by the installation of eel passes that restore migratory pathways. In the Thames River Basin District, The Zoological Society of London, in partnership with the Environment Agency, have been adding eel passes to barriers and have developed a network of citizen scientists and stakeholder organizations that monitor eel movement through traps in some of these passes. In this presentation we review how we work in partnership to build passes, what we have learnt about eel pass design, the value and limitations of data derived from the monitoring and we imagine a utopian world where all in river structures in the UK have been assessed using the Eel Barrier Assessment Tool (EBAT). Session 5 Rewilding

The Simon McKelvey Memorial Session Restoring channel-wetland-floodplain connectivity to recover lost habitats and fisheries Matt Parr1, Richard Jeffries1 and Colin Thorne2

1Environment Agency 2Nottingham University E-mail address of the corresponding author: matt.parr01@environment-agency.gov.uk Prior to the anthropogenic disturbance the majority of alluvial streams with hydrologically and morphologically-functional floodplains had multi-threaded (i.e. anastomosed) channels that, on average, inundated their floodplains several times a year. This, pre-disturbance river form is defined as ‘Stage Zero’ in the Stream Evolution Model (Cluer and Thorne, 2014). Despite the prevalence of multi-thread

stream prior to disturbance, most river restoration designs feature single-thread, meandering channels with bankfull capacities sufficient to convey flows with return periods of 1.5 years, or longer. Functionally, such channels are slightly incised into their floodplains, meaning they are unable to support the wide range of aquatic, wetland, riparian and floodplain habitats that would be provided by a fully connected, multi-threaded, river-floodplain system. Experience indicates that fisheries (as well as other ecosystem services) in a river cannot recover from past degradation without at least some reaches being reconnected to their floodplains. This is due to the need for aquatic organisms to be able to access diverse habitats related to their life-stage and life-cycle needs. This presentation will (1) review the science-base for river restoration to ‘Stage Zero’, (2) use examples of restoration projects in upland, mid-basin and coastal streams in Oregon, to illustrate its outcomes, (3) explain how fisheries and biodiversity in the UK might benefit from restoration to ‘Stage Zero’, and (4) discuss how this ‘Stage Zero’ restoration might be applied at some candidate locations in the UK. The benefits to salmonid habitat resulting from process-based river engineering Hamish Moir and Eric Gillies cbec Ltd E-mail address of the corresponding author: h.moir@cbecoeng.co.uk Process-based restoration aims to reinstate the natural physical functioning within river environments impacted as a result of historical human interventions (e.g. engineering, land-use change, flow management etc). Such an ‘assisted recovery’ approach removes/ reduces constraints to natural geomorphic process, providing a more sustainable and diverse physical environment. However, it is often implicitly assumed that habitat availability and utilisation by instream species will respond positively to such interventions, without subsequent validation. We present case studies from two implemented projects where detailed monitoring allowed the development of habitat availability models for pre- and post-restoration conditions that were validated by field evidence of utilisation by salmonids (spawning and juveniles). Results demonstrated significant increases in spawning habitat availability post-restoration, closely associated with enhanced physical diversity related to implemented Large Wood Structures. Observed spawning utilisation was closely associated with predicted ‘high quality’ habitat. Furthermore, the availability of juvenile habitat (fry and parr) was also shown to markedly increase, very significantly in wetland areas that were reconnected as part of the restoration scheme.

A re-wilding approach in an urban catchment - Mid Calder and Tributaries Project Carys Hutton JBA E-mail address of the corresponding author: carys.hutton@jbaconsulting.com

1 Introduction Urban rivers are notoriously difficult to re-naturalise. There are numerous constraints created by hard engineering such as realignment, reinforcement, and major structures such as bridges and weirs. Some rivers disappear completely as they have long since been culverted underground. To add to this challenge, developments in urban areas often extend up to the water's edge. Homes, businesses, and roads take up much of the useable space alongside urban rivers. Despite these challenges, urban rivers should not be neglected and given up upon. There are many benefits to be gained from improving urban rivers, for biodiversity, for people, for water quality, and economy. This study provides a practical example of how simple and relatively low cost interventions are possible in an urban river. The Middle Calder and Tributaries Project aims to identify and implement a number of location-specific soft interventions to deliver multiple benefits for the catchment’s people, wildlife and economy, whilst addressing WFD failures for the water body. Whilst there are large engineering schemes being investigated and delivered in the upstream catchment, the approach taken here is soft, and can be replicated in other urban catchments at a relative low cost. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

1.1 About the catchment The Mid-Calder includes several key economic centres including Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, Elland and Brighouse. There is a legacy of river engineering in the catchment as a result of the development of the cotton, wool, and carpet industry in the 19th century. Combined with the loss of natural floodplain and significant land use changes, this puts considerable stress upon water quality, flood resilience, riparian habitat, and the natural functioning of the river.

2 Methodology The watercourses in Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, and Brighouse were divided into discrete lengths and surveyed. The methodology used was based on the Catchment Walkover for River Basin Management guidance produced by the Environment Agency (2013). Land use, issues, severity, and proposed interventions were recorded (Figure 1), photographed, and georeferenced.

Figure 1: Survey process

Identify land use Identify issue Identify

severityIdentify

intervention

3 Results A total of 59 locations were identified within the catchment for soft interventions that are compatible with the constraints recognised along the River Calder (Figure 2). The prevailing issues identified are listed in Table 1, along with some of the proposed interventions.

Figure 2: Location of proposed interventions Table 1: Main issues identified and proposed interventions Issue Proposed intervention

River straightening Water impoundment Bank erosion Extensive culverting Urban debris Lack of marginal vegetation Lack of geomorphological heterogeneity Reinforced banks

Flow deflectors Marginal planting Willow spiling Berm creation or 2-stage channel Woody debris Investigate de-culverting Litter clean-up and liaise with local communities and businesses

4 Conclusions • We know we cannot realistically re-wild an urban river, but, we can try and

make the river as good as it can be • This approach can be delivered at low cost with minimal need for design. It is

relatively low risk and can be scaled up or down depending on funding and resource availability.

• Done in isolation, we do not expect notable impacts at a catchment scale, at least not immediately. However, we do expect significant and noticeable benefits at a local scale, for example, improvements in biodiversity, a more attractive amenity for people to enjoy, and a more naturally functioning river.

Rewilding oysters in Essex – navigating our way to a self-sustaining Ostrea edulis population Debney A.J,1 Baker. W8., Bird A.,2 Cameron T.C.,3 Cox. T.,1 Dyer R.,4 zu Ermgassen P.,5 Glover T.,6 Harward R.,2 Jenner L.,7 Korda R.,7 and Uttley M.6 1. Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regents Park, NW1 4RY alison.debney@zsl.org 2. Tollesbury & Mersea Oyster Company Ltd. 3. University of Essex 4. Kent & Essex Inshore Fishery Conservation Authority 5. The Nature Conservancy 6. Blue Marine Foundation 7. Natural England 8. Mersea Oysterman Zoological Society of London E-mail address of the corresponding author: Alison.Debney@zsl.org The Tollesbury and Mersea Oyster Company works on the premise of 50% success and 50% failure. With this approach they have managed to recover native oyster beds on their private several orders from being functionally and economically extinct to being viable beds. Assessment of these managed beds and remnant “wild” beds further offshore led to the designation of the Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) in 2013 with the conservation objectives of recovering the native oyster population and native oyster beds (with the associated biota) to Favourable Condition. This is the only marine protected area in England for oyster bed habitat. The Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative (ENORI) – a collaboration between oystermen, scientists, government and conservationists - is building on this pioneering spirit to recover the native oysters in the wider-MCZ to self-sustaining populations that provide ecosystem services, increased biodiversity and ultimately a sustainable fishery. In addition to the oysterman’s knowledge, we are using science to guide our decision making. Here we describe the current populations of the Essex coast, identify limiting factors to their expansion and present our experimental restoration plans to overcome these limitations to rewild the Essex subtidal coast.

Natures ecosystem engineers – beavers and the Environment Agencies approach to their reintroduction Elly Andison Environment Agency E-mail address of the corresponding author: elly.andison@environment-agency.gov.uk Beavers were a natural part of British fauna up to 300 years ago, often referred to as ecosystem engineers for their ability to change the habitat around them. There have been many changes to the water environment, it has been modified and human pressures have increased. This makes it difficult to predict some of the impacts of reintroduction but there are many things we can learn from the past to inform the future. As a regulator, operator and advisor in the water environment we have a multi-faceted role related to future policies and management alongside advising on the risks and opportunities of enclosed sites and wild beaver populations within river systems. We are a key consultee and advisor to Natural England for any licence applications for beaver releases. Whilst many of the impacts are likely to be beneficial to delivery of our environmental aims there may be situations where what we, and others, are trying to achieve is affected. The reintroduction of beavers could be of considerable significance to our work because beavers can make positive changes that are in line with what we are seeking to achieve in the 25 year Environment Plan and other corporate objectives. We are interested in the evidence that shows beavers are one way in which we can deliver on our commitment to work with natural processes to restore rivers and natural hydrological regimes. There is evidence, where beavers are in a landscape that demonstrates increased resilience to some of the effects of climate change1 including those that may impact on fish and fisheries. The complex wetland habitats created contribute to increased connectivity, such as indicated in image 12, attenuation of water, hydraulic roughness and naturalised hydrology and morphology of rivers and their floodplains3, creating a stabilising effect on base flows4. Carbon sequestration is increased by the presence of these wetlands with the potential of more resilient and sustainable catchments. These have the potential to provide increased habitats for various life stages of fish species. Studies have also provided some data demonstrating a

1 Laurel and Wohl 2018 The persistence of beaver-induced geomorphic heterogeneity and organic carbon stock in river corridors 2 Pollock et al. 2014. Using Beaver Dams to Restore Incised Stream Ecosystems. 3 Brown et al 2018 Natural vs Anthropogenic Streams in Europe- History, Ecology and Implications for Restoration, River-Rewilding and Riverine Ecosystem Services 4 Fairfax and Small 2018 Using remote sensing to assess the impact of beaver damming on evapotranspiration in an arid landscape

cooling effect of waters flowing from the base of dams and in stratified thermal effects on the deeper water held back by dams5. Overall there is evidence of overall positive gain in ecological functioning of a river system with beavers in a landscape6. It is recognised that there is potential, in some circumstances and locations where there may impacts for the passage of migratory salmonid fish.

Image 1. Pollock et al. 2014. Using beaver dams to restore Incised Stream systems We expect and support beaver reintroductions to be considered within the context of their ability to contribute towards delivery the Defra 25 Year Environment Plan, working with natural processes to achieve benefits for people and wildlife and that risks and opportunities are understood. We support continued research and monitoring to fill evidence gaps, evaluation of learning from current and future releases, as well other sources, and the use of these findings to continue to refine decision making for future releases.

5 Weber et al 2017 Alteration of stream temperature by natural and artificial beaver-dams 6 Gaywood MJ (ed) 2015. Beavers in Scotland: A report to Scottish Government Scottish Natural Heritage

Our approach is to input to future management planning, being active in the Defra group and engaging with stakeholders in the context of our operational, advisory and regulatory role. We are raising awareness with our staff and developing our role relating to any proposed management frameworks in the event of permanent reintroduction. We will seek to identify strategic opportunities that maximise benefits to natural flood management, biodiversity, fisheries, water quality and quantity. We will encourage any current proposals to be part of an overall catchment plan and work with catchment partnerships and other stakeholders. We also support the continued research, such as the comprehensive work being conducted by University of Exeter, River Otter Beaver Trial, Scottish studies and other projects, to address evidence gaps to inform decisions. Please note: Whilst some references have been included here it is acknowledged that there is a much larger body of reports, studies and data available and that only a very small selection have been included in this abstract. Thursday October 11th Session 6. Fish and Fisheries Challenges Evolution of fisheries management: from taxonomy to the SDGs Ian Cowx University of Hull E-mail address of the corresponding author: i.g.cowx@hull.ac.uk In the past 50 years, as The Institute of Fisheries Management has grown in stature and influence, global fisheries management has evolved from simple regulations of small scale and recreational activities based on taxonomic studies through single species basic ecological studies to the management of multiple stocks and ecosystems. This is driven by changing interests, revolutions in research tools and skills, importantly computing power, evolving policy drivers, and the fundamental need to meet the aspirations of a growing human population. This presentation explores some of these changes over the life of the IFM and how science has adapted to meet policy drivers. In particular, the role inland fisheries play in food and economic security in the developing world will be highlighted, especially in the rural communities where employment opportunities are lacking, and the services that are derived by inland fisheries and how they have been degraded by anthropogenic pressures. The presentation will then look at options for addressing the problems facing aquatic resources and specifically the importance of effective management of the fisheries and freshwater ecosystems to achieve the SDGs to ensure food and nutritional security, sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction.

Informing the present from the past. The importance of the long-term view in fisheries management Ronald Campbell Tweed Foundation E-mail address of the corresponding author: rcampbell@tweedfoundation.org.uk This talk gives five examples of how having longer data series alters the understanding and interpretation of issues in fisheries management The first is the “Decline of the Spring Salmon”, a key issue in the 1970s and 1980s. A rapid and steep decline in Spring Salmon catches from the mid-1950s caused great concern. Centralised catch recording started in Scotland in 1952 and this was taken as the baseline from which the situation for Spring Salmon was judged, and it looked very serious indeed. However, if catch records going back before 1952 were looked at, it could be seen that before the “decline” of the Spring Salmon, there had been a very large increase from the 1920s onwards, showing that the “decline” was not from a set baseline level of Spring Salmon but a return to a previous situation. This showed that no management intervention was either necessary or would be useful, the education of anglers to accept a natural change in salmon being the appropriate management response. The second case history is the changes in smolt ages on the Tweed. Samples from the 1960s showed that 60% of the smolts were then three or four river winter old (S3s and S4s) with no one year olds (S1s). By the 1990s however, there were only 8% that were S3s and S4s, with 22% being S1s. The obvious interpretation of this change would be global warming causing water temperatures to increase and growth to speed up. However, there are also scale readings for Tweed salmon for 1929 and 1930 and these show that the proportion of S3s and S4s at that time was only around 2.5%. The real situation is not therefore of a decline in smolt ages from some permanent baseline from the 1960s onwards, but large scale variability in smolt age, increasing age from the 1930s to the 1960s and then decreasing since. The increase probably being due to the long and very cold winters of the 1940s to the 1960s reducing the growing season for salmon juveniles over that period. The proportion of S1s has increased significantly from the 1990s however and this is likely to be an effect of climate change rather than the decline in older smolts from the 1960s. The third case history is of the decline in Grilse numbers, and therefore in total salmon numbers, over the last few years. More MSW Salmon than 1SW Grilse are now caught in England and Wales according to EA figures, which start in 1992. However, it is essential when some change is found always to ask first if it is something new or has happened before and in the case of a decline in Grilse it has happened more than once before as shown in netting catches from the Tweed (data1742 to 2017) and other rivers. There was a great decline in Grilse in the latter half of the 19th and in to the early 20th centuries, following on from a very large increase from the beginning of the 19th century to a peak in the middle. This past decline in Grilse numbers was accompanied by a decline in their size and in a higher proportion entering rivers earlier, features that are also seen in the present Grilse decline. As Grilse spend less time at

sea than MSW Salmon their loss rate at sea is much less (see the salmon modeller on the Atlantic Salmon Trust website) so a reduction in the proportion of Grilse in a run means an increase in the rate of loss at sea of the population as a whole. The relative proportions of Grilse and MSW Salmon in populations relate to variation in the temperatures of the Arctic Seas ,the “Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation” (AMO) which varies on a roughly 50-60 year cycle (when colder Grilse benefit, when warmer, MSW) – something that is well beyond any fisheries management intervention. Again, the relevant management response is the education of anglers to accept a natural change in salmon rather than trying to counteract it. Some of the present increase in marine loss rates must therefore come from the switch away from Grilse to MSW, something that has happened before and is due to the AMO being in a warmer phase recently. The question is how much of this present increase in loss rates is due to this repeated phenomenon and how much is new, due to unprecedented climate change? The pioneering work on Grilse and Salmon phases was by Tony George in the 1970s and 1980s, before computers and the Internet and when catch records were often kept confidential and his work needs to be updated with modern facilities and opportunities, and with the more open attitude to catch records now prevailing. The fourth case history is to do with trout fishing. Trout anglers usually have a general impression of decline in their catches, with folk memories of large baskets in the past. However, changes in the management of trout have a large part to do with any actual decline in catch numbers as the response to perceived declines in catches has always been to increase the size limits for takeable trout to “increase the breeding stock”: something that in itself will reduce baskets. The increase in average size of trout regarded as “takeable” as their catches decline are inversely related as illustrated by data from the annual river competition of the Ellem Angling Club of Berwickshire (the world’s oldest trout angling club) who have fished for the same medal since 1832. The basic question of how catch limits (either bag or size) affect the number of “takeable” trout was well illustrated in Frost and Brown’s “The Trout” (1972) and shows how such restrictions can reduce angler satisfaction. The assumption that reducing cropping of salmonids is the way to increase juvenile stocks through increasing the number of adult breeders escaping to spawn is not actually correct, except in extreme circumstances, the carrying capacity of the spawning areas actually being the key factor. The concept is, however, deeply embedded in angler consciousness even though the concept of carrying capacity being the limiting factor for juvenile stocks was first published in the angling literature as long ago as 1914 (W.H. Armistead). The final example is simply to show how there are no baselines for salmon populations in their run-timing, age or size but that all these characteristics change over time, illustrated by data from a lower Tweed rod salmon fishery from 1870 to the present. Recent decades illustrate the switch from Grilse to MSW in Summer that is taking place at present. The whole concept of “decline” in any of these factors has therefore to be treated with caution, given that there are no fixed levels for there to be any “decline” from: change is the one constant. Those working in salmon management need to be aware of this changeability otherwise they risk attributing such changes to short term, often man-made, factors that they then attempt to counteract, or to press the panic button claiming that this or that change prefigures the “end” of the salmon.

Surviving against all odds: conservation status and environmental challenges facing the tiger of the water Adrian C. Pinder1,2, Rajeev Raghavan2,3, Andy Harrison1,2 & Rob Britton1

1 Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Dorset, United

Kingdom, 2 Mahseer Trust, Freshwater Biological Association, Wareham, Dorset, United

Kingdom 3 Department of Fisheries Resource Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and

Ocean Studies Kochi, Kerala, India

E-mail address of the corresponding author: apinder@bournemouth.ac.uk

We are living in a changing world, where rapidly increasing anthropogenic interferences are impacting both directly (e.g. pollution, habitat destruction, harvest etc.) and indirectly (e.g. climate change) on the health of aquatic ecosystems across the globe. With a biogeographic range extending across the fast flowing rivers of South and Southeast Asia, the ‘mahseers’ (Tor spp.) represent an iconic group of large-bodied cyprinid fishes which are now facing unprecedented population pressures. Despite being the largest of all 16 currently valid species of mahseer, until 2018 the hump-backed mahseer of South India’s River Cauvery lacked a valid scientific name, denying it any conservation status. The urgency of addressing these issues was initially highlighted via the analyses of catch-and-release angler log data from a former fishing camp on South India’s River Cauvery. Data collected between 1998 and 2012 has demonstrated that the intentional introduction and rapid establishment of a non-indigenous ‘blue-finned’ mahseer, Tor khudree, corresponded with a >90 percent reduction in the numbers of the endemic hump-backed mahseer being caught and released (Fig. 1), thus highlighting the high extinction threat to this endemic and iconic megafauna (Pinder et al., 2015).

Figure 1. Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of the invasive blue-finned mahseer, T. khudree (left) and the endemic hump-backed mahseer, T. remadevii (right) at Galibore Fishing Camp, River Cauvery 1998-2012 (from Pinder et al., 2015).

Determination of a valid scientific identity for the hump-backed mahseer has required extensive exploration of the River Cauvery basin, examination of museum specimens and detailed morphometric and molecular analyses across the genus Tor. Fixing the taxonomic identity as Tor remadevii (Pinder et al., 2018) has since seen this iconic megafauna assessed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, attracting a concerted international effort to save the last remaining populations from extinction. This paper summarises the background research which led to the Red Listing of this species and the many challenges which are now being addressed to gather the essential ecological data required to inform effective conservation planning and save this icon from extinction. References Pinder, A. C., Raghavan, R., & Britton, J. R. (2015). The legendary hump-backed mahseer Tor sp. of India’s River Cauvery: an endemic fish swimming towards extinction?. Endangered Species Research, 28(1), 11-17. Pinder, A. C., Manimekalan, A., Knight, J. M., Krishnankutty, P., Britton, J. R., Philip, S., Dahanukar, N., & Raghavan, R. (2018). Resolving the taxonomic enigma of the iconic game fish, the hump-backed mahseer from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. PloS one, 13(6), e0199328. Progress and prospects of fish passage in China Ke Wang and Daqing Chen Yangtze river fisheries research institute, Chinese academy of fishery sciences, Wuhan 430223 China E-mail address of the corresponding author: wangke@yfi.ac.cn China has a large number of rivers and vast river basins, which are rich in water energy resources and aquatic biological resources. There are seven major river basins and about 3000 fish species in China. The main stages in the life cycle of fish, such as breeding, hatching and fattening, require different aquatic environments. To survive, fish must migrate from one environment to another. The migration types of fish in China mainly include potadromous, diadromous and amphidromous. On the other hand, in order to meet the needs of water conservancy, power generation, flood control and irrigation, dam construction has become a symbol of water conservancy construction in China. However, the construction of dams on rivers will inevitably change the original hydrological process and lead to the evolution of ecosystems. A fishway is a kind of fish passing facility built for fish migration in water conservancy project, which is a measure to protect natural fishery resources, achieve biodiversity protection and sustain development. The research of fish passage facilities in China began in 1958 and has gone through three periods, namely initial development period, stagnation and secondary development period. Up to now, about 80 fish

passages were built in China. The fish species involved in these fish passages are mainly anadromous spawning fish, such as the four major Chinese carps and river spawning fish. Most of the fish passages type is succulent. Yangtang fishway is located at the Mishui River, effect of which was very monitored (5000 hours every year for observing), and its function was also obvious relatively. By data of catches, the average fish production every year increased 3.5 times in upstream of the river as much as those without fishway. The Cuijiaying fishway is located at the Hanjiang River. To realize the effect of the fish passage, an investigation was conducted September 19-26, 2012 and the methods of net catch and hydroacoustic monitoring were adopted. The results showed that a total of 11 fish species can swim through the passage, and the quantity and weight of the fish caught was 37 individuals with a total weight of 2813.4g. Hydroacoustic equipment was used for 1267 minutes and 658 signals were detected. During the daytime, 571 signals were detected and the average target strength was -55.68dB. Cuijiaying fishway offers an exchange channel for fish below and up the dam site in the detected period and protects the fishery resource in the river basin. At present, the designs of fish pass facilities are mainly on the basis of experience on salmonid in North America and Western Europe, appropriate technology should be developed by specific situations of different countries. In addition, systematic evaluation of the effect of fish passage must be carried out, design of fish passage should be based on feedback from experiments. Finally, the design of fish passage facilities includes methods and knowledge from many subjects, therefore, engineer, biologist and governor should cooperate closely. Daqing Chen Ph.D Prof. / Associate Director Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences No.8, 1st Wudayuan Road, Donghu Hi-Tech Development Zone, Wuhan 430223, China Tel: +86-027-81780058, Fax: +86- 027-81780088, Cell +86 13972112628 Email: chdq@yfi.ac.cn Ke Wang Ph.D，Associate Professor Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences No.8, 1st Wudayuan Road, Donghu Hi-Tech Development Zone, Wuhan 430223, China Tel: +86-027-81780132, Cell +86 18627753288 Email: wangke@yfi.ac.cn

Session 7. Technology – Monitoring To infinity and beyond: a perspective of past, present & future methods for positional and biometric data gathering in fish. Bill Beaumont Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust E-mail address of the corresponding author: wbeaumont@gwct.org.uk Using telemetry to gather information about fish movement began the mid 1950’s, since then there has been a rapid rise in its use and capability. With new electronics and battery technology tags have become more refined whilst at the same time they have become much smaller. Receiver systems have also evolved including the use of coded tags (allowing a far greater number of tags to be deployed) and faster scan time of the tag frequencies (reducing the possibility of missing fish passage in fast flowing environments). Electronic tags can also gather biometric information (such as muscle or heart activity) or physical movement (accelerometer / activity tags) enabling the assessment of physiological or activity status of free-living fish. Physical information (such as water temperature) can also be encoded in the transmitted tag signal or stored in memory (i.e. Data Storage Tags) for later downloading. In a marine environment water temperature can be used to generate probability plots of likely fish location and migration routes. In recent years advances in biochemistry have made it possible to ascertain geo-location and biometric information without using electronic tags. By examining the chemistry of fish tissue (e.g. scales) for differing chemical isotopes information on, for example, the water temperature that the fish inhabit, or the trophic feeding level of the fish can be revealed. Genetic studies (on salmonid species) can identify the of river or tributary of origin of the fish and therefore also identify those fish in mixed stock fisheries. For both the biochemical and genetic studies information can be obtained from stored tissue samples, enabling a historic perspective to be obtained and compared with modern results. The rise of eDNA methodology is leading to a quantum shift in the use of DNA signatures to carryout fisheries monitoring. Methodology is still evolving in this new discipline but the method can already be used for determining species assemblages of fish in river systems and ascertaining by-catch in high seas pelagic fisheries. The expansion rate of progress and information obtainable from the biochemical and genetic methods means that is hard to predict the information that may be obtained in the future from stored fish material. For this reason, it is recommended that adequate biological material is taken whenever possible (within the constraints of good fish welfare), suitably stored and a reserve of tissue set aside for future studies.

eDNA based detection methods and their use in fish conservation Demetra Andreou Bournemouth University E-mail address of the corresponding author: dandreou@bournemouth.ac.uk Long term monitoring of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) run size with multibeam sonar – analysis of ten years of data from the River Tywi in West Wales. Peter Clabburn, Richard Davies, Jonathan Griffiths and Jeremy Davis Natural Resources Wales E-mail address of the corresponding author: Peter.Clabburn@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk Natural Resources Wales has a statutory duty to perform condition assessment of sea lamprey populations within designated catchments. Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for Sea lamprey pays little regard to the adult life stage of the species. It is the opinion of the authors that this is due in part, at least, to the lack of an adequate sampling method for adult sea lamprey. Following successful trials in 2008, multibeam sonar (DIDSON and ARIS) have been used to estimate the number of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) migrating into the River Tywi in West Wales for over 10 years. The wide nature of the lower Tywi monitoring site at almost 40 metres across, meant that monitoring with the original standard DIDSON 1800 was challenging due to its limited ability to resolve and identify lamprey targets at longer ranges from the unit. Deployment at the site has evolved over time from a standard DIDSON, through to a DIDSON LR with a telephoto lens to ARIS 1800 with a telephoto lens. Each iteration has enabled a step change in range and resolution with the latest enabling 30m ranges to be covered with a single sample window. The imaging ability of an ARIS 1800 with telephoto lens has allowed discrimination of sea lamprey from salmonid targets at range. This ability has been confirmed by cross referencing targets at range with those detected by a separate unit deployed on the opposite bank.

Figure 1: Net upstream sea lamprey migration in the right bank section (0 to 15m

range) of the river Tywi for each month between 2009 and 2016.

Assessment of sea lamprey movement across the river has allowed the calculation of comparable whole river run estimates. Annual estimates are highly variable with peak migration usually occurring in May (Figure 1). Similar observations have been seen elsewhere in sea lamprey abundance studies, e.g. the Connecticut river in the USA. On the Tywi annual whole river estimates varied from a low of 1335 in 2009 to a peak of 12018 in 2011. The temporal resolution of DIDSON data allows for examination of key aspects of sea lamprey migration, for example run timing (Figure 2) and diurnal distribution (Figure 3). Such information could give us important insights into how to lessen potential impacts of our water management activities and enable detailed analysis of environmental influences on sea lamprey migration. In some years lamprey migration is positively correlated to increases in river temperature, with migration intensity increasing when mean daily temperatures exceed 12oc (Figure 2).

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Figure3: Diurnal distribution of adult sea lamprey migration in 2010.

Multibeam sonar offers huge potential in the study of sea lamprey migration. It is clear that in the case of the Tywi substantial numbers of adults are present in spite of the river’s unfavourable status for the species. The authors consider that quantitative adult run estimates coupled with effective ammocoete surveys will give the best indication of the species’ status on a given river system. It is recommended that, in Wales, a

rolling programme of monitoring be established to assess the condition of the species in our rivers using the Tywi as a baseline index river. Revealing the trophic ecology of invaded freshwater fisheries using stable isotope analysis Rob Britton Bournemouth University E-mail address of the corresponding author: rbritton@bournemouth.ac.uk Session 8. Environmental Challenges The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – A history of fish health in the UK Chris Williams Environment Agency E-mail address of the corresponding author: chris.williams@environment-agency.gov.uk Estuary edges, the biggest environmental challenge for Early Life History Stage Fish? Anna-Christina Cucknell1, Adrian Pinder2, Andrew Harrison2, Steven Colclough3, Alison Debney1

1. Zoological Society of London

2. Bournemouth University Global Environmental Solutions

3. SC2

E-mail address of the corresponding author: Anna.Cucknell@zsl.org Estuaries provide essential nursery habitat for an array of marine and freshwater fish, however due to a broad range of logistical challenges associated with working in these environments, little is known about exactly how early life history stage (ELHS i.e. eggs, larvae and juveniles) fish use the water channel. In 2017 and 2018 the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Bournemouth University Global Environmental Solutions (BUG) and SC² conducted research, funded by Tideway, into the abundance,

distribution and species diversity of ELHS fish in the tidal Thames. The research aimed to further our understanding of inter- and intra-species ontogenetic shifts in behaviour, 3D utilisation of space, tidal transport and temporal distributions and abundance. An innovative multi-method approach was used to collect samples which included deploying ichthyoplankton nets in the mid-channel and both seine and intertidal sweep nets from the foreshore. Two locations along the Thames, Greenwich and Putney, were sampled approximately every two weeks over low spring tide from March to October in 2017 and 2018. Captured fish were identified, fixed and examined in the laboratory to confirm species identification and developmental state. Between March and October 2017 and 2018, 33 survey days were conducted, 22 of which included midchannel surveys and 31 of which included foreshore surveys. Total effort included 512 mid-channel nettings, 708 intertidal nettings and 116 seine nettings. Over the two-year study period a total of 8,263 individual fish were caught comprising of 24 species (and one hybrid) of freshwater, marine, estuarine resident, anadromous and catadromous fish. Many more fish were caught at the Putney surveys site (n=7,206) than at Greenwich (n=1,055) although the species diversity at both sites were similar (Putney n=21, Greenwich n=19). The composition of species caught at both sites also varied with more freshwater species being found at the upstream site of Putney. A few more-unusual species caught included the short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus), a roach-bream hybrid and a pipefish (Syngnathus sp.). This study represents the most comprehensive ELHS research on any UK estuary to date and has clearly demonstrated the importance of the Thames as a nursery habitat for over 20 species of fish. In general, total abundance and species diversity of ELHS fish peaked towards mid-summer, reducing to lowest observed numbers through the late spring and autumn months. Three marine species (common goby, flounder and bass) and three freshwater species (roach, three-spined stickleback and dace) dominated the catch, representing 66% and 22% of the total catch respectively. As expected, ELHS fish presence varied throughout the survey seasons with clear variations in species spawning time demonstrated with, for example, smelt appearing to spawn in March / April, flounder entering the estuary around May, roach spawning in May / June and sea bass entering the estuary in June – August. The intertidal zone generally demonstrated higher numbers of fish diversity and abundance across both sites than the mid-channel area. ELHS with limited swimming capabilities have adapted various strategies for utilising tidal flows to facilitate their locomotion towards estuarine nursery grounds. This is known as selective tidal stream transport (STST) and can involve vertical and lateral orientation to strategically use tidal flow to achieve net upstream and downstream movements. To understand how changes in ontogeny (development) influence 3D positioning and STST in the Thames, a detailed analysis on the following three model species: flounder, smelt and bass was conducted. Flounder were found to arrive in Greenwich exclusively in the midchannel with an eye either side of their head and without a functional mouth or gut. Somewhere between Greenwich and Putney a significant morphological development occurred – their eye migrated to the top of the body and the gut and mouth began to function. This change was synchronised with a switch to the estuary margins by the time they had reached Putney. Despite being more developed and already ingesting food, sea bass similarly arrived in the Thames at Greenwich in the mid-channel. However, the results from this study clearly show a habitat shift to the intertidal zone as the sea bass grow. Unlike the clear morphological shift seen in flounder, sea bass appear to change their habitat

choice based on their size, moving to the margins when above 17-20mm. It was expected that smelt would demonstrate the same lateral habitat shift at some point in their development, however this was not the case, with smelt primarily observed in the mid-channel throughout the entire survey period. From these examples it is clear that the entire water column, both mid-channel and intertidal is essential habitat throughout the development of ELHS. The Thames is the UK’s busiest inland waterway, and London the biggest UK city. There is constant pressure for development, for industry, commercial and housing and the river is continuously being squeezed. Less than 1% of the foreshore remains in its natural state. This study, amongst others, has demonstrated the importance of estuaries, such as the Thames, for ELHS fish, and more specifically the importance of the riverside margins. As our urban environments are further developed, the margins of waterways and estuaries are being encroached at an alarming rate. The long-term impact of the resulting habitat loss on the recruitment success of many fish species of commercial and conservation importance is not yet know; an environmental challenge that deserves immediate attention. Establishing solutions to mitigate barriers to prawn passage at large African dams Adam Fryer and Gary Bilotta Fishtek E-mail address of the corresponding author: adam@fishtek.co.uk

1. INTRODUCTION

Macrobrachium vollenhovenii, also known as the African river prawn, is a commercially important species of freshwater prawn that is common throughout central and west Africa. It has a catadromous life cycle, with adults migrating to estuarine and saline waters to spawn and juveniles returning to freshwater habitat, as described by Bauer (2013). Macrobrachium species have a varied diet and larger individuals’ prey on a variety of freshwater snails, including Biomphalaria and Bulinus spp, which are intermediate hosts for the Schistosoma blood fluke. These parasites are responsible for a severe group of infections in humans termed schistosomiasis, more commonly known as bilharzia.

Dam construction has been found to restrict the migration of Macrobrachium species, resulting in population decline and even local extinction in some catchments (Alkalay et al., 2014). This has led to socio-economic and health implications in communities living close to dams in Africa, where there has been a sharp rise in infection rates by Schistosoma parasites. It has been estimated that 400 million people are at greater risk of schistosomiasis due to the disruption of diadromous prawn migrations by dams (Sokolow et al., 2017). Current measures employed to manage this effect include frequent mass drug treatment programmes, which is not a long-term sustainable strategy, and prawn re-stocking, which has had variable success (Sokolow et al. 2015).

Fishtek Consulting undertook trials at Mount Coffee Hydropower Dam on the River Saint Paul, Liberia, to establish the potential for installing a specific prawn passage facility at the site, with the aim of limiting the socioeconomic and health impacts of dam construction on local populations. Results and observations from the trials are reported.

Prawn passage trials were carried out in a bespoke test facility on the banks of the River Saint Paul alongside Mt. Coffee Hydropower Dam in July 2019. The facility comprised a 4 m long channel with header and footer tanks and flow was delivered using petrol pumps (Figure 2.1). A 33 fully factored experiment comprising 3 substrates (10 mm pea gravel, 20 mm coarse gravel and concrete board), 3 gradients (shallow - 17◦, moderate - 24◦ and steep - 32◦) and 3 flow conditions (trickle - 0.3l/s, low - 1.3l/s and high – 4.6l/s) was undertaken. Prawns were introduced in groups of 15 per treatment after a period of acclimatisation and trials ran for 30-minutes. The outcome of the trials was binomial, with prawns being either successful (ascenders) or non-successful (non-ascenders).

Figure 2.1: Photos of the prawn passage test facility assembled alongside the reservoir at Mt. Coffee hydroelectric dam.

3. RESULTS

Macrobrachium vollenhovenii were able to ascend the ramp under certain treatment conditions, with some of the treatments having higher passage efficiencies than others. The highest pooled mean passage efficiency (54.93%) was found on the 10 mm pea gravel substrate on a shallow gradient (17°) and with a low flow rate (~1.3 Ls-1). The next three most successful treatments were concrete board with a trickle flow and at a low gradient; 10 mm pea gravel with a low flow and at a medium gradient; and 20 mm coarse gravel with a low flow and at a medium gradient (Figure 3.1). There was a statistically significant difference between the top four treatments and the next best treatment (Chi-square test for association, p = 0.042). Zero passage was observed for the high flow treatments.

A statistically significant difference was found between the mean carapace length of ascenders (50.15 mm; 95% confidence interval 49.195-51.122 mm) and non-ascenders (46.55 mm; 95% confidence interval 45.83-47.27 mm) (Two-sample T-test, p = 0.001).

It was observed that prawns seemed to climb more readily at night. However, there was no statistical difference in passage efficiency for day and night run trials (chi-square test for association, p = 0.146). Prawns often began to climb in groups early in the trial (Figure 2.2), although this effect was not measured.

Figure 2.2: Photo of a group of prawns ascending the test facility lined with 10 mm pea gravel, at a shallow gradient (17°) and with a low flow rate (~1.3 Ls-1) (left), and a prawn successfully reaching the top holding pool having ascended the ramp (right).

4. CONCLUSION

The St Paul River prawn trials is the most comprehensive study to date that has investigated the potential of a volitional prawn passage solution at a man-made barrier. It is also the only existing scientific data known to the authors that demonstrates that Macrobrachium vollenhovenii can climb textured ramps. The study has therefore been successful in meeting its initial aims. The results from the

study will be used to inform the design of a full-scale prawn passage facility at Mt Coffee Dam in Liberia. Post- installation monitoring will allow for better understanding of the efficacy of the prawn pass and for possible improvements at future sites.

5. ACNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Mrag Ltd supported by local fishers provided the prawns for the study, which were released at the end of the trials. Iain Stewart-Russon, Gary Bilotta and Martin Giblin of Fishtek Consulting assisted with the trials along with independent consultant Koko Pabo.

6. REFERNCES

Alkalay, A.S., Rosen, O., Sokolow,.S.H., Faye, Y.P.W., Faye, .D.S., Aflalo, .E.D., et al., (2014). The Prawn Macrobrachium vollenhovenii in the Senegal River Basin: Towards Sustainable Restocking of All-Male Populations for Biological Control of Schistosomiasis. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(8): 1-13.

Bauer, T.R., (2013). Amphidromy in shrimps: a life cycle between rivers and the sea. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Resources, 41(4): 633-650.

Sokolow, S.H., et al. (2017). Nearly 400 million people are at higher risk of schistosomiasis because dams block the migration of snail-eating river prawns. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 372, 20160127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0127.

Sokolow S.H. et al., (2015). Reduced transmission of human schistosomiasis after restoration of a native river prawn that preys on the snail intermediate host. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, 9650– 9655.

Protected lake habitats - The objectives for fish populations in these special places

Ruth Hall and Dave Ottewell Natural England E-mail address of the corresponding author: dave.ottewell@naturalengland.org.uk Specially protected lakes should represent the very best lake environments for wildlife conservation and are a small subset of the overall lake resource in England. As such they are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Some are also considered internationally important and these have additionally been designated as SACs and/or Ramsar sites. However, the majority of these sites are currently in unfavourable condition due to a range of pressures such as water quality, hydrology, morphology, impacted riparian zone and the presence of non-native species.

When pressures on these lakes are resolved, many people would regard them as appealing places to visit and they may offer an increasingly rare recreational angling opportunity for a diverse array of native fish species. This situation arises due to the generally lower stock density and more diverse fish assemblage associated with a naturally functioning habitat, versus artificially stocked water bodies. In addition, fish assemblages in good quality lake habitats are more sustainable, resilient and require lower financial input, when compared with the more widely available heavily managed fisheries. The concept of a ‘wild fishery’ is rapidly gaining popularity with anglers in rivers and streams as they gain satisfaction from exercising their skills in a natural or semi-natural environments. This process is being assisted by fishery organisations such as the Wild Trout Trust which enhance angling enjoyment by restoring river habitat and favouring a dependence on natural over artificial stocks. Within the lake environment, although historically many opportunities for a similar experience existed, for many anglers, in recent years, these opportunities have become unobtainable due to lack of availability in their local area. The Natural England vision for a SSSI lake in favourable condition is a naturally functioning ecological system, supporting the species that would naturally occur within it. This will often include a balanced, native fish community and may therefore offer that wild fishery opportunity to anglers previously devoid of such a choice. A joint document between Natural England and the Environment Agency regarding the management of fish populations in specially protected lakes has been developed and will inform decision-making by both organisations. In addition, it will inform discussions with anglers in relation to the management of these sites and may provide them with extended agreements, which will in turn provide security when arranging leases, site maintenance strategies and funding applications. Whilst much of this information is not new, it is the first time it has been collated into one place and marks a significant change in fishery management within specially protected lake habitats.

Posters The Mersey Gateway Project AECOM E-mail address of the corresponding author: Lauren.Vickers@aecom.com The Mersey Gateway Project is one of the largest construction projects in the UK. A 2 km long, six-lane cable-stayed bridge, crossing the famous River Mersey between the Liverpool City-Region towns of Runcorn and Widnes (Halton borough), forms the centrepiece of an associated 9.5 km of new and improved road network which will support increased traffic resilience and economic growth in the region. A team of ecologists from AECOM worked as part of the Design Joint Venture to support and enhance the project commitments to the preservation of the natural environment. The team included two full-time staff on site, supported by AECOM ecologists specialising in marine and aquatic habitats, bats and birds and a wider project team including coastal modellers, noise and air quality experts. The Ecology team promoted many opportunities for training and education in conjunction with Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust (MGET) during the project. Examples include:

• The Trust has developed and supported three PhD students - providing workshops and knowledge sharing sessions with these students in relation to Ecosystem Services and habitat restoration.

• Provision of regular lectures to students at the University of Salford introducing the project in terms of EIA, legislation, mitigation and monitoring and what it means to be an ecologist within a consultancy.

• The Trust, aided by AECOM, has hosted regular educational meetings with Universities such as Liverpool, Hope and Salford to bring students (engineers, ecologists) to see and understand a large infrastructure project.

• The project developed and hosted a World Environment Day event with a quiz, posters and interactive activities, both at a local museum involving the community and on site for the construction team.

• The project has initiated and carried out various ‘environmental’ days for the local community. AECOM staff helped develop and lead some of the days including introducing wildflowers, bird use and identification in the Mersey Estuary and bat use of the local area.

AECOM together with MGET, will continue to monitor the environmental and ecological state of the of the Upper Mersey Estuary over the next 5 years; adopting and implementing new and innovative methods and further developing the idea of

the area as a ‘living laboratory’ for research opportunities. This includes using a VAKI camera at a fish pass to monitor salmon migration on the River Mersey. Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics in fish passage design David Mould, Kate Bradbrook, Andrew Collier E-mail address of the corresponding authors: david.mould@jbaconsulting.com; kate.bradbrook@jbaconsulting.com; andrew.collier@jbaconsulting.com Fish pass design usually has to balance the ecological requirements with constraints of other users, particularly when the weir requiring passage has a functional use (e.g. gauging weir, abstraction upstream). Determination of performance in both of these domains often requires assessment of hydraulic parameters such as local velocities and turbulence intensity. Whilst design of a new fish pass can often be based on standardised methods (e.g. Larinier fish pass design), each installation site will have its own specificities that must be accounted for. CFD modelling provides a cost-effective alternative to physical modelling which can provide designers with access to all the hydraulic parameters required to make performance assessments and design improvements in consideration of multiple competing design criteria. The visualisations are also accessible and easily understood by non-specialists. Using hydroacoustics to assess fish populations and their habitat: Past, Present and Future. Jim Lyons Environment Agency E-mail address of the corresponding author: jim.lyons@environment-agency.gov.uk This poster describes a historic overview, current practice and future potential of hydroacoustics for the assessment of fish populations and their habitat. Hydroacoustic assessment of fish in UK freshwaters started in the 1980s. Significant advances in technology have resulted in a greater range of equipment, offering the fisheries scientist the potential to collect greater cost-effective quantitative data capture when compared to traditional fisheries assessment methods. Advantages and disadvantages of hydroacoustic methods for monitoring fish quantitative abundance, spatial distribution, behaviour and habitat mapping are presented. The application of split-beam and multi-beam scientific echosounders for fisheries studies and consumer fish-finders linked to cloud-based peer-reviewed algorithms for habitat assessment are described.

Disparate environmental monitoring as a barrier to the availability and accessibility of open access data on the tidal Thames Julia Lanoue Thames Estuary Partnership E-mail address of the corresponding author: j.lanoue@ucl.ac.uk Data is becoming an increasingly valuable asset. To increase public trust and transparency in methods and actions, entities, such as government agencies, academics, and commercial industries make their data available through open access platforms. This gives citizens the opportunity to engage with and draw their own conclusions from the data and allows for information to be shared more readily by data holders. It is often difficult, however, to assess data quality and barriers to accessibility on open access platforms due to resource limitations and pressure to quickly filter data into the public domain. I assessed the quality of open access data and the barriers to its usability by collating data from well-known databases and data holders and evaluating its ability to track long term trends in temperature, salinity, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. We found inconsistencies in the data that required analyses and careful interpretation beyond what would be expected of a citizen scientist. The lack of clear documentation and centralized data hub acted as a major barrier to usability. Our assessment suggests more care must be taken to ensure the high quality of open data before it is placed in the public arena. This can be done by initiating conversations with data holders across different sectors along the Thames to facilitate the creation of a centralized data hub to ensure clear, concise, and standardized open access data. Turning the Tide on the Thames Lauren Vickers, Natalie Angelopoulos, Emily Castel, Matt Harris

AECOM E-mail address of the corresponding authors: Lauren.Vickers@aecom.com, Natalie.Angelopoulos@aecom.com London relies on a 150-year-old sewer system, originally designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the 1850s, and built for a population less than half its current size. As a result, millions of tonnes of raw sewage spills, untreated, into the River Thames each year.

The Thames Tideway project is the solution to this problem, building a 25km Super Sewer under the Thames to intercept these polluted waters and cleaning up our river for the good of the city, its wildlife and people. The project will deliver significant improvements in water quality and associated benefits for aquatic receptors, particularly fish. AECOM’s Aquatic Ecology team have been involved in the project since the design stage, working with Thames Water on the route selection and Environmental Impact

Assessment to gain planning consent, and working with Ferrovial Laing’O’Rourke providing environmental support for the construction of the central section of the tunnel from Cremorne Wharf to Blackfriars Bridge. This poster covers the environmental challenges of working on the design and construction of the UK’s largest Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project within a capital city, to deliver significant improvements to the aquatic environment of the River Thames. Saving the Cotswold Crayfish Peter Walker, Ben Faulkner and Nick Monaco RSK Biocensus, UK E-mail address of the corresponding author: pwalker@rsk.co.uk

The White-Clawed Crayfish is the only species of freshwater crayfish considered native to the UK. The species is found in a range of different freshwater habitats.

Although the species is found throughout Europe, it is estimated that almost a quarter of the global population lives in the UK. Consequently the UK has an obligation to try to protect and conserve the species wherever it occurs. Because of the high risk to extant populations, all sites where this species occurs are considered important for its long-term survival.

This species is currently at risk due to a combination of pressures including:

• Habitat degradation • Water quality • Abstraction • Predators • Invasive non-native crayfish and diseases

RSK has been undertaking a study to ascertain the current status of White-Clawed Crayfish in the Cotswolds based on existing records. This study has identified a need for surveys to update existing records and provide data for watercourses where the status of crayfish is currently unknown. The desk study and subsequent (proposed) surveys will be used to inform options for protecting remaining populations of White-Clawed Crayfish in The Cotswolds and enhancing habitat to benefit these populations. Sites suitable for use as Ark sites are also being investigated.

Using multibeam sonar in an open river channel to derive run estimates of adult Atlantic salmon - lessons learnt from the River Teifi in West Wales. Richard Davies, Peter Clabburn, Jonathon Griffiths and Jeremy Davis E-mail address of the corresponding author: richard.n.davies@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Multibeam sonar (DIDSON and ARIS) units have been deployed on the river Teifi in West Wales since 2010 to monitor and quantify adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) migration. The challenges of using this technology to enumerate salmon passage are described along with the techniques developed to overcome them. They include methods for streamlining data processing and extracting fish abundance data from large volumes of acoustic data using stratified sampling and semi-automated motion detection techniques. A simple logistic regression model incorporating fish length and net catch data is described for apportioning species between salmon and sea trout, as are methods for estimating and reducing counter leakage during high flow conditions. Monthly and annual estimates of the total run size are presented for each year with estimates of counter leakage and rod exploitation. The eco-control for Three Gorges Project by the need of spawning with four major Chinese carps in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River Ke Wang and Daqing Chen Yangtze river fisheries research institute, Chinese academy of fishery sciences, Wuhan 430223 China E-mail address of the corresponding author: wangke@yfi.ac.cn A study on two species of sea lice and its impact on the Hebridean sea trout (Salmo trutta trutta) population. Piran Crago Sparsholt College The relationships between the aquaculture industry and the decrease of wild salmonid populations, are a controversial subject. Using data collected between 2016 and 2018 from sweep-netting undertaken by the Outer Hebrides Fisheries Trust, the impact of sea lice infestations on wild sea trout (Salmo trutta trutta), was investigated. Sea lice are a natural salmonid parasite, and feed on skin, mucus, and muscle of their host. An infection of 0.7 sea lice/g of fish can cause behavioral changes, osmoregulatory breakdowns, and affects the feeding of the fish. The Sea Trout population decreased slightly over the time of this survey. In salmon farm areas, sea lice levels on wild sea trout are typically higher, and more variable than locations without farms. There was a significant relationship (P<0.001) between the proximity of the nearest farm and the

number of lice/g fish. There was also a significant negative linear relationship between the number of sea lice/g fish and the condition factor of the sea trout. This study is only a first step towards understanding the decrease of sea trout populations in the Outer Hebrides; other factors such as predators, river continuity and climate change need further investigation… An investigation into the effect the rearing substrate of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) has on the growth performance of Cyprinus carpio. Macauley Powell Sparsholt College A four-week feed trial using 90 C. carpio averaging 4.45g was conducted to investigate the effect the rearing substrate used for BSF has on the growth performance factors (FCR, PER, SGR, & CF) of C. carpio. 2 identical diets were formulated using 100% insect meal at a 40% inclusion, changing the insect meal to either H. illucens larvae reared in pig manure (BSFP) or H. illucens reared in cow manure (BSFC) which were grown over a 12 day period pre trial. A further control diet (BSFF) was formulated using identical inclusions, however exchanging the insect meal for fishmeal. Diets were fed to triplicate sets of C. carpio, housed in identical 45L tanks at 3%BW per day. Fish were fed twice a day, morning and afternoon. Tanks were weighed weekly to update feed rations. Results indicate rearing substrate of H. illucens to significantly affect PER, FCR, and SGR of C. carpio (p<0.05). CF of C. carpio was not effected during this trial (p>0.05). BSFP produced significantly better FCRs (2.24+/-0.13), PERs (1.79+/-0.11) and SGRs (1.10+/-0.06) compared to BSFC FCRs (2.74+/-0.13), PERS (1.48+/-0.09) and SGRs(0.91+/-0.05). Because of this, a conclusion can be made that the choice of rearing substrate for H. illucens is important for both BSF and carp producers. This information can be used to optimise H. illucens production to ensure more sustainable insect meal diets can be used as effectively as possible for C. carpio production.

An investigation into the accumulation of microplastics in different fluvial bed sediments of the River Kennet.

Tom Routh

Sparsholt College

Sediment samples were collected from 6 sites on the river Kennet during June of 2018 to help establish if the accumulation of microplastic particles was the same between different fluvial bed sediments. All sampling took place on the same date, with triplicate samples taken from both silt and gravel deposits at each location. Density separation was used to extract the microplastic particles from each sample and counted. There were significant differences found between sediment types (p<0.05) with silt deposits containing a higher number of microplastic particles. Different particle types also differed significantly (p<0.05) with 72% of the total

microplastics sampled being fibres with the remainder being fragments; no microspheres were found in the samples. The findings of this trial indicate that there could be a saturation point for each sediment type with total numbers of particles not changing between each sample site. 2018 Hydroacoustics Survey of the River Medway, Kent, UK John Foster Environment Agency E-mail address of the corresponding author: john.foster@environment-agency.gov.uk

Demographics of American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C.

Nicholas J. Walker,

Department of Environmental Science & Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax VA 22030

E-mail address of the corresponding author: nwalker3@gmu.edu

The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) was once very common in the Chesapeake Bay but their numbers have declined in recent decades. The study provides the first overview of the demographics of this species in the states of Maryland, Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay covering several decades of records and in some locations dating from 1911 to 2018. In total, over 3.75 million eels are included in the database. Data collection was inconsistent in many cases, making it difficult to determine trends with regard to sex ratio and levels of infection by the parasitic nematode Anguillocoloidus crassus over time.

Catch per sampling event (CPSE) shows a decline from 2005 to 2015. Total length data showed males over 40 cm, which is rare in the published literature. We recommend implementing standards for eel collection and data storage and emphasize the importance of open-access data. The primary benefit of this work is the creation of a database of eel abundance and demographics over a large temporal and spatial scale.

Spatial analysis of American Eel (Anguilla rostrata), fish passage and land use in Chesapeake Bay tributaries

Nicholas J. Walker,

Department of Environmental Science & Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax VA 22030

E-mail address of the corresponding author: nwalker3@gmu.edu

Catadromous eels are found in more habitats than any other fish and are capable of inhabiting marine, brackish and freshwater environments. In this study we used American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) as a bioindicator organism to create a novel method of using spatial analysis to study species conservation over landscape scales. We built a model of the subwatersheds of the Chesapeake Bay using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and overlaid eel density data (> 1 million eels sampled), dam density data and land use in ArcGIS. Dam construction in the study area peaked between 1955 and 1975, possibly as a result of flood control measures. Effects of land use were localized and most pronounced in areas around Baltimore MD, Washington D.C. and Richmond VA. Results indicate the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers appear to be areas of lesser concern while the upper James and York rivers are ideal for follow-up studies, since these area rank poorly in both eel density and barriers to fish passage. Because these rivers have high eel density downstream, the dams appear to be the limiting factor. Sampling methods have been inconsistent over time, making it is difficult to determine where eel densities are low vs. the area having had little sampling effort. This is partially resolved with catch per sampling event (CPSE), which appears to show a relationship between eels sampled and the number caught per sample.

Company Profiles

Innovative technology makes the difference. Hydrolox™ engineered polymer traveling water screens are changing the way facilities think about intake screen performance. Proven to exclude debris and reduce harm to aquatic life, these effective, longer-lasting solutions are easy to install and require virtually no maintenance. Hydrolox screens address the needs of water-extracting facilities across a wide range of industries, while ensuring compliance with the UK Eels Regulations and the EU Water Framework Directive. We offer single-point-of-contact project management services to help eliminate bottlenecks during screen installation. Our team supervises the entire process, working with your preferred subcontractors and in-house crew (as needed) to help you minimize downtime while optimizing in-house resources, screen performance, and screen life. This process can include initial site surveys to develop scope of work, project meetings, and factory acceptance testing. All Hydrolox screens are backed with industry-leading three-year or four-year warrantees (warrantee terms determined by specifics of screen, application, and installation). In addition to comprehensive on-site support before, during, and after installation, we also provide ongoing expert technical support and award-winning customer service.

Biomark specializes in RFID tag (PIT tag) and related PIT tagging equipment and services for the fisheries and wildlife communities and integrates these products by designing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining the systems that detect the tags at specific and strategic locations for invaluable data collection and comprehensive results. Biomark also provides additional specialized services including fish tagging, statistical analysis, software development, study execution, report writing and computational model development to support analysis and decision making.

Aquatic Control Engineering (ACE) have been helping to solve fisheries connectivity issues in waterways since 2005. ACE established 1995 was a flow control specialist supplying and installing mechanical flood defence and level control structures throughout the UK. ACE first because active in finding fish passage solutions on request of the Environment Agency, specifically their request for ACE to work with them to find a solution for fish passage through tidal valves. ACE didn’t just find one solution, three individual solutions were developed for differing scenarios. The success of the fish passage valves led to ACE developing eel passage solutions with rivers trusts and from there introducing Dutch fish friendly pumping technologies and Icelandic fish monitoring technologies to the UK. Today ACE is a company with a strong environmental focus and clear objective - To protect people, property and biodiversity by delivering flood defence solutions which maintain connectivity for fisheries.

We supply high-specification marine instrumentation and submersible systems to scientists and engineers, and we’ve been doing this since the 1980s. We have some of our own products, like Wave Radar REX and the ORCA and HILO acoustic recorders, but we also have a global network of partner companies who design and manufacture cutting edge technologies for many, many different marine applications. All of our technical staff are marine scientists or instrument technicians by training, which means we can provide advanced technical support, application advice and lifetime product support to each and every one of our customers. We offer extensive calibration and maintenance services, spare parts and accessories. All of our sensors and equipment are supported by data processing, data management and telemetry options as required, tailored to customer needs. We only work with innovative and high-specification sensors, systems and platforms. We work very hard to ensure that all of our equipment is easy to use, is of the highest standards, and is fully supported by our team of technical specialists here in the UK.

Our team of technical specialists will work with you to identify the most appropriate solution for your requirement. If we can help you, we gladly will. If we can’t, then we’ll let you know who can.

APEM is an innovative, award-winning environmental consultancy specialising in freshwater and marine science, remote sensing and aerial surveys. As the UK’S leading provider of aquatic ecological services for both freshwater and marine environments, APEM offers consultancy, laboratory services, field surveys and remote sensing. APEM is the 2019 Water Industry Consultant of the Year. The company’s aquatic expertise includes interpretation and reporting of ecological data and specialist advice on ecological assessments, design, policy and licensing, with the support of the largest taxonomy labs in Europe. Since 1987, APEM has pioneered high-quality, science-based advice on fisheries assessment and management. With some of the country’s most experienced fisheries scientists and the UK’s biggest and best equipped specialist field team, we cover salmonid, coarse and marine species.

cbec eco-engineering UK specialises in eco-engineering for the water resources industry. Eco-engineering is a broad title for design and engineering services as they relate to the aquatic environment to provide ecologically sensitive and sustainable solutions in the fields of geomorphology, river and wetland restoration design, ecology, hydrology and field services. We are focused on the development of environmentally sustainable and innovative solutions for the water resources industry and related interests. Our research background and experience of combining the demands of ecosystem enhancement with multiple environmental legislations, flood risk reduction and other socio-economic considerations (e.g. agriculture and urban development) are critical to our understanding of the future sustainability of water-related ecosystems.

Staff at cbec have a broad range of experience and backgrounds, allowing us to specialise across several disciplines. This includes fluvial geomorphology, topographic/ bathymetric surveying, hydraulic/ hydrologic modelling, sedimentology and freshwater ecology. In combination with our associates Salix River and Wetland Services, we can deliver an integrated and comprehensive optioneering to design to construction package, in house. Our company is specifically structured to provide a flexible service, ranging from specialist bespoke advice to an end-to-end delivery for large, multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder water resources initiatives incorporating a variety of technical services and full project management.

Fishtek Consulting is a specialist fisheries consultancy offering a range of technical services, including fisheries impact assessments, hydro-power studies, fish pass design/fabrication and fisheries mitigation technology. It was set up in 1999 with the aim of developing technological solutions to fisheries issues in both marine and freshwater environments. We are comprised of a team of fishery biologists, freshwater ecologists, environmental scientists and engineers, based at our offices in Devon.

We are well respected in the field, with a track record of providing and developing innovative solutions to fisheries and environmental issues. We work all over the UK, as well as over-seas and have worked with a number of organisations on projects in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile.

Tritech International Ltd. Tritech International Limited [Tritech], a Moog Inc. Company, is a high-technology business designing and manufacturing sonars and underwater cameras for use in multiple markets across the globe including Aquaculture, Oil and Gas, Diving, Search and Recovery, and Defence. Tritech’s bespoke products and customer focused engineering positions them as an industry leader in imaging and ancillary equipment.

Tritech are developing systems for Aquaculture to optimise the feeding process, inspect net integrity, monitor behaviour changes within stock and is working towards providing an accurate biomass estimation. For more information on Tritech, please visit www.moog.com/tritech Moog Inc. Moog Inc. is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems. Moog’s high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, marine and medical equipment. Additional information about the company can be found at www.moog.com.

www.bournemouth.ac.uk/bug BU Global Environmental Solutions (BUG) is a consulting arm of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Bournemouth University, located within the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences. We provide a unique blend of academic and practical expertise to address global ecological issues; developing sustainable solutions to support industry and regulators alike. Our core staff are internationally recognised leaders in their respective fields of research and, supported by a comprehensive laboratory and field monitoring capability, we provide our clients with a ‘one-stop-shop’ for a broad scope of ecological monitoring and scientific advisory services. Our holistic approach to ecosystem assessment covers terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and coastal environments.

RSK is a specialist environmental, health and safety consultancy delivering industry-leading services and guidance to its customers. Our global headquarters is in the UK and we have more than 1100 employees worldwide. RSK’s commitment to environmental excellence and health and safety is shown in our own certification to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 international standards for quality, environmental management and health and safety management. RSK’s Ecology Team carries out ecological surveys and assessments for a broad range of habitats and species, and provides ecological advice for a wide variety of needs. Our

terrestrial and aquatic ecologists include recognised industry experts and their combined knowledge and experience ensure that our services are of the highest quality. If you would like further information on the services that RSK provides or if you wish to discuss a specific ecology issue or project please contact Dr Peter Walker via email: pwalker@rsk.co.uk; or on the phone: 01869 336 827.

E-Fish specialise in the design and production of equipment to assist with electrofishing, survey work and fisheries management Electrofishing 500W Backpack System The 500 Watt Backpack System from E-Fish is a complete electrofishing solution in one ‘easy to transport’ box. Compact, portable and rugged, the system been engineered with the user in mind; from quick change battery modules, a comfortable and ergonomic harness and anode grip, smart tilt and safety sensors and a simple yet intuitive control interface.

Fishtrack are a broad spectrum ecological consultancy with a particular specialism in Fisheries, applying scientific rigour and bespoke services to all areas of ecology and the natural environmental. We are highly regarded for our telemetric studies and remote monitoring technologies for fish passage and fish movement assessment. We provide a diverse portfolio of ecological and environmental services to the Commercial Sector such as Water Companies, Civil Engineering and Power Industries, carrying out fisheries surveys and assessments throughout the UK, habitat enhancements, monitoring of aquatic life and terrestrial animals to producing guidance protocols and reports. We specialising in applied research with Government Agencies, Research Institutes, Academic Institutions, NGO’s,

Commercial and Utility Sectors as well as non-profit organisations and wider interest groups We are the sole UK installer of Oregon RFID systems, and the inventor and co-developer of remote access, web based, RFID fish monitoring and detection system WebLink.

5m publish books for professionals, students, academics and the general reader in aquaculture, veterinary medicine, companion animals and agriculture/smallholding. We also provide global news via our online portfolio, which includes The Fish Site, The Pig Site and The Poultry Site and run the leading aquaculture exhibition in the British Isles, Aquaculture UK.