smelt in rivers and estuaries in england 2010 - ifm · smelt in rivers and estuaries in england....
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Smelt in rivers and estuaries in England2010
Steve ColcloughDirector
Original watercolour by Colin Newman
Synopsis
1. Biology of the smelt
2. Historical fisheries
3. Modern distribution
4. Legislative position
5. Future protection and regulation
Drawing after Maitland, 2003
Smelt in England 2003 & 2010 Reviews
Most of the known biology has been described by a number of workers in Western Europe on the Elbe, Cree & Thames (Maitland, 2003). Variation in life history strategies across the range from Ireland to the former USSR and Norway to northern Spain, with anadromous and lacustrine populations.
Osmerus mordax Rainbow smelt in New England.
Chris Conroy
Osmerus eperlanus (L.) smelt or sparling
Locating the spawning fish on the Thames at Wandsworth
Hand gill net – 25m by 1.5 m
Mid - April, 1986 & 1987.
Dace
Wheeler, 1979.
Downstream drift of early larvae & eggs?
15 km tidal excursion, with a net movement downstream 0.5 km/day
160-200 degree days to hatch, with ambient temperatures in the range 10 - 12°C ie 13- 20 days
Wandsworth is 11.2km above London Bridge ie approximately 23 days downstream by passive drift
18 mm larvae first seen at Greenwich in mid- May (Colclough, 2000)
In the Elbe at similar temperatures, these would be around 27 days after hatching (Sepulveda, 1994)
Selective tidal stream transport. (Colclough, 2002)
Larval & egg drift (Ehrenbaum, 1894; Lillelund, 1961)
• Major commercial fisheries for smelt, shad, whitebait, shrimp, eel, and salmon were associated with the Thames estuary until the 1830’s.
• 50,000 smelt per day were landed at Deptford in 1800.
• Smelt and shad bones have been found in Roman remains at Southwark.
• By 1800, Barking Creek supported one of the largest UK fishing fleets (over 1000 vessels in total).
• The remains of Bronze Age fish traps can be found at Putney and elsewhere.
• The locations of the original fishing villages such as Battersea were probably determined in part by the availability of good fishing stations.
A History of Fisheries in the Thames Estuary
Wheeler 1979
Lord Mayor & Conservator of the Thames
1630 smelt byelaws - Smelt close seasons
West of London 10/3 – 14/9
East of London 21/10 - Good Friday
April 1797 early dispensation – 500 employed
Fishing Methods
Historical legal position
www.envionment-agency.gov.uk
6 yr cycle, Reference Conditions & Programmes of Measures
Colclough
et al, 2002, Coates et al, 2007
Otter trawling in the lower Thames Estuary Spring & Autumn
Length frequency distributions for smelt in the Thames 1994-96
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Battersea 1994
01020304050
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Brentford 1994
012345
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Greenwich 1994
024
68
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)N
umbe
r
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Hammersmith 1994
024
68
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), West Thurrock 1994
0
1
2
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
BRENTFORD
HAMMERSMITH
BATTERSEA
GREENWICH
WEST THURROCK
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus), Brentford 1995
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 5 10 15 20 25
Le ngt h ( c m)
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Hammersmith 1995
01020
3040
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), West Thurrock 1995
0
1
2
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Greenwich 1995
05
10152025
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Battersea 1995
020406080
100
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Richmond 1995
0
10
20
30
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), West Thurrock 1996
0
1
2
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Greenwich 1996
0
1
2
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Battersea 1996
024
68
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)
Num
ber
Spring
Autumn
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ), Kew 1996
0
1
2
3
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length (cm)N
umbe
r
Spring
Autumn
KEW
RICHMOND
10KM.
N
From Colclough et al, 2000
Average Water Temperature Taken At Cadogan AQMS.
0
5
10
15
20
25
JAN
FEB
MAR AP
R
MAY JU
N
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Month
Tempe
rature
0 C
199419951996
Average Dissolved Oxygen Concentration Of Water Sampled From Cadogan AQMS.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Month
Dissolve
d Oxy
gen (%
)
1994
1995
1996
Average Chloride Content Of Water Sampled From Cadogan AQMS.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Month
Chlor
ide mg/L
199619951994
Flow gauged at Kingston (Teddington), for years 1994, 95 and 96. Plotted against a 7 year average (1987-93).
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Janu
ary
Febr
uary
Mar
ch
April
May
June July
Augu
stSe
ptem
ber
Octob
erNo
vem
ber
Dece
mbe
r
Month
CUM
ECS 7 Year Average (87-93)
199419951996
Water quality summary information from the Tidal Thames 1994-1996
From Colclough et al, 2000
Thames Tideway Strategy – Dissolved Oxygen standards - WFD
8 species tested in classic ecotoxicological studies - brown trout, salmon (smolts), bass, sand-smelt, dace, flounder, common goby & smelt.
6hr/24hr LC50 values ranged from 4/4mgl/l to 0.6/1.2mg/l.
Smelt range 1.5/1.6 – only adults tested, only then after ambient temperature fell below 18C
Avoidance
Avoidance threshold ranged from 5.25mg/l to 0.8mg/l. Smelt 3.1 mg/l.
Turnpenny et al. 2004 for TWUL.
North East:- Tweed x, Wansbeck x, Blyth x, Tyne x, Wear x, Tees x. Tyne, Esk (Yorkshire)
East Coast: - Humber - Humber, Trent, Ouse, Ure ? Wash - Wainfleet Haven ?, Witham ?, The Haven (Boston) ?, Welland ?, Nene ?, Great Ouse, Broads - Waveney, Wensum, Thurne, Bure, Yare.Humber – Humber & Trent. Wash - Wash, Gt. Ouse. Broads –Breydon Water, Bure.
South East:- Alde ?, Deben ?, Stour (Suffolk) ?, Orwell ?,Blackwater,Crouch, Thames - Thames, Lee, Medway,Swale.Alde,,Stour(Suffolk), Orwell, Blackwater, Crouch,
Thames –Thames, Lee, Medway,Swale . South Coast - Rother ? Ouse Sussex? Adur ? Portsmouth Harbour?,
Southampton Water ? Christchurch Harbour? Poole Harbour, Frome, Piddle, Portland Harbour?.Adur
South West: - Kingsbridge Harbour ?, Tamar .Plymouth Sound
North West: – Dee, Mersey? Ribble, Morecambe Bay, Wyre, Lune, Kent, Leven, Duddon, Solway? Eden?. Dee, Mersey, Ribble, Lune, Wyre, Solway.
Smelt in England 2003 & 2010
Drawing after Maitland, 2003
Smelt Osmerus eperlanus (L.)
Sand-smelt Atherina presbyter (L.)
Newburn Slip Spring 2009
Smelt in the Tyne
0
1
2
3
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n = 8
Relict or immigrant?
Coastal movement?
Smelt in the Middle & Upper Humber
Whitton Island Autumn 2004
0
1
2
3
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =4
0
1
2
3
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =5
Flaxfleet Spring 2007
1.5 tonnes at Gainsborough
Fyne net captures - pike dead bait market
0
1
2
3
4
5
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =15
Smelt in the Wash & Great Ouse
Wash Autumn 2007
0123456789
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =53
Gt Ouse South of Kings Lynn Autumn 2008
Gt Ouse Low Cut Spring 2007
Gt Ouse Low Cut Autumn 2008
0
1
2
3
4
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n = 6
0
5
10
15
20
25
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =41
0
2
4
6
8
10
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =12
Gt Ouse South of Kings Lynn Spring 2008
Witham, Welland?
Breydon Water (CSV) Autumn 2008
Smelt in the Norfolk Broads
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =35
Bure, Thurne, Waveney
Pike deadbait market
Smelt in the Alde
Iken Cliffs Autumn 2003
012345678
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =34
Deben, Stour & Orwell?
Grain Spring 2001
Smelt in the Medway
0
1
2
3
4
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =14
Borstal Autumn 2000
0123456789
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =19
Borstal Spring 2001
012345678
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =16
Woulham Autumn 2000 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n = 9
Woulham Spring 2000
Woulham Autumn 2000
Borstal Autumn 2000
Recovery later than Thames
3 �C colder than Thames
Second wave of post larvae in Thames in June
0
10
20
30
40
50
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =62Connor Quay Autumn 2004
02468
10121416
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n = 30Cob House Farm Spring 2004
Cob House Farm Autumn 2004
02468
1012141618
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =34
Saltney Autumn 2005
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =16
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n =7Crane Wharf Spring 2008
Smelt in the Dee
Cob House Farm Autumn 2004
Mersey
Smelt in the Ribble
Seven and a half mile post Autumn 2009
0
1
2
3
4
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n = 5
0
1
2
3
4
0 100 200 300 400 500
Length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
Osmerus eperlanus n = 8
Smelt in the Solway
Silloth Autumn 2008
Cree
Eden, Wampool, Nith, Annan etc?
Thames Sea Fisheries Byelaws 2009 - smelt
European status - vulnerable – Winfield et al., 1994
5 tonnes from Blythe Sands in late summer of 2009 & 2010 Buyers & Sellers Regs. 2008.
Fish for the Future
Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review 2000Marine & Coastal Access Act, 2009 is delivering changes to our freshwater fisheries legislation. The main changes in Part 7 Chapter 3 are –
SFFA, 1975 -• S.1 Implements – smelt, lampreys and shad (SLS) added• S.2 Unclean fish now includes SLS • S.25 Licensing provision includes smelt and lampreys• S.26 Licence limitation extended to all species under S.25• S.27A&B New power to authorise fishing• S.31& 33 New power to disable, remove certain fixed engines• S.34 Power to apprehend now extended to 24hrs.• S. 35 Power to require licence production extended to include
authorisations and licences under S.16 of the W. & C. Act, 1981
• S. 40A New power for national authority to specify fish species• S. 41 Definitions – freshwater crayfish now means “all”
freshwater crayfish
Species – specific research: -
Review the case for the introduction or reintroduction of smelt to new or previously occupied sites.
Investigate the impact of climate change on smelt populations.
Complete a sampling programme for genetic analysis to determine origin of fish around UK and report.
Species-specific management action: -
Restoration of stocks to previously occupied rivers (e.g. Rivers Tyne, Nith, Annan, etc.). Galloway Fisheries Trust – Cree to Water of Fleet
Wider "landscape" action –
Ensure existing fisheries are monitored and sustainable.
Removal of man-made barriers to migration in all UK rivers.
UK BAP Priority SpeciesOsmerus eperlanusActions identified by experts V2 15/12/10