24-Jul-2006
- Fisheries officers from the Environment Agency
will be patrolling the lower reaches of the River
Tyne by boat throughout the summer due to fears
that the hot weather could take its toll on the
salmon.
The twice-weekly patrols mean
that staff can assess the situation and take action
if necessary. Fish are affected by hot weather
because it raises the temperature of the water
and reduces the amount of oxygen in it. Fish are
also cold-blooded, and the warmer water means
they need more oxygen. If their oxygen requirements
exceed the amount in the river the fish become
distressed and can die.
Extra water has already been
released from Kielder reservoir. This was to try
and help the migrating salmon move out of the
estuary where oxygen levels in the water were
low, into the higher flows of the river’s freshwater.
And for the first time, staff
have enlisted the help of volunteers from local
angling clubs to help them keep an eye on the
rest of the river.
These River Watchers have been
asked to record the location and details of any
dead fish on their stretch so that officers can
decide what action needs to be taken and target
their resources more effectively.
“We are working with angling
clubs and landowners so that they can be our eyes
and ears on the river bank. This is the first
year this has happened and our aim is to get a
more up-to-date and accurate information on the
number and location of fish mortalities during
the summer season,” said ecological appraisal
team leader Jon Shelley.
“With this improved information,
we can better identify the number of salmon we
need to restock to the river.”
The team has also commissioned
a study to look at the water flows in the River
Tyne and fish movements. The report is due to
be announced in March 2007.
So far this year, a total of
over 3000 salmon and sea trout have been recorded
passing upstream through the Environment Agency’s
fish counter at Riding Mill, near Corbridge. The
first boat patrol went out on Friday 21st July,
when just one dead fish was found at Wylam pool,
at the head of the Tyne estuary, around 10 miles
upstream of Newcastle.
Fisheries officers will continue
to closely monitor the situation throughout the
summer.
Notes to editors
Up to 15,000 litres of water
per second were released from the reservoir throughout
last week.
The Kielder releases have to be carefully monitored
so that the extra volume of water doesn’t destroy
the Tyne’s invertebrates and change the river’s
typical summer environment.
Fran Glyn-Jones
