EA create
a new lake and wetland area in Exeter
The Environment Agency
in partnership with Exeter and District
Angling Association is building two lakes
and a wetland to improve biodiversity in
Exeter.
The two lakes, opposite
the Double Locks pub near Exeter Canal,
can be used for angling and general enjoyment
of the outdoors.
‘The lakes will be accessible
to all the community and improve the biodiversity
of the area with increased wildlife for
everyone to enjoy. The project is being
funded by Environment Agency rod licence
sales and Exeter and District Angling Club,’
said Diane Holland from the Environment
Agency.
It will also provide
the opportunity to learn how to fish in
association with the Exeter and District
Angling Association.
Work begins this month
and the lakes will be opening in early Spring
2011 after the new planting has become established.
There will be some disruption
to this section of the canal tow path which
will be fenced off along its length but
the path will remain open apart from a short
closure to install pipe work.
The soil from the parts
of the canal banks that have been eroded
will be used to widen and reinforce the
damaged sections.
A number of willow trees
that are damaging the canal structure will
be cut back and more trees and shrubs will
be planted once construction has been finished.
Ends
+ More
Environment Agency finds
piranha in Devon river
The Environment Agency
has discovered a piranha, a non-native species,
in a Mid Devon river
Release of non-native
species can harm British wildlife - The
Environment Agency today (Friday) warned
of the dangers of releasing non-native species
into UK rivers after staff discovered a
piranha during a routine river monitoring
survey.
Environment Agency fisheries
specialists spotted a dead piranha in the
East Okement tributary of the River Torridge
in Devon as they began a survey of fish
species using electric fishing equipment.
At 35 cm long, the fearless
piranha is commonly found in the Amazon
River basin, and is the most ferocious freshwater
fish in the world - infamous for its razor
sharp teeth and hunting prey in packs.
While piranhas would
not survive in UK rivers, the introduction
of non-native species poses a serious threat
to native wildlife.
Floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle
ranunculoides), originally from North America,
was brought to Britain in the 1980s as a
plant for tropical aquaria and garden ponds.
After being released into the wild, it is
now starving rivers across the south of
England and south Wales of light, nutrients
and oxygen. This kills many of the species
living in it and also increases the risk
of flooding by blocking the waterway.
Other invasive species
that are currently a concern for the Environment
Agency include:
• river banks being
weakened by signal crayfish and Chinese
mitten crabs;
• increased flooding
risk as a result of dense growth of Japanese
knotweed along river banks;
• signal crayfish displacing
and killing native crayfish by carrying
a deadly fungal disease;
• topmouth gudgeon displacing
native fish in lakes;
• the impact of mink
on water vole numbers.
An autopsy carried out
by the Environment Agency found the Piranha’s
stomach was full of sweetcorn suggests it
might have been kept as a domestic pet.
Environment Agency experts believe the piranha
was most likely to have been placed in the
river once the fish became too large for
its tank, and was found dead as the fish
could not tolerate the low temperature of
the water.
Fish species which the
team would commonly expect to find in the
river include salmon, brown trout and less
commonly the bullhead, stone loach and minnow.
Mark Diamond, Ecology
Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
"Whilst piranhas
can’t survive the colder climates of the
UK, this latest find highlights a real issue
- that releasing unwanted exotic pets or
plants into rivers can have serious consequences
for native wildlife.
"Rather than dumping
things in the wild, we would urge people
to seek advice about what to do with exotic
species."
Eddie Stevens, one of
the three-man monitoring team, from the
Environment Agency said:
"What we actually
came across was something which we would
not expect to find in our wildest dreams
- we could hardly believe our eyes.
"After completing
20 metres of the survey a large tail emerged
from the undercut bank on the far side of
the river. Our first thought was that a
sea trout had become lodged in amongst the
rocks and debris collected under the bank.
But when it was removed from the river we
were speechless to find it was a piranha."
ENDS
Media enquiries: 020
7863 8710 or outside normal office hours,
please contact the National Duty Press Officer
on 07798 882 092.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
• Images of the piranha
are available on request from the Press
Office.
• In shoals the piranha
ambushes its prey, stripping the flesh of
large animals such as Anaconda or even Jaguar
within minutes. They have also been known
to attack humans devouring flesh and bones
to leave no trace.
• The average size of
the Red Bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus Natteren)
is 15-20 cm making the fish found on the
East Okement an exceptional size.
