Confluence 15: Autumn 12

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Confluence is the bi-annual newsletter of the Westcountry Rivers Trust. Confluence is packed with all of the latest news on the work of the Trust and what is happening in river restoration and conservation across the Westcountry. The Autumn 2012 edition was a special edition about the Trust's River Improvement Projects funded by the Environment Agency's Catchment Restoration Fund earlier in the year.

Transcript of Confluence 15: Autumn 12

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CONTENTS 

DIRECTORS COMMENTS 3

TRUST NEWS:

CATCHMENT RESTORATION FUND 4

WATER CONFERENCE 4

HOUSE OF LORDS 5

THE TAMAR CATCHMENT PLAN 6

PRECIOUS PEARL MUSSELS 7

SPECIAL FEATURE:

RIVER RESTORATION 8

MONITORING FOR SUCCESS 10

GOING WITH THE FLOW 13

RIVER HABITAT RESTORATION 14

ANGLING NEWS 16

DEBATE: VALUING NATURE 17

EDUCATION 18

WRT DIGITAL 19  

Cover Photo: A large stonefly. Photo by David Chapman.

Editors: Lucy Morris and Nick Paling

Contributors: Dylan Bright, Layla Lidster, Giles Rickard, Lucy Morris,

Joe Morris, David Chapman and Nick Paling.

© Copyright: Westcountry Rivers Trust, 2012.

The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of

the Westcountry Rivers Trust or the trustees thereof and

responsibility cannot be accepted for opinions herein. Whilst

advertising is welcomed, such advertising and/or logos do not

constitute Westcountry Rivers Trust endorsements of the products,

services or companies involved.

The Westcountry Rivers Trust is a registered charitable limited 

company (Charity No: 1135007, Company No: 06545646).

Printed by

Assessing the health of a river ecosystem 

© Ross Hoddinott ‐ 2020 Vision 

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COMMENT 

WRT is going back to basics sought to position ecology as one of the central measures of

successful environmental sustainability. This Directive is

pragmatic; it does not seek to measure everything, but rather it

assesses indicators of ecosystem function as a central measure of

our success. Importantly, it focuses on water, which is the final

resting place of much of the pollution arising from unsustainable

practices.

At the Westcountry Rivers Trust, we were delighted with this

development and we, and others, felt that this was one of the

most important pieces of environmental legislation ever produced.

Little did we know that this would be the snowball that set off the

avalanche.

Since 2000, many groups, including the Trust, have sought to take

the aspiration further to include all environmental services within a

planning framework. This would ensure that we work within

environmental limits while continuing to receive all of the services

that society needs from the environment. Now this may sound like

the idealistic fancy of an intellectual, like Sir Thomas More’s

‘Utopia’. However, in reality it is perfectly possible to get all we

need from the environment, while not diminishing it. What is

more, it is probably the more profitable option in the short‐term,

as well as being the only option in the longer term. The key for us,

is to place the environment at the centre of our economic models

in the future and manage it as a finite, but regenerating resource,

rather than an infinite one.

In this issue of Confluence we will be discussing how we are using

ecology to measure environmental health and we will be

presenting some practical approaches to restoring ecological

function.

Dr Dylan Bright Trust Director

 

“Water  is  the most  critical  resource  issue  of  our  lifetime  and  our 

children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure 

of how we live on the land.” Luna B. Leopold

Luna Leopold was a scientist, writer and educator. His studies of

rivers and their flows and movements have provided enduring

insights into how rivers shape themselves and shape the land. His

famous quotation inspired my career, because within it he

recognises a simple truth: we are entirely dependent on a

functioning environment and so its health should be the ultimate

indicator of the sustainability of society.

There are many examples of societies and civilisations scattered

throughout human history and across the globe that have

overlooked this link; from the Greenland Norse to the Easter

Islanders and from the Polynesians of Pitcairn Island to the Maya

of Central America. The main failure arises from what economists

refer to as a ‘tragedy of the commons’. This is the depletion of a

shared resource by individuals, acting independently and

rationally according to each one’s self‐interest. In order to avoid

this, an understanding is required of the total carrying capacity of

our environment; how much of a natural resource can be used

while still ensuring that the resource has the capacity to recover,

regrow and replenish itself? We also need a process that enables

us to centrally manage our use of resources within those limits.

You would think that, knowing all this and looking haughtily back

over the long history of collapsed societies, we would  have

established mechanisms to measure the health of the

environment, which we could use to manage its use sustainably.

Well, you would be wrong!

Only as recently as 2000 have we seen the introduction of a piece

of legislation, the EU Water Framework Directive, that has finally

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TRUST NEWS 

Dylan Bright addresses Chinese delegation 

Rapid move to catch Restoration Funds THE  START  OF  2012  SAW  THE  ANNOUNCEMENT  BY DEFRA  OF  A  £28 MILLION 

CATCHMENT  RESTORATION  FUND  (CRF),  TO  BE  MADE  AVAILABLE  FOR  RIVER 

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS IN ENGLAND OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.  

In just two short weeks, Westcountry Rivers Trust staff compiled detailed bids for CRF‐

funded projects in catchments across the South West and were successful in winning

over £4 million of funding for six major new river restoration projects.

CRF Projects will take place on the Dart and Teign, the Axe and Exe, the rivers of the

South Hams, the rivers of South Cornwall and the River Taw. These projects are largely

aimed at improving the ecological condition of failing waterbodies through the

implementation of practical, on‐the‐ground measures (see our Special Feature on our

Catchment Restoration Projects in this edition of Confluence).

“The bids from the Westcountry Rivers Trust exemplified what the Catchment Restoration 

Fund aims to do; consider the catchment as a whole, solve problems through working with a 

range of partners and, most of all, deliver benefits across society. Water is essential for life 

and  livelihoods. These projects will  restore a more balanced approach  to  land and water 

management in order to sustain both people and wildlife in the future.”  

David Baxter, Head of Catchment Management, Environment Agency

EU WATER Project Conference THE WATER PROJECT WAS SET UP TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF WETTED LAND WITHIN A CATCHMENT AND TO EXAMINE THE 

TECHNIQUES AND ECONOMICS OF RESTORATION. NOW IN ITS THIRD AND FINAL YEAR, THE PROJECT CULMINATED IN JUNE WITH 

A CONFERENCE IN EXETER, WHICH SAW THE PUBLICATION OF A 24‐PAGE PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES GUIDE. 

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is a mechanism for investing in the restoration and protection of the natural environment, in this

case river and catchment restoration. During a full day of presentations and lively discussion, the partners of the WATER project

presented their findings and set out the two main objectives of the project; firstly, a web mounted catchment portal that identifies the

different interests and brokers working across our river catchments; and secondly, a printed guide aimed at setting up PES projects.  

BBC Spotlight film project officers Layla Lidster and Giles Rickard for the news 

The Trust has worked closely with South West Water in developing and delivering their

innovative PES initiative, the Upstream Thinking Project. South West Water are

investing in restoration of land to improve water quality at source, prior to abstraction,

rather than paying the costs of cleaning the water post‐abstraction.

This initiative is linked with the WATER project and was used as an in‐depth case study

for the conference, detailing how the scheme originated, the mechanisms and legal

framework within which it is delivered and how the costs and benefits are assessed.

On the day following the conference, delegates had the opportunity to visit two of the

sites on Exmoor that have benefited from restoration work and to see the

improvements resulting from South West Water’s investment.

This innovative and now award winning initiative has paved the way in the new

economics of catchment restoration and the WATER conference was a great success in

showcasing what can be achieved through Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes.  

Many thanks to all those who contributed to the success of

the conference, including the speakers Marie‐Helene

Philippe, Arlin Rickard, Ronan Girard, Martin Ross, Laurie

Smith and Adrian Collins, as well as Trust staff Laurence

Couldrick, Hazel Kendall, Nick Paling and Lucy Morris.

A copy of the guide is available on request from WRT or you

can downloaded it at www.wrt.org.uk/WATERPESGuide.pdf. 

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TRUST NEWS 

Trust Director at the House of Lords RECOGNITION  OF  THE  TRUST’S WORK  AND  VISION  HAS  CONTINUED  TO  GROW  IN  THE  FIRST  HALF  OF  THIS  YEAR  AND  IN 

FEBRUARY  TRUST DIRECTOR, DR DYLAN BRIGHT, WAS  INVITED  TO GIVE  EVIDENCE  AT  THE HOUSE OF  LORDS  EU SELECT 

COMMITTEE INQUIRY ON EU FRESHWATER POLICY.  

During the hour‐long session, Dr Bright was quizzed intensively on his views on the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and its delivery

both here in the UK and across Europe. The Lords listened with interest as Dr Bright explained how the Trust’s approach to water, land

and environmental management, through Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes, could help deliver WFD objectives. He also

explained that such an approach could deliver a good proportion of the UK’s biodiversity and recreational aspirations, as well as improving

flood and drought defence and carbon sequestration capabilities. The Lords were particularly interested in the potential of applying the

Trusts PES catchment management approach in the wider European context.

Dr Bright emphasised to the Lords the importance of good, well‐informed rural spatial planning and how, through engagement with local

communities, businesses and organisations it is possible to develop a workable and strategic catchment management plan. This plan can

then be implemented through the creation of appropriate economic markets at a local level. Dr Bright cited the Trust’s work with South

West Water on their Upstream Thinking initiative as an example of this approach .

When questioned by the Lords on potential measures the government might implement to support this approach, Dr Bright stressed the

need for simplified but more effective regulation. Alongside better regulation should come an alignment of incentives, such as the

redirection of CAP payments and agri‐environment subsidies, into locally approved catchment plans. He also suggested that a new

governance structure could be created in order to give catchment management plans a democratic mandate, recognising catchment

boundaries as planning units for rural spatial planning and supporting the creation of new, local economic markets for ecosystem services.

In the Chairman’s final remarks, the Lords thanked Dr Bright for “a most stimulating session”.  

“Yes, he does seem to be talking a lot of sense…but where are his shoes?” 

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Trust pilots its approach to catchment management OUR APPROACH TO CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT HAS ALWAYS PLACED A STRONG EMPHASIS ON ENGAGING AND WORKING WITH 

INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNERS, BUSINESSES AND ORGANISATIONS IN ORDER TO DELIVER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS ON THE 

GROUND. THIS YEAR, THE TRUST  IS HOSTING ONE OF DEFRA’S PILOT CATCHMENTS AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAVE THE 

OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS AN ENTIRE CATCHMENT WITH THE AIM OF DEVELOPING AN AMBITIOUS 

INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE TAMAR. 

Over 60 delegates, representing businesses,

public bodies, local interest groups and

other third sector organisations from across

the Tamar catchment, attended the project

launch at Roadford Lake in March.

The River Tamar and its catchment provides

a variety of resources and benefits to all

those who live and work within the

catchment. It provides a place to grow food

and to enjoy recreation. It provides us with

water to drink as well as the capacity to

store water, providing protection against

flood and drought. There are habitats

important for rare species and biodiversity

within the catchment and some of these

also play a significant role in sequestering

carbon.

However, management of the catchment

for delivery of these resources and benefits

is currently thought to be undertaken in a

rather fragmented way.

At the launch meeting, delegates took part

in round‐table discussions to explore their

ideas on where in the catchment these

ecosystem services are, or could be,

delivered.

Stakeholders were also invited to contribute

to a series of follow‐up working groups, to

be run over the summer months, which had

the aim of identifying and mapping broad

areas within the catchment that they

considered important for the delivery of

specific ecosystem services.

For example, recreational groups might be

interested in access to the river, but this

could be considered more important near

towns and villages than it is in very rural

parts of the catchment. Likewise, many

conservation organisations are concerned

with protecting rare habitats and species

within the catchment, but these could be

enhanced more effectively if connectivity

between fragmented habitats was

improved.

Seven working groups were formed and the

meetings that have taken place over recent

months have been attended by a total of

100 stakeholders. Tapping into the

combined expertise of these many and

diverse stakeholders has enabled the

collation of existing data and information

about the catchment in order to map areas

where ecosystem services are currently

provided. Stakeholders have also prioritised

areas where there may be opportunities for

the enhanced provision of these ecosystem

services in the future.

The seven working groups have

encompassed ecological networks for

wildlife, carbon sequestration, provision of

fresh water, recreation and culture,

regulation of water resources and the

provision of food. Another working group

has also been established to address the

issue of location‐specific pollution within

the catchment and another has been asked

to consider the practicalities of engaging

and educating the wider public in the issues

raised during the project.

Bringing stakeholders from the Tamar catchment together 

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TRUST NEWS 

A precious pearl river IN  FEBRUARY  2012  NORTH  DEVON  AONB,  THE  BIOSPHERE  RESERVE,  THE 

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY AND  THE TARKA COUNTRY TRUST  COMMISSIONED  THE 

TRUST TO ASSESS AVAILABILITY OF POTENTIAL HABITAT FOR A VERY RARE AND 

THREATENED PEARL MUSSEL SPECIES ON THE RIVER MOLE IN DEVON. 

The River Mole supports a variety of protected species, including the intriguing pearl

mussel. Historically, these rare molluscs were found in numerous Devon catchments

including the Tamar, Exe, Dart, Teign and Torridge. However, only two catchments (the

Taw and the Torridge) still support small pearl mussel populations and today this globally

threatened species has been lost from all but seven English rivers.

This decline is thought to be largely due to pearl mussels being very sensitive to changes

in their environment and, as such, their presence indicates an extremely healthy river

system. Each individual pearl mussel acts as a filter, clarifying the water by removing

micro‐organisms and particulate matter, on which they feed.

A distinguishing characteristic of the pearl mussel’s life cycle is the larval stage, during

which they attach themselves to the gills of salmonids as they make their way upstream

in the late summer. The juveniles then drop off the host once in the upper reaches of the

river, burying themselves in clean, coarse sand where they will remain to feed and grow

into adults.

Pearl mussels can live up to 120 years of age and the adults are capable of reproduction

until they die. However, the juveniles cannot survive in silted substrates, where the

gravels and sand on the river bottom become clogged with silt due to poor land

management practices. This dramatically reduces the supply of clean, well‐oxygenated

water available to the young mussels nestled in the substrate, resulting in very high

mortality rates. This near total loss of offspring has resulted in ageing populations and

some of the youngest pearl mussels in the Torridge are thought to be around 40 years

old!

The pilot project undertaken by the Trust involved recruiting and training 17 local

volunteers to carry out habitat walkover surveys. The surveys indicated that, although

there were areas of the River Mole with good potential for supporting pearl mussels,

there were a multitude of issues that would need to be addressed before a population

could be viably sustained.

Through conducting surveys and establishing appropriate and effective management

techniques, it is hoped that sites with the potential to support pearl mussel beds can be

optimised in the future, helping to secure a future for this remarkable species.  

Adult freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) 

Image: Joel Berglund 

The task ahead is now to draw together the

outputs of the working groups and overlay

the resulting maps to identify areas where

there is complementarity or conflict in the

provision of services. The final map will

highlight areas in the catchment that are

important for delivery of multiple services

and, in the final meetings of the working

groups, stakeholders will discuss ways in

which they might be able to work together

and channel funding towards improving

the delivery of ecosystem services in target

areas.

The ultimate aim of piloting this approach

is to develop a unifying, stakeholder‐led

and spatially informed catchment

management plan for the river Tamar, that

draws together all the different interests

within the catchment.

The Trust hopes this process will enable

potential funding sources to be utilised to

deliver maximum gains, ensuring that the

Tamar catchment continues to provide its

communities with all of the services that

they depend on.

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

ONE OF THE CENTRAL AIMS OF THE TRUST’S NEW CATCHMENT RESTORATION FUND  (CRF) PROJECTS  IS TO IMPROVE THE ECOLOGICAL HEALTH OF MANY OF THE RIVERS IN THE SOUTH WEST. IN THIS SPECIAL FEATURE WE  EXPLORE  WHAT  IS  MEANT  BY  THE  ‘ECOLOGICAL  HEALTH’  OF  A  RIVER  AND  DESCRIBE  SOME  OF  THE PRACTICAL METHODS WE WILL BE USING, ON‐THE‐GROUND, TO IMPROVE IT.  

RIVER RESTORATION 

Ecology is the study not just of the abundance and distribution of

living organisms, but also the relationships they have with each

other and the non‐living environment they inhabit.

All species have a niche; they are biologically adapted, to varying

degrees of specificity, in order to live in their environment. The

variety of different habitats and species is what we term

biodiversity and species interact with their habitats, both living

and non‐living, to form complex ecosystems. Every organism has a

role to play in the ecosystem of which it is a part.

So, what do we mean when we talk about the health of an

ecosystem and how can health be restored?

What we are really talking about is the ability of an ecosystem to

perform its natural processes, to maintain the abundance and

diversity of life that it supports and to restore itself after suffering

external disturbances.

An assessment of ecological condition enables us to evaluate to

what extent the direct or indirect effects of human activities have

damaged the ecosystem, resulting in loss of carrying capacity,

functionality and biodiversity.

There are a myriad of different factors that influence the diversity

and abundance of living organisms; the age, size and abundance of

living organisms; the age, size and connectedness of the habitat of

Taw River Improvement Project (TRIP) 

TRIP is £1.8 million project that will address fish migration

issues throughout the River Taw catchment, through weir

removals and installation of fish passes.

South Hams River Improvement Project (SHRImP) 

The main aims of the £700,000 SHRImP is to reduce

sedimentation and nutrient enrichment, improve passage for

fish past obstacles and address issues relating to pH.

.

South Cornwall River Improvement Project (SCRIP) 

SCRIP is a £430,000 project that will address issues resulting

from the region’s long history of clay extraction and the heavy

modification and canalisation of river channels.

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

Ecological Status and the Water Framework Directive River condition assessments for the Water Framework Directive

are currently undertaken in the UK by the Environment Agency

using methodologies agreed with the UK Technical Advisory

Group (UK TAG) and recommendations for remedial catchment

management interventions are made through River Basin

Management Plans (RBMPs).

For surface waters, such as rivers and lakes, the ‘overall status’ of

a waterbody is comprised of an ecological and a chemical

component. The ecological status of a waterbody is primarily

measured using a series of biological parameters and is recorded

on the scale high, good, moderate, poor and bad, with moderate

or worse being regarded as failure.

To determine a WFD classification the degree of disturbance to

each quality element is assessed against a ‘reference value or set

of values’ for that element. A reference value for a biological

quality element is the level predicted to occur when a river is

subjected to no, or only very minor, alteration as a result of

human disturbance.

UKTAG recommends that reference conditions should reflect ‘a

state in the present or in the past corresponding to very low

pressure, without the effects of major industrialisation,

urbanisation and intensification of agriculture’. In broad terms, a

classification of good ecological status is applied to natural water

bodies that show only slight variation from their undisturbed

natural condition.

In addition to the biological characterisation of waterbody

condition these classifications are also supported by assessments

of three additional components of the environment: physical

structure (morphology), flow and water levels (hydrology) and

general water quality (physico‐chemistry).

which they are a part; the topography, geology and altitude of the

region where the habitat is located; and the hours of daylight,

amount of rainfall and the temperature of that region, are just a

few.

A benign physical environment, where temperatures are moderate

and consistent, and rainfall is regular, often provides good

conditions for life, while variety in topography, geology, hydrology

and soils, as well as variety in the living, biological environment,

provide a multitude of niches in which a diverse range of species

can thrive.

Within a river system, water moves over and through the

landscape which has a varied geology and soils, from the

headwaters in the mountains or moors, through bogs, heaths and

steep wooded valleys, though grasslands and marshes in the

floodplain, all the way down to the sea. The characteristics of a

particular landscape affect the way water moves through it; its

temperature and its chemical properties. At the same time, water

moving through a landscape lifts, carries and deposits materials;

helping to mould and shape the landscape around it and to move

the non‐living and the living biological elements laterally,

longitudinally and vertically throughout the aquatic ecosystem.

These complex, dynamic, high energy interactions influence the

structure of a river, from the slope and height of the river banks

and the depth of the channel, to the substrates that line the river

bed. Opportunities for species to evolve and adapt to colonise

new niches abound in this ecologically diverse environment.

Here in the Westcountry, the three primary causes of decline in

ecosystem health and loss of biodiversity are water pollution,

flow modification and the destruction and degradation of habitat.

It is these causes of damage that the Catchment Restoration

Fund projects aim to address.

The map  (left)  shows  the  catchments we will  be working  in  for  our 

various Catchment Restoration Fund Projects and gives a description of 

the main activities we will be undertaking for each.  Axe & Exe River Improvement Project (AERIP) 

AERIP is a £670,000 project aimed at reducing sediment load

and nutrient enrichment, easements for fish migration and

improvements of gravels for fish spawning.

Dart & Teign River Improvement Project (DTRIP) 

DTRIP is a £500,000 Project aimed at reducing sedimentation,

improving spawning gravels, as well as addressing issues

resulting from road run‐off and low moorland pH.

.

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10 

 

SPECIAL FEATURE 

Establishing a baseline and monitoring success The Trust has a well established method of carrying out river

walkover surveys to record habitat type and condition both in‐

channel and in the riparian zone. At the same time, the surveyor

will identify problems such as obstacles to fish passage,

modifications to the channel or areas where the habitat has

become degraded. These surveys help to identify and locate

potential causes of poor ecological condition and inform where we

target works on the ground to best deliver improvements.

However, it is also essential that we record the success, or

otherwise, of the works carried out and we have a suite of

monitoring tools that can be used to do this.

The first step in this process is to establish a baseline, from which

we can judge the effectiveness of restoration work. This involves

collating and evaluating all pre‐existing data, held by public

bodies, local interest groups and other organisations, and utilising

the Trust’s extensive, in‐house, knowledge of Westcountry rivers

in order to build up a detailed picture of the condition of each

waterbody and of the catchment as a whole.

Where there are gaps in the coverage of this data, we will be

undertaking further survey and monitoring activities, both pre and

post‐restoration work. Some of the more unusual monitoring

techniques we will be using for the River Improvement Projects

include:

Temperature and pH Monitoring

Extreme fluctuations in the temperature and acidity of the water

can have a detrimental effect on a variety of species, including

invertebrates and fish. These fluctuations can be easily recorded

using an electronic device called a data‐logger.

These devices are placed in‐stream, usually for a period of one

month, where they then record data on temperature and pH. The

ability to record data frequently over a long period of time enables

an evaluation to be made of the extent of fluctuations in a variety

of different flow and weather conditions.  

Diatom Sampling 

Diatoms are a diverse and ancient group of algae numbering many

tens of thousands of species. They photosynthesise, are often

single‐celled and are found in both marine and freshwater

environments.

The availability of nutrients is one of the key factors in determining

which species of diatom can survive in any given waterbody and,

as such, analysing the diatom communities present in a river or a

stream can give a very good indication of whether there is, or has

been, nutrient enrichment.

As with the data loggers, diatom sampling gives a better indication

of overall water quality than infrequent water sampling, as this

approach can often fail to capture data during peak events and the

algae are in the river ‘sampling’ their environment every day

throughout the year.

In‐situ real‐time water quality monitoring 

To assess the pollutant loads present in our rivers and to identify

from where in the catchment they are derived from, we will also be

deploying a series of automatic samplers or sondes (from the

French for probe). These devices (shown below), when placed into

the river or stream, record the chemical composition of the water

passing over their sensors at regular intervals and store the data

internally or transmit it back to a database on the internet. These

data can help us to understand how the levels of different

chemicals in the water change over time and can indicate which

tributaries are contributing the most pollution under certain

conditions (such as after rainfall or during periods of low flow).

These various specialised methods, combined with the more

commonplace (but equally important) survey and sampling

techniques we use, such as fish population monitoring and

invertebrate sampling (see special sections on following pages),

provide the tools with which the Catchment Restoration Fund

Project officers can accurately monitor their progress over the

coming three years.

Electrofishing is a great method of monitoring fish populations 

Image: Paul Glendell 

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

Assessing the condition of fish populations  Electrofishing is one of the most effective methods available to quantify, assess and monitor fish populations; both within and between

waterbodies. Electrofishing involves creating an electric field in the water that temporarily immobilises the fish or influences the

direction in which they swim, making them relatively easy to capture with a dip net. The voltage of the electric current and mass of the

fish determine the strength of the effect and, if used correctly and according to the guidelines, the fish are unharmed and recover fully.

It is important that the conductivity of the water is measured at each individual site, so that voltage settings and other parameters can

be adjusted where appropriate.

Electrofishing surveys can either be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative electrofishing is used to capture a snapshot of the fish

population, giving an indication of the species present (or any notable absences) and their age classes. In contrast, quantitative

sampling requires a more structured approach, with a defined area, typically 100m2, fished repeatedly having been isolated using stop

nets at the top and bottom of the river section. This method allows an accurate count of the number of fish to be made and, by

recording the species, age and size of the fish caught, the results are entirely comparative between different sites and over time.

The majority of electrofishing undertaken by the Westcountry Rivers Trust is classified as semi‐quantitative, a method that

concentrates on recording the presence or absence of different species, the sizes of the fish caught and the abundance of juvenile fish.

Unlike quantitative electrofishing surveys, semi‐quantitative surveys are comparable because they are always undertaken for a fixed

time period of five minutes and each site is surveyed with the same level of effort. The advantage of this approach is that it is quick to

undertake a survey and so multiple sites across a catchment to be surveyed each year without prohibitive cost implications.

Results recorded from electrofishing sites across a catchment can be used to assess the distribution and density of juvenile fish, which

in turn enables us to estimate the number of adults that were present the previous year and the health of the fish population. The

results can also be used to compare tributaries in the same catchment or sections within the same river, which is particularly important

in identifying where density is below desired levels and ensures that river improvement works are targeted into the right locations and

that any improvements achieved are accurately recorded.

As part of the CRF River Improvement Projects, the Trust will be undertaking electro‐fishing surveys across catchments to improve our

understanding of fish distributions in these areas. There will also be monitoring of specific sites pre‐ and post‐works to assess the

benefits of river improvements works such as weir easements, gravel re‐introduction, pool and riffle‐sequence creation and fencing.

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

Using invertebrate populations to assess river health The evaluation of invertebrate communities living in a river or stream is one of the best methods we have for assessing the impacts of

environmental stress on the health of an aquatic ecosystem. Invertebrates that spend all, or part, of their lifecycle living in a river or lake

are, while in the water, constantly exposed to changes in the structural composition of the river bed, in the volume of water in the river

and in the chemical composition of the water flowing over them.

To assess the health of the invertebrate communities in a river, samples are collected using a standardised method and the organisms

found are identified to the level of taxonomic family or species. In addition, the approximate abundance of each group found in the sample

is also recorded and this combined data is used to calculate so‐called biotic indices, which are used to draw conclusions about the

condition of the river and to make comparisons between sites on the same or different rivers.

For their statutory assessments of river condition for the EU Water Framework Directive, the Environment Agency enter their data into a

software package called the River InVertebrate Prediction and Classification System (RIVPACS), which was developed by the Institute of

Freshwater Ecology (IFE). The RIVPACS package takes physical and geographical information recorded about the sample site and makes a

prediction of the invertebrate assemblage that is ‘expected’ to occur in a river of that type in that geographic location. This predicted

score is then compared with the score that was actually recorded from the river sample taken to calculate the Ecological Quality Ratio

(EQR) for the site. The EQR score is then used as an indicator of the ecological health of the river for its Water Framework Directive

invertebrate classification.

The current biotic index used for the Water Framework Directive Invertebrate Classification is termed the ‘average score per taxon’ (ASPT)

index. In this long‐established method each invertebrate group is allocated a score according to its sensitivity to pollution. When a river

becomes polluted the most sensitive and highest scoring groups are the first to be lost and the average score falls. Where the average

score of the groups found is high, it indicates that the most sensitive groups are present in the river and that, by inference, the pollution

levels are low.

The power of invertebrate communities as an indicator of river condition and as a tool to identify what pressures are causing the

degradation of an aquatic ecosystem, has, in recent years, been even further increased by the development of a number of new indices.

These indices, which include the Proportion  of  Sediment‐sensitive  Invertebrates  (PSI) index and the SPEcies  At  Risk  from  Pesticides 

(SPEARPESTICIDES ) index, allow the impacts of specific pollutants, such as sediment or pesticides, to be evaluated in terms of their impact on

the invertebrate communities living in the river.

12 

A pair of mayfly nymphs 

© Ross Hoddinott ‐ 2020 Vision 

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

Going with the flow Over the centuries, man has sought to control the water in our

rivers and streams and harness and exploit its energy. We have

built weirs, embankments and impoundments and we have

straightened, widened and deepened river channels in our efforts

to control the flow of water as it passes through the landscape.

These physical modifications influence the ‘hydro‐morphology’ of

a river, impairing the flow and sediment dynamics and reducing

biological connectivity and, in turn, these impacts have ecological

consequences. Hydro‐morphology influences habitats at all

scales; consider how the dimensions of a river channel change

throughout a catchment or the distribution of riffles and pools

along a stretch of moorland stream. Even the hydraulic conditions

around a single stone can create habitat diversity at a micro‐scale.

Flow is considered to be a ’maestro’ that influences many of the

fundamental ecological characteristics of river ecosystems and 

changes in flow have impacts across broad taxonomic groups

including plants, invertebrates and fish. Variations in habitat

determine the distribution and abundance of aquatic organisms

and many aquatic organisms have evolved life history strategies in

response to the hydrological regime in which they live.

Modifying flow and limiting the ability of organisms to move

freely throughout a river and wetland system can lead to isolation

of populations and failure in reproduction, which can ultimately

lead to local extinctions.

Given the dense population of our small island and the pressures

this density places on our natural resources, wholesale removal of

man‐made structures and total re‐naturalisation of our

watercourses is an unrealistic prospect. There are, however,

numerous ways in which connectivity can be restored and a more

natural flow can be enhanced (see examples below).  

Creation of Meander Features  

Rivers and streams have historically been

straightened, deepened and widened in

order to change their response to flood

waters or to improve their navigability.

Flow deflectors can be used to create

more varied flow within a heavily

modified river channel and increase

ecological diversity. Sequences of

meander features reintroduced along the

channel on alternating sides of the

riverbank can also increase sinuosity of

flow and create new areas of sediment

deposition within the channel. Meander

features can be constructed using either

wooden or boulder deflectors or through

use of artificial shoals.  

  Modification of Weirs and Culverts 

Weirs, culverts and other man‐made

obstacles alter flow and act as barriers

to migratory species of fish and various

other aquatic species. In some cases,

weir removal is possible, though in

most cases modifications to the

obstacle and installation of a fish pass

is the most suitable solution.

Adjustment of culverts in upper

catchments can also improve river

continuity and influence bed‐load.

Once improvement works have been

carried out, it is sometimes appropriate

to carry out fish translocations from

elsewhere in the river system to

supplement depleted or absent stocks

in a previously isolated branch. 

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

THE MAJORITY OF  THE  LANDSCAPE HERE  IN  THE WESTCOUNTRY  IS MANAGED,  TO A GREATER OR  LESSER EXTENT, BY MAN. GOOD HABITAT MANAGEMENT, BOTH IN THE RIPARIAN ZONE AND ‘IN‐CHANNEL’, CAN HELP TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND HAVE ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF SPECIES.  

Managing River Habitats for Ecological Benefits

Although erosion is an important natural

process that shapes the character of a

river, where there is a lack of vegetation

along the riverbank and little organic and

woody debris in the channel, erosion and

habitat degradation can quickly

accelerate.

Re‐establishing and managing vegetation

along the river corridor creates a diversity

of habitats that improves connectivity and

supports diverse assemblages of native

wildlife.

Vegetation Management 

The root structures of riparian vegetation

help to stabilise the banks and prevent

erosion, protecting the channel from the

direct force of flow and reducing erosion.

Vegetation also acts to intercept rainwater

before it reaches the ground and plants

absorb water through their roots and

release it back through their leaves into

the atmosphere. These processes help to

control run‐off rates and regulate the

overall quantity and timing of water

entering the rivers. Vegetation also plays a

role in filtering water, removing sediment

and breaking down the pollutants in it

before it reaches the river.

A mixture of native grasses, scrub and

trees along the river corridor provide

valuable habitat in which sensitive plant

and invertebrate species can thrive, and

also provides shelter, nesting and foraging

opportunities for birds and mammals.

Overhanging trees and shrubs shade the

water, keeping it cooler in summer and

preventing excessive growth of aquatic

plants and algae. Low branches and tree

roots provide spawning areas for some

species of fish and refuges where fish can

escape from predators or rest when flow

rates are high.

Bankside and wetland vegetation also has

a huge aesthetic value to society, as it can

enrich the lives of those people who live,

work and spend leisure time in their local

catchment.

Fencing riverbanks and providing

designated livestock drinking points

protects plants from grazing animals and

by planting and managing trees and scrub,

a more diverse mosaic of riparian habitats

can be established. Traditional woodland

management techniques, such as

coppicing and pollarding, also enable

effective management of tree cover

without removing the stabilising effect of

the stump and roots.

The De Lank River, Cornwall 

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SPECIAL FEATURE 

Woody debris

Trees and other bankside vegetation also

create ’debris’ that falls into the water.

Everything from leaf litter and twigs to

branches and whole trees are natural

components of a river system and, as

such, have an important role to play in

freshwater ecosystems.

Woody debris tends to accumulate at

specific points in a stream, affecting

geomorphic processes, sediment storage

and routing, stream bed and bank

structure, water velocity variations in the

water column, and the temperature of

the water. It can also help to stabilise

river banks and river beds, resisting and

deflecting flows. As the debris gets

lodged in place, it traps and retains

sediment, including silt and organic

matter, improving the quality of the

water.

In addition to is physical impacts, woody

debris also provides shelter for many

species of animals and, along with the

invertebrates that live in it, also provides

food sources for many other species of

invertebrates, birds and fish.

Improving Gravel Beds 

Gravel beds are geo‐morphological features that provide habitat for a wide range of

species, the most iconic of which are the salmonid species of fish (trout and salmon).

Salmonids require clean gravel beds for use as spawning grounds where they excavate a

nest, or redd, in which to deposit their fertilised eggs.

Gravel beds can be lost or damaged if there is a lack of sediment supply, usually due to

historic removal of gravels or where man‐made structures, such as weirs and dams, have

prevented the natural transportation of gravels downstream. They can also become

clogged with silt, making them unsuitable for the eggs of salmonids, which need a supply

of cool, clean, well‐oxygenated water in order to survive.

It is possible to re‐instate gravels in areas where they have been lost. When re‐instating

gravels, it is important to consider the stone type, as well as the size and shape of the

particles, to match them to the naturally occurring gravels of that particular river or stream.

It is also important to consider the potential mobility of the re‐introduced gravel in the

future and to plan how a natural and more sustainable supply of sediment can be secured in

the long term. It is also possible to clean the gravel where existing gravel beds have

become clogged with silt.

Assessing the health of  a gravel bed 

© Ross Hoddinott ‐ 2020 Vision 

Woody debris 

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The Country Sports South West Project, funded by DEFRA and the European

Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ,aims to ensure that the South West region

becomes the premier tourism destination for country sports. The project also aims to

improve the visitor experience and participation, while creating sustainable rural tourism businesses that

can both respond to new challenges in the future and exploit any new opportunities whenever they arise. 

ANGLING NEWS 

Introducing the Westcountry Angling Passport’s new ambassadors THE CENTRAL AIM OF THE WESTCOUNTRY ANGLING PASSPORT IS TO FACILITATE  

THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF PREVIOUSLY UNTAPPED FISHING RESOURCES  

AND, IN THE PROCESS, HELP FARMERS AND LANDOWNERS PROTECT AND ENHANCE  

THE RIVERS AND STREAMS ON THEIR LAND. OUR CAPABILITY TO DELIVER THESE GOOD  

WORKS AND PROMOTE THE PASSPORT SCHEME HAS BEEN GIVEN A HUGE BOOST, THANKS  

TO OUR MOST RECENT RECRUITS, THE ANGLING AMBASSADORS. 

As the Passport goes from strength‐to‐strength and new beats are added to the passport scheme each year (we had 9 new beats to add to

the scheme this season alone), the help of our three new volunteers is invaluable. The ambassadors, all of whom are well known and well

respected local anglers, have kindly agreed to lend their support to the passport scheme, helping to promote the benefits of fishing on

passport beats and contributing to the practical conservation work we carry out to help maintain the rivers.

Mike Weaver, Luke Bannister and Derrick Jones have all been enthusiastic supporters of the Passport for many years. By volunteering as

Angling Ambassadors, we here at the Trust are better able in the future to co‐ordinate their efforts and target promotional and practical

works in the areas where they are most needed. We are hugely grateful to them for taking part in this new initiative and for their

continued and much valued support. 

Mike Weaver  

The highly regarded Mike Weaver is well known for his contributions on contemporary angling issues in

the popular angling press. He is a contributor to Trout and Salmon, providing feature articles on angling

in the Westcountry, and compiles the monthly fishing report for the Devon Area. Mike is perhaps the

most well‐known Westcountry based fly fisherman, having fished the rivers of the region for over 40

years. He was the founding chairman of the Wild Trout Trust and the author of the now classic text ‘The

Pursuit of Wild Trout’. Mike has supported the Passport for many years, writing articles about the scheme

and providing us with many captivating photographs.

Derrick Jones 

Derrick is an AAPGAI advanced fishing instructor and guide. When not working full time for HM

Coastguard he runs Adventure Fly Fishing UK, a company that offers fly casting tuition and guiding

throughout the country. Derrick fishes throughout the UK and Iceland, though the river he knows best is

the River Mole, his local river near where he lives in North Devon. He has a particular interest in wild

fishing experience and regularly undertakes camping orientated fishing expeditions. These have included

trips to Iceland and a marathon trip around the Passport beats in 2011, where 150 miles and 9 beats were

covered by bike in only 5 days (see Confluence edition 13 for the full story)!

Luke Bannister 

Based in Bude, North Cornwall, Luke is a professional maker of modern English bamboo rods using

traditional methods and has developed the now famous ‘Superfast’ cane rod series. He grew up fishing

the small rivers of Devon and Cornwall, such as the Tamar and tributaries and the streams of the high

moors. He has subsequently fished extensively in Wales and Norway for his favourite quarry, brown trout

and grayling. He is also an experienced saltwater fly fisherman, fishing extensively along the North

Cornwall coast for bass. Luke has supported the Passport for many years, supplying photographs and

videos of his experiences while fishing the passport beats.

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DEBATE 

‘Valuing nature’: morally wrong or the only route to salvation? RECENT DEBATE IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA HAS BROUGHT INTO QUESTION THE WISDOM OF VALUING NATURE AND BOTH SIDES 

HAVE PUT FORWARD COMPELLING ARGUMENTS. HERE AT THE TRUST, WHERE OUR WORK INVOLVES PUTTING THE CONCEPT OF 

PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES  INTO PRACTICE, WE HAVE OUR OWN, MORE PRACTICAL  TAKE ON THE DEBATE. TRUST 

DIRECTOR, DR DYLAN BRIGHT, EXPLAINS WHY HE  THINKS A WELL‐INTENTIONED AND PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPLE  IS GETTING 

LOST IN THE MIDST OF SENSATIONALIST HEADLINES. 

On one side of the debate individuals are terrified by the very idea of valuing nature, something they consider to be a priceless wonder

and not something that can have a monetary value put on it as a commodity to sell (or destroy). Individuals on the other side of the

debate say that getting governments and societies to recognise the economic value of nature is the only way in which it can be saved

because otherwise it is overlooked in our national accounts as worthless. We, as practitioners, agree and disagree in part with both sides

and feel that we have a more grounded viewpoint to throw into the mix.  Yes, nature is beyond value, but attempts to value the benefits

society gets from the natural environment, from the processes that ecosystems carry out and on which all life depends, is not the same as

putting a price on nature to sell. Considering the natural environment in terms of the benefits we get from it provides us with a tool that

can be used to work out the cost of protecting and restoring the environment and, importantly, to identify those who should be paying

these costs.

The reality of the situation here in the UK is that our landscape is largely set‐up to provide us with food, as historically this has been the

dominant driver of land use. However, we now realise that the relentless drive to produce more and more food from the land has come at

a cost to other things that are needed to sustain life (including us). By evaluating the landscape and how we use it, we can identify areas of

land where land use or management could be changed in order to protect and restore the ecosystems that are important for other

services (such as the provision of clean water, carbon storage and the recycling of nutrients). In our opinion, it is only after this ‘planning

process’ is complete that economics should be used to work out the costs and to identify those who might benefit from changes in land

management. We are not putting a price on nature; we are working out the cost of its protection within a living working landscape and

who should rightly pay for that protection.

After all, we are already paying for environmental protection via general taxation and regulation through public bodies. Although this may

have protected small pockets of nature here and there, it has failed to protect the wider environment in any coherent or effective way.

This raises the question; who set the level of tax required to deliver environmental protection and on what basis did they evaluate the

worth of nature in order to set this level of tax? In Professor Lawton’s review of the current state of England’s wildlife network, he

concluded that our current collection of protected sites are too small and too isolated and that this situation was likely to get worse in the

future. Surely if the current method isn’t working, it is worth exploring other ways in which society might pay to protect and restore the

wider natural environment across the landscape? Admittedly, this sensible approach is not as newsworthy as national headlines about

knowing the ‘cost of everything and the value of nothing’ and ‘nature worth 10 billion a year to the UK economy’ but we would ask those

who seek to sensationalise this approach not to destroy its fragile shoots while they publicly wrestle to understand it.

Of even greater interest to us, however, are the hidden benefits arising. We will gain a level of social learning from this process; if funds

are more directly and locally hypothecated from those who benefit to those who provide, then society in general might learn to value the

resources that the natural environment provides us with more than it does currently. Food comes from the supermarket, water from the

tap and wildlife from nature reserves are worryingly common attitudes.

The new swathe of environmental jargon that has come into play may be unpalatable to the nature lovers amongst us, but we need to

look past the language, the talk of ‘providers’ and ‘users’ and of value and markets, and consider the merits of the real objectives behind

valuing nature. Here at the Trust, the concept of ‘Payments for Ecosystem Services’ has enabled us to work with local communities,

businesses and other local interest groups to begin realising the value of the natural environment and that investment in its protection

and restoration is money well spent. Now surely that’s not such a bad thing? 

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EDUCATION 

Thank you to our supporters and funders WE WOULD  LIKE  TO  SAY A HUGE  THANK‐YOU  TO ALL OF OUR  SUPPORTERS AND  FUNDERS  ‐ WITHOUT YOUR  SUPPORT WE 

WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ENHANCE THE HEALTH AND NATURAL VALUE OF OUR RIVERS AND RIVER CATCHMENTS. 

One of the principal aims of the Westcountry Rivers Trust is to

engage, inspire and educate young people of all ages. Here are

just some of the educational activities the Trust has undertaken so

far in 2012.

Higher Education 

Three MSc students from the University of Plymouth completed

their work placements with us earlier in the year. The students

assisted in the launch of the Tamar Pilot catchment management

project, providing us with much valued help in preparing for the

launch meeting and ensuring that the day ran smoothly. The

students also gained a valuable insight into the challenges of

engaging a wide range of stakeholders in the development of a

catchment management plan, which we hope proves useful in

their future careers.

In addition to offering placement opportunities to students in

higher education, several Trust staff have also been invited to give

lectures on environmental science, river restoration and

catchment management to students from the University of

Plymouth, the University of Reading and Duchy College in 2012.

Salmon in the Classroom

During the Spring, several primary schools in the river Exe

catchment enjoyed our Salmon in the Classroom programme,

with the children successfully raising their own fertilised salmon

eggs and watching the amazing process of the eggs hatching into

alevins and growing on into tiny salmon fry.

The children then helped to release their fry back into their local

river, learning about the importance of a healthy river ecosystems

for the survival of the majestic salmon, as well as all the other

wildlife that lives there.

Fly Fishing Taster and Demo 

For the first time this year, the Westcountry Angling Passport

teamed up with the South West Lakes Trust to run an event as

Inspiring and Educating a New Generation

Youngsters engaged in real ‘hands‐on’ learning and getting wet feet  

part of National Fishing Month. Despite the unseasonal summer

weather, nearly forty people attended the event, the aim of which

was to give both experienced fishermen and fly fishing newcomers

the opportunity to have a try at fly casting under the expert

guidance of AAPGAI Master Gary Champion.

There was also the opportunity to learn about the art of fly tying,

with demonstrations by local fly fishermen, Mike Weaver. Despite

the wet and windy weather, the day was a great success and was

enjoyed by both newcomers and experienced fishermen alike.

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WRT DIGITAL  

Contrary to common expectations, this

usage is no longer dominated by the

younger generation, as the statistics show

that the majority of users sit in the 20 to 40

year old age bracket.

Social media is increasingly used by

individuals as their primary means of

keeping up‐to‐date with the news around

them. Twitter, in particular, allows the user

to pick and choose the people,

organisations and sources from which they

want to receive news and information.

By joining in the debate and providing

engaging comment, news and links to

other online content, such as the new WRT

videos available on our very own You Tube

channel, the Trust is now taking the

opportunity to widen its audience and get

Thanks to AARC Project funding and the forward thinking vision of

the original funding bid, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is now the

proud owner of an underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV).

This piece of equipment joins our team to enhance the Trust’s

underwater capabilities. Although the Trust has several qualified

divers amongst its staff, if we were to even think about putting a

diver in the water we would be open to the Health and Safety

Executive regulations governing diving at work, resulting in

escalating costs for medicals, HSE training, insurance, equipment

and so forth, before even setting foot (or fin) in the water.

A much more economic approach is to send a machine in place of a

person (which is also a much safer approach too). With this in

mind, the ROV now joins the growing collection of technical

equipment available for Trust staff to investigate our rivers.

The ROV will allow us valuable insight into the underwater world

and will help us to observe and record aspects of the habitat that

would otherwise remain unseen. We hope to make particular use

of the ROV for filming fish, especially salmon, in order to observe

their behaviour in response to food and predatory actions. We will

be able to place the ROV “on station” at a site, enabling us to

record numbers of migratory fish passing a certain point or to

examine effects of physical parameters on fish behaviour.

Our underwater vehicle is equipped with a fine resolution colour

camera that sends real‐time video footage through an umbilical

cable to the surface operator. This footage can be examined in real

time or recorded for analysis, if required. The camera, through

variable control tilt, can cover 180° vertical field of view and the

port and starboard ‘thruster’ propellers give the ROV 360° turning

capability. In short, this means that our mechanical diver can look

anywhere we want it to. Two high efficiency halogen lights ensure

that whatever depth or low visibility conditions we choose to

operate in, the picture returning to the surface will be crisp and

clear for a good view of what lies beneath.

The ROV is a valuable asset, both for the Trust and for the Trust’s

trading arm, Tamar Consulting, who will be using it for

commercial work in both the freshwater and marine

environments. The ROV is available to hire for work, scientific

exploration or simply for pleasure.

Keep an eye on the WRT video collection (www.youtube.com/

WestcountryriversTV) for footage of any ground‐breaking

underwater discoveries!

First Forays into the World of Social Media

At the opening ceremony of the London

2012 Olympic Games, ceremony director

Danny Boyle paid tribute to Sir Timothy

Berners‐Lee, the British inventor of the

World Wide Web.

The World Wide Web has, in essence,

enabled us to share information over the

internet using computers and its invention

has revolutionised the way we share ideas,

do business and, in more recent years, the

way we socialise and communicate with

friends and family in our every day lives.

The rise and rise of social media in today’s

world means that around 50% of the UK’s

population uses Facebook, while over 26

million people in the UK use Twitter; the

figures for the rest of the world are truly

astonishing!

even more information out to the public

about the issues that really matter to us.

Since joining the social media community,

the Trust has made contact with some

familiar faces and many new ones. We

have quickly built up a profile amongst

environmental and conservation scientists,

students, anglers, media organisations and

farming interests, and the number of

followers we have continues to grow.

Why not join us online? Search for us on:

Twitter: @WestcountryRT

Facebook: Westcountry Rivers Trust

You Tube: WestcountryRiversTV

Underwater ROV Joins the WRT Team

The ROV  

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The Westcountry Rivers Trust is an environmental charity 

(Charity no. 1135007, Company no. 06545646) established in 

1995 to secure the preservation, protection, development 

and improvement of the rivers, streams, watercourses and 

water impoundments in the Westcountry and to advance the 

education of the public in the management of water. 

 

Westcountry Rivers Trust 

Rain‐Charm House, Kyl Cober Parc, Stoke Climsland, 

Callington, Cornwall, PL17 8PH. 

Email: [email protected]; website: www.wrt.org.uk