Just thought I would bring this News release from the Environment Agency to your attention.
Dorset's famous River Stour has received a major boost with the successful completion of river restoration work at Glen’s Weir on the Throop Fishery near Bournemouth .
A number of improvements have been carried out by the Environment Agency including riverbank repairs, habitat creation and the re-instatement of spawning grounds. The works will help a variety of species including salmon, barbel, trout and chub.
Extensive dredging in the 1970's removed thousands of tonnes of gravel from the Stour for flood risk purposes. The works caused the loss of miles of spawning habitat for species including barbel, chub, salmon, sea trout and brown trout.
The Agency has worked with the Barbel Society and Ringwood & District Angling Association to identify the best sites for river restoration. Glen's Weir on the lower Stour was identified as a location where the best results could be achieved.
The latest project has resulted in the successful restoration of a previously dredged area of the river and created a valuable new spawning habitat. The £20,000 improvements included placing nearly 600 tonnes of Portland stone into a collapsed bank and old weir and re-profiling a weir pool. Refuge areas were also created for young fish.
The work at Glen’s Weir is the latest in a series of projects carried out by the Environment Agency on the River Stour over the past nine years. The improvements are important because they will help the river achieve good ecological status under the European Water Framework Directive.
'It has been a fantastic collaborative project and I am extremely happy with the end result. We've successfully restored more than 100 metres of river habitat,' said Jim Allan, for the Environment Agency
'This type of work not only improves a local habitat, but boosts the biodiversity of the whole river. I fully expect to see salmon spawning on the Stour this winter with barbel and chub spawning over the newly re-profiled gravels next spring. My special thanks go to Ops Delivery who have done a first class job, the Barbel Society for its funding and continued support,' said Jim Allan.
The River Stour used to be one of the UK ’s top salmon rivers famous for its large ‘multi-winter’ salmon. These are mature fish that have spent several winters at sea and return to the river of their birth to spawn – often weighing more than 20lbs. The largest salmon caught on the Stour was an impressive 40lbs. Extensive dredging more than 30 years ago contributed to the collapse in salmon numbers on the Stour .
Thanks to the Agency’s river restoration work, there are signs salmon are already making a comeback with adult fish seen lying in the pool below Glen’s Weir. A photo of the improved section of river is available from the Agency’s regional press office on 01392 442008
Dorset's famous River Stour has received a major boost with the successful completion of river restoration work at Glen’s Weir on the Throop Fishery near Bournemouth .
A number of improvements have been carried out by the Environment Agency including riverbank repairs, habitat creation and the re-instatement of spawning grounds. The works will help a variety of species including salmon, barbel, trout and chub.
Extensive dredging in the 1970's removed thousands of tonnes of gravel from the Stour for flood risk purposes. The works caused the loss of miles of spawning habitat for species including barbel, chub, salmon, sea trout and brown trout.
The Agency has worked with the Barbel Society and Ringwood & District Angling Association to identify the best sites for river restoration. Glen's Weir on the lower Stour was identified as a location where the best results could be achieved.
The latest project has resulted in the successful restoration of a previously dredged area of the river and created a valuable new spawning habitat. The £20,000 improvements included placing nearly 600 tonnes of Portland stone into a collapsed bank and old weir and re-profiling a weir pool. Refuge areas were also created for young fish.
The work at Glen’s Weir is the latest in a series of projects carried out by the Environment Agency on the River Stour over the past nine years. The improvements are important because they will help the river achieve good ecological status under the European Water Framework Directive.
'It has been a fantastic collaborative project and I am extremely happy with the end result. We've successfully restored more than 100 metres of river habitat,' said Jim Allan, for the Environment Agency
'This type of work not only improves a local habitat, but boosts the biodiversity of the whole river. I fully expect to see salmon spawning on the Stour this winter with barbel and chub spawning over the newly re-profiled gravels next spring. My special thanks go to Ops Delivery who have done a first class job, the Barbel Society for its funding and continued support,' said Jim Allan.
The River Stour used to be one of the UK ’s top salmon rivers famous for its large ‘multi-winter’ salmon. These are mature fish that have spent several winters at sea and return to the river of their birth to spawn – often weighing more than 20lbs. The largest salmon caught on the Stour was an impressive 40lbs. Extensive dredging more than 30 years ago contributed to the collapse in salmon numbers on the Stour .
Thanks to the Agency’s river restoration work, there are signs salmon are already making a comeback with adult fish seen lying in the pool below Glen’s Weir. A photo of the improved section of river is available from the Agency’s regional press office on 01392 442008
