Sussex Fisheries and Biodiversity Partnership Projects

An example of project work on the River Adur at Woods Mill to retain spawning gravels

FishActive were invited to attend this gathering of local stakeholders recently in Worthing to discuss the various fisheries and biodiversity partnership projects that the Environment Agency in Sussex are working on with bodies ranging from South East Water and the local Rivers Trusts to the RSPB and Sussex Wildlife Trust as examples.

The meeting was organised by catchment areas which were Coastal and Transitional, Western Rother and Arun, Ouse and Adur and the Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels.

Each catchment area reported on the projects currently underway in their areas and we will have more details of these individually in coming months but for now I thought I would provide an overview for you as someone with a local interest in what is going on in your area. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) provides much of the structure for how these projects are being run and measured and we will also be shortly explaining exactly what the WFD is all about shortly on FishActive and how it impacts fishing, fish and their habitats and therefore you!

The lists below are not comprehensive as many other subjects were talked about on the day but these were some of the highlights of interest.

Coastal and Transitional

This area covers the shoreline from Beachy Head to Selsey Bill and the coastal waters and seafloor out to 1 nautical mile.

The main project underway currently is known as the Sussex Coastal Waterbody Assessment:

• Very little official data is currently available on exactly what type of habitat, conditions and species are actually present in this area
• The project is intended to gather information to help provide for more informed planning decisions in future
• This is a joint Environment Agency(EA) and Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority(IFCA) project with input from the Sussex Wildlife Trust also
• Its aim is to gain better understanding of the ecology of the area
• There is a plan to create a benthic (seafloor) habitat map
• Discussions are being carried out with both recreational and commercial anglers
• Other community engagement projects are planned or underway such as the use of Twitters polling function

A smaller project but one that has a direct impact on migratory fish is the Tidal Flaps project:

• This is looking at the functionality of these devices which are intended to allow the flow of water out of a system but stop the inflow of tidal waters to help avoid localised flooding. These gate-like devices have typically been hung from hinges placed at the top of the flap but studies have shown that they do not open very far and so block the passage of fish unless there is a strong enough flow to open the flap far enough.
• By hanging the flaps with side hinges (as the Romans originally pioneered apparently) it has been show that the flaps open far more fully allowing therefore much easier fish passage. A good lesson learned for future installations.

Western Rother and Arun

The Western Rother and River Arun rise and flow to the sea in West Sussex. Based in the Petworh area, the Arun and Rother Rivers Trust has been in operation for just over a year now and are actively involved with all aspects of the rivers and many of the partner projects:

• Spawning streams in particular are being looked at closely as migratory fish populations have been struggling with one of the largest causes of concern being physical barriers to migration downstream
• Work is underway to try and reduce the inflow of sediments and agricultural run-off into the rivers which has been indentified as a problem in some areas
• The Arun and Rother Connections project covers work such as habitat improvement, structure removal and some focused work in the Pulborough Brooks area.
• Costers Brook, which is a tributary of the Western Rother is benefitting from work on spawning gravels to encourage local trout and sea trout populations.

Adur and Ouse

The River Adur which is just on the westernside of the Sussex divide and the River Ouse which rises in both counties but flows to the sea in Newhaven in East Sussex have perhaps been more fortunate than their neighbours in that there have been several long-established local groups, in particular on the Ouse catchment, who have been actively working on protecting and enhancing the river over the years.

On the River Adur there were two main projects mentioned the first being ARPHAP:

• This stands for Adur Restoration of Physical Habitat Action Plan
• This is a 2 year plan with year 1 currently focused on carrying out a feasability study at 20 sites to see what could be done
• Year 2 would then be given over to detailed design of actual actions and their application at the study sites

The second project is based around the Teville Stream in Worthing:

• This waterbody is currently failing as a habitat for fish for various reasons
• Land drainage is affecting water quality with run-off from the A27, Worthing urban centre and industrial areas
• This is also a 2 year project with year 1 studing the options for how to react to the various problems the stream is facing
• Year 2 will then be focused on detailed design of projects and restoration in the field

On the River Ouse there are several projects underway headed by the MORPH project:

• MORPH or the Middle Ouse Restoration of Physical Habitat  project is looking at 15 sites identified as having potential for improvements to fish passage and habitat
• TRUCK or Trees on the Uck project is highlighting the importance of maintaining and increasing where possible the abundance of trees along the upper Uck watershed to help retain water and therefore reduce the flood risk downstream in urban areas
• Ouse Upstream is another localised project focusing on reducing inputs to the river upstream that then require treatment downstream
• Bexhill Angling Club is receiving EA assistance with one of their lake fisheries in Laughton supported by rod licence funding
• Plumpton College have recently begun offering a new Fisheries Management course which the EA have been asked to advise on. This will ensure best practice is learned by the fisheries managers of the future and strong ties are build between the faculty and the EA fisheries and biodiversity team
• The Balcombe stretch of the Ouse suffered from low flow issues last summer with fish struggling to survive. Plans are underway in partnership with the Wild Trout Trust and Balcombe Fly Fishers to introduce gravels to change the water flow dynamics and improve habitat in-stream

Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels

This catchment area as yet has no Rivers Trust body but early discussions are underway with neighbouring Trusts to help with the formation of a local Trust for these areas. If you are interested in being involved this is the perfect time to let the Rivers Trust national body aware of your interest.

On the River Cuckmere there are some current projects underway:

• An elver pass has been successully installed at Michelham Priory along with Arlington and 1 other site
• The river is currently rated as poor for mammals, coarse fish are okay but trout habitat is poor
• There are plans for work to be carried out to make recommendations for habitat improvement
• Estuary management - Cuckmere Estuary Pathfinder Project is involved in community engagement to work out what management plan is required here

The Pevensey Levels are unique in the area as a large scale coastal grazing marsh consisting of pump-drained rivers and ditch systems:

• The non-native invasive species Pennywort has choked 45km of waterways on the levels. A spraying trial has proved successful so far in controlling the water weed but also without harm to the other species and the habitat which is very important in this RAMSAR designated wetland and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• A Water Level Managment Plan has seen the removal of many small individual drainage pump systems being replaced with 7 major pump systems which has improved the overall habitat conditions by allowing more consistent management of water levels across the marsh
• An advisory group has now been informed