Well, that’s another year past and how they fly. This note is just to say thank you to those who continue to support the work of the Campaign with there time as well as their practical support. Following the launch of the volunteer’s Bailiff Handbook in December of last year we have received a number of requests for copies of the book which can be edited and tailored to other river systems, and have been pleased to supply them: so if you or your club would like a copy, just drop us an email.
You will remember, or perhaps not, that we have been working with and under the direction of the Environment Agency Wales and carrying out some environmental improvements to the small tributaries of the upper river Clwyd. This followed a survey which was carried out of a small stream called the Dwr Ial, once a major spawning tributary of the system, where we discovered that, due to changing farming practices, the vegetation and bushes had so overgrown the water that light was unable to penetrate the canopy, leaving the water void of either in stream aquatic life or even the simplest of weed growth. However the last half mile of the stream, just before it entered the River Clwyd was relatively open with nicely dappled sunlight being let through the canopy and as if by magic, the scene was transformed to a miniature chalk stream with healthy blooms of Ranunculus, tiny fish darting hither and thither and the stream running gin clear: a total transformation!
The Clwyd and Conwy Rivers Trust have funded the fencing, provision of cattle drinks and crossing points along about one and a half miles of the stream and more is planned. We will now maintain the banking and see that dappled light is permitted to penetrate the canopy and thus allow life to blossom in the water below. The work is not hard, nor is it tedious, rather very rewarding. We have news that an electro fishing survey of the stream found fish life in the water a little after a year after the work was carried out. We are in currently planing this years trip to carry out further work. All volunteers will be made most welcome,
The point is this: these tributaries are not generally visited by anglers, are not let to owned by angling clubs, they are in the ownership of sometimes numerous landowners, most of whom are far to busy working their land to make a living to give a thought to the quality of aquatic life in these little tributaries, yet these are the breeding grounds of the salmon, sea trout and brown trout, it is to these little waters that they come to make their redds and mate. Without these streams we can not expect to maintain fish stocks and a healthy ecosystem. These important waters remain, for the most part, forgotten and neglected. We are appealing to you all to take up the challenge of seeking out these little streams and working, with the permission of the landowners, to let some light into these waters, where they are overgrown and neglected. We believe, as anglers, we owe it to the fish. Contact the Environment Agency Wales for some guidance: they will be pleased to hear from you.
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