Opening up the Avon Water to migratory fish
Up to 35km of spawning habitat is to be opened up to migratory fish on the Avon Water, a major tributary of the River Clyde, through barrier easement at the Ferniegair and Millheugh Weirs. The initiative is a result of the Avon Barriers Project – a partnership project between the Rivers & Fisheries Trust for Scotland (RAFTS), SEPA, South Lanarkshire Council, Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) and the Clyde River Foundation.
David McColl, Fisheries Management Planner for the Clyde River Foundation, has been an integral part of the Avon Barriers Project for the past few years. The CRF first surveyed the fish populations of the River Avon in 2002, in collaboration with the Avon Angling Club and South Lanarkshire Council, primarily to determine the distribution of migratory fish species (Atlantic salmon and European eels). We have surveyed the catchment intermittently since then with University of Glasgow students and the relatively recently-formed Upper Avon Angling Association. The CRF is delighted to have contributed fisheries data from 52 sites (worth some £15,000 commercially) and local knowledge during the development of this initiative.
A public meeting has been organised by RAFTS on Tuesday 8th March so that the easement designs can be presented and questions can be answered, details below:
Tuesday 8th March – 7pm
The Auditorium
Chatelherault Country Park Visitor Centre
Ferniegair, Hamilton, ML3 7UE