Fisheries officer needed for Eden

Eden Rivers Trust needs a new Fisheries Biologist. If you are interested, get in touch with ERT direct.

Tyne Tour

With the close of the salmon fishing season comes the annual Tyne Tour to mark the opening of the very successful and inspirational canoe access agreement which applies until the salmon season resumes. This year saw more canoes than ever, surely a real boost to the river economy whilst fishing is closed. For more information on the Tyne Tour and the work of Tyne Rivers Trust who were there to support the event, follow the link. The Tyne Trust has a huge number of photos for download in case you were there and would like a momento......

WICAC results

ART is very proad to have been invited to compete in the Water Industry Coarse Angling Competition alongside teams from the EA and the water companies. The event was hosted by the EA NW region on the River Weaver in Cheshire. The ART team was made up by people who work full time for the NGO members of ART and including ART itself, the Wye and Usk Foundation, Thames21 and the ACA. 18 teams competed and we didnt come last (14th actually)!

Spawning channel on the Ribble

The Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust are involved in an exciting project to reinstate spawning grounds in an old river channel. The original channel was re-aligned following flooding. The diggers are still in and fry have already been seen in the new channel. It is hoped that the new channel will be used by spawning fish this Autumn. If you are interested in finding out more please contact Stephen at the Ribble Trust.

New Fisheries Bill

ART has been invited to sit on the stakeholder group for the new Fisheries Bill. If it gets Parliamentary time it could be very significant for our work. If you have any comments on the proposed bill, please get in touch with Alistair asap. The main issues under discussion are:

• More freedom for the EA to introduce and vary byelaws (including seasons)
• Sale of rod-caught fish
• The EA right to a licence fee for fishing
• Movement of live fish
• Obstacles for fish migration

Criminal Record checks for working with children

If you intend to work directly with children or vulnerable adults, your Trust will have to have a CRB check on relevant staff. A Trust in Wales has recommended disclosures.co.uk as a fast and inexpensive way of carrying this out. I have not used the service myself but pass on their recommendation to you. Please leave a message if you have any comments about this or any other service that you have had experience of.

Catchment Managment conference

WWF are sponsoring a conference on catchment management in London on the 18th July. They have reserved two free places for the River Trusts. If you are interested, please get in touch.

East Yorkshire Chalk Rivers Trust

Great news! The EYCRT has just received its Charity Number. Congratulations and well done for all the hard work.

Booking system now LIVE!

The booking system for the International Salmonid Conference is now live. Please follow the link to book your place. Please also remember that you must book your accommodation seperately by following the 'accommodation' link from the main page. Or go straight to the accommodation site here.

New Trust websites

There are two new Trust websites that are well worth checking out.
The East Yorkshire Chalk Rivers Trust has been created to oversee some of the most spectacular rivers in the North of England. Some of the streams really would not be out of place in New Zealand or some other exotic location!
The South Cumbria Rivers Trust has its fair share of spectacular catchments. The Trust is in its very early stages and will be very glad of any support. This leaves only a very small amount of Cumbria not covered by a Rivers Trust (the West coast rivers), although there is a very active conservation group on the River Ellen.

Launch of Wild Trout Survival Guide

The Wild Trout Trust launched their Wild Trout Survival Guide on the Derbyshire Wye yesterday. The event was well attended by representatives from around the UK. The document was backed by the EA Head of Fisheries who also pledged support for local groups proposing habitat improvement works. The document can be purchased from the Wild Trout Trust and is a simple guide aimed at clubs and individuals. It should be noted that some projects will need expert guidance, and caution should in particular be exercised before commencing widespread coppicing works!

Big Lottery Fund

ART has just submitted a funding bid to the BASIS programme of the Big Lottery Fund in order to continue help and support to local river improvement groups for the next four years. We hope to provide a dedicated funding service, technical support for projects and assistance with financial and governance matters. We are also hoping to employ a number of regional officers to support, in particular, those groups who are run by volunteers. The BASIS programme is only open to organisations who exist to support local groups but there are a number of schemes that are open to anyone so do check out the programmes. Fingers crossed!

A Trust for the Tees?

The Tees Valley and River Association is considering the benefits of a conservation Trust for the river. One of the key issues for the Association at the moment is the impact of the Tees barrage on fish migration and whether the fish pass is working properly. CEFAS have carried out a preliminary report on fish tracked around the barrier which makes for some very interesting reading! You can download the report by clicking here

Ribble Trust Heritage Lottery Fund Grant

The Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust is in receipt of an HLF project planning grant. This will hopefully lead to a much bigger Heritage project application. Rachael Perryman is the project officer in charge of pulling together potential heritage projects for the Ribble catchment. rachael.perryman@ribbletrust.com

Welcome!

Welcome to my ART blog. I hope to use this site to keep you all up to date with news from ART and the groups working in the North of England. I will put links to funding opportunities if i come across them, and details of projects that others are working on in case there are opportunities for partnerships or just to share ideas. Please feel free to email me or make comments with anything you would like to stick up here for sharing with other groups.
cheers

Alistair