This was the Foundation’s first project in the Lugg and Arrow, one of the major sub catchments of the Wye.
The essential features of this £177K project were:
- Engaging with local people and explaining the importance of their rivers, the problems and the value that rivers bring.
- Restoring and correcting some of the factors affecting the Lugg and Arrow fisheries through 14 fish passes and habitat restoration.
- Education – in the “Salmon in the Classroom” initiative, reared salmon were released by children from local schools into the river Arrow, a useful introduction to fish biology. This was in combination with the removal of obstructions to migration. The four schools engaged were: Kingsland CE School; Kington Primary School; Marden Primary and Pembridge Primary School.
Habitat Restoration
Fencing was installed on some of the Lugg and Arrow’s more lowland tributaries where excessive stock poaching and grazing was causing a serious siltation problem.
Fish Access
The benefits of unobstructed migration for fish up and down rivers are detailed here.
Before this project began, the Lugg and Arrow had many weirs that were either a partial or complete barrier to migration. They had been constructed for many reasons – water power, irrigation, flood and erosion prevention, for example.
Many had historical value or were still functional. Removal was therefore either too costly or unacceptable. Fortunately, there are simpler ways of enabling fish passage using the natural ability of salmonids to ascend obstacles by fitting fish passes on the weirs or by using existing leats to bypass the weirs.
The Environment Agency had previously completed fish passes at Leominster and Hampton Court. In this project, a further 14 fish access easements were added further upstream in the Lugg and Arrow. One of these is shown in the title photo of this page, at Glanarrow, Eardisley.
This allowed salmon access to the Welsh headwaters for the first time in at least 30 years and improved migration for trout too.
Economics
All schemes to enhance the natural environment should also encourage people to enjoy, appreciate, use but, above all, share concern for the rivers.
Leader+ enabled 7 more Lugg and Arrow fisheries to join the Fishing Passport scheme. We also held four educational river walks, gave presentations to local groups and persuaded the Lugg Internal Drainage Board to change their practices to be more river-friendly.
The project met or exceeded nearly all its targets by a considerable degree.
Project Partners
We would like to thank the team at Herefordshire Rivers under Dawn Turner who has provided essential support and encouragement, with the absolute minimum of time-consuming bureaucracy and with a very large measure of understanding.
The Environment Agency Wales’s (now Natural Resources Wales) Pete Gough and Chris Rees for managing their respective schemes: fish passes and “Salmon in the Classroom.”
The Lugg and Arrow Fisheries Association (LAFA) for their tireless support, both financial and on site, under the direction of out trustee Tony Norman along with LAFA’s committee and chairman, David Forbes.
The Wye Catchment Conservators (then Wye Salmon Fishery Owners Association) for their essential financial support.
And the people of Herefordshire for the many words of support and encouragement.
We want to build on this Lugg and Arrow project and others like it. To do so, we need your support. Please help us by using the link below:
