Thanks to funding from the Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership, BART are participating in a National pilot project called ‘Your Fisheries’, which aims to understand fisheries within the catchment. Your Fisheries, provides a common web-based planning system (and information repository) that brings together evidence and knowledge from a range of different sources to enable the production of catchment specific fisheries reports. These reports are intended to represent a multi-partner perspective on the current status of fish populations and fishing opportunity in the catchment, the key factors regulating status, and the actions required to maintain and/or deliver improvements. The pilot is a process developed in partnership between the Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and Angling Trust which hopes to lead to a shared understanding of river fisheries across the country and the steps that need to be taken to improve them.
The Catchment Partnership is supporting BART’s involvement within the pilot to determine whether the process will add to its Data and Evidence work designed to assist in developing strategies and plans for improvements within the catchment.
The process will involve collecting existing data and assessment of fisheries on three rivers within the catchment:
1. The Bristol Frome
2. The Somerset Frome
3. The Little Avon.
The data will be shared with local angling groups and communities to develop a shared assessment based on evidence available and reports will be produced outlining where data points to improvements being necessary. The aim of he reports will be to assist plans to be developed for future improvements which will improve the rivers both for wildlife and as recreational assets.
BART welcome any input from local stakeholders along any of the above rivers. If you would like to get involved with the project please contact BART Trust Manager Ian at ian@bristolavonriverstrust.org
