Taking place between May 2019 and March 2020, The River Chew Fisheries Improvement Project is a partnership project funded by the Environment Agency and Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership. Project funding provided BART with the resource to work in partnership with River Chew angling clubs to better understand their concerns for the sport, whilst generating a plan that identifies areas within the catchment for improvement, including recommended costed project areas which could be taken forward by angling clubs or via future funding opportunities.
Through a series of walkover surveys BART has produced three outputs: River Chew Fisheries Improvement Strategy Findings Report, River Chew Fisheries Improvement Strategy Opportunities Report and River Chew Fisheries Improvement Strategy Storymap. The Storymap provides a summary of the findings recorded during the walkover surveys including habitat features, barriers to fish passage and sources of sediment input. The Findings Report has detail of Water Framework Directive status, Environment Agency fish population surveys and observations from the fishing club walkovers. The Opportunities Report outlines improvement opportunities within the River Chew catchment. These include further investigations into fish passage and exploring options to improve in-stream habitat to support wild fish. A number of land management issues have also been identified which are likely to be causing implications to fisheries.
BART has shared project outputs with local stakeholders and River Chew angling clubs. BART will continue to seek opportunities to form partnerships as well as funding to deliver recommended measures that address the issues outlined within the reports.
Barriers to fish movement and sediment transport
High Phosphate levels at one of the angling reaches
Low river levels during summer 2019
Macrophyte growth generating channel diversity and habitat
BART would like to extend a special thank you to Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership and the Environment Agency for funding the partnership project and to each of the respective angling clubs for permitting BART to access each angling stretch and for the club representative’s volunteer time spent walking each stretch of river with our survey team.
