Working With Nature & The Fisheries Improvement Programme

When a fallen tree was found on a Hertfordshire chalk stream, the benefits to the trout population were so evident, the national Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) supported a project to replicate the outcome on other parts of the river.

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It’s a fair bet that for most people, the sight of a fallen tree altering a river’s natural flow would prompt instant thoughts for its removal. But when a member of both Panshanger Anglers and the Wild Trout Trust reported such an occurrence on a remote section of the River Mimram near Welwyn Garden City, the result was a project of replication rather than singular extraction.

The tree that inspired a project

Fallen trees make rivers scour. It’s a process which leads to meandering and habitat creation and that’s precisely what natural rivers should do. In this instance the find revealed that a natural scouring process offered numerous benefits for the river, the wildlife and most specifically, the trout population.

Rob Mungovan, Conservation Officer for the Wild Trout Trust takes up the story. “A complete fallen tree was in the river collecting leaves, twigs and water plants as they made their way downstream. This was providing a huge amount of organic matter for invertebrates to start the process of nutrient cycling, which, in turn, provides food for fish. A further bonus to the process was that the tangle of branches provided fantastic cover for the fish, and with the trunk across the channel, a scour hole had formed producing perfectly sorted gravel which was ideal for spawning trout, grayling and minnow.”

Working on the principle that accumulations of wood are a natural feature and removal should only occur in the event of a flood risk, it was decided that ‘nature knows best, so let’s replicate it.’

Plans

Panshanger Anglers and the Wild Trout Trust held discussions with local Environment Agency Fisheries Officer, Rick Boulding, on what could be done to improve the habitat where the river was too shallow to hold fish. It was decided that the best approach would be to fell other trees into the river to evolve more scour holes and to provide more low cover. It was a project that required external funding and so, after a careful planning process, an application was made to the EA’s Fisheries Improvement Programme.

“Before any work could be agreed or a FIP application made, there was some consensus work to do,” said Rob. “The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have an overseeing role at Panshanger because it’s an important site for wildlife and quite rightly, any restoration work had to be visually low-key.

“I walked the area and assessed suitable trees and selected those that revealed little or no potential for roosting bats. As an ecologist, I couldn’t ignore that some trees along the river could have great potential for bats and should be left alone. Similarly, I did not want to be taking down valuable bird nesting habitat.”

In all, 25 large trees were selected, and a Flood Risk Activity Permit was obtained from the EA. A successful application was made for funding from the FIP by Wild Trout Trust which secured £3,000. It was match-funded by landowners, Tarmac, who also committed their own foresters to assist with the project. Funds were also received from the Panshanger Anglers and the Grayling Society, knowing that the work wouldn’t just benefit trout.

The work was commissioned for mid-August when birds had completed their nesting and with the identified trees safely felled, volunteers from Panshanger Anglers and the Wildlife Trust added their own support.

Volunteer assistance

Rob said: “It has been hugely satisfying to take people to a length of river that was previously 8 metres wide and around 0.1 metres deep and see their surprise as they stepped into water that was now three times deeper and had complex flow paths. The felled wood within the flow was also lifting and sorting sand from the gravel which once deposited as bars, provides a niche for mayfly larvae.”

Each example was wired and pegged

Environment Agency Senior Advisor Roger Handford said: “Each year, the Fisheries Improvement Programme uses income from rod licence sales to support projects like this that improve habitats and facilities for the benefit of anglers. Most of those projects are on still waters but the work at Panshanger illustrates the positive impact the FIP can have on our rivers too.”

Benefits

Since the work began in 2021, the improvements have been clear. A survey conducted in the summer of 2024 reported that trout numbers were up by 65% and other species had also responded positively.

 “Three years down the line, we’re very pleased with the results,” said Rob Mungovan. “They show that the habitat improvement programme has worked and is working for the species we expect to be present in the Mimram. This work is more than just for trout.”

“There is certainly no need to stock the river because it’s clear the wild population of fish continues to strengthen. The support Panshanger Anglers had from the FIP and from other stakeholders including Tarmac and the Wildlife Trust has hugely enhanced the river’s natural capacity.”

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• Each year, the Environment Agency receives around £20million which is exclusively ploughed back into projects that enhance and protect angling and its environment.
• The current round of the FIP is open until 5pm on 31^st January 2025 and the EA welcomes applications from angling clubs, fisheries, NGOs, local authorities or other community organisations involved in angling.

More information on funding opportunities and how to apply, are available here.