The Environment Agency has commissioned a fish pass at Wall Nook Dam, Langley Park, County Durham, to allow sea trout, salmon, eels and lamprey to swim upstream. The works are being carried out in partnership with the Mineral Valleys Project ‘Working on the Wear’ and are due to complete by August 2006.
On the River Wear, sea trout and salmon populations have shown a dramatic recovery since the 1960’s as the river has seen water quality improvements and the removal of other barriers. Areas upstream of Wall Nook Dam contain ideal spawning areas for salmon and trout and important nursery grounds for young fish.
Antony Sykes, fisheries technical officer at the Environment Agency said: “We are delighted to see the works going ahead. Wall Nook Dam has been an impassable major barrier to the passage of many important fish species on the River Browney, a major tributary of the River Wear. We hope that the extra habitat opened up for salmon and sea trout will further strengthen the recovery of these species in the River Wear.”
Fish passes come in many different forms with each one being designed to suit the weir or dam that they are used on.
The fish pass used at Wall Nook Dam itself will be a ‘Denil’ fish pass which includes a series of baffles placed within a concrete channel, that reduce the velocity of water to a level that salmon, sea trout and brown trout can swim through. There will also be a separate lamprey and elver pass to allow these important and threatened species access upstream.
The Working on the Wear Project is part of the wider Mineral Valleys Project. It aims to improve watercourses on the river Wear through habitat, access and educational work. The project partners include Environment Agency, River Wear Environmental Trust and English Nature.
For more information on Working on the Wear visit the Mineral Valleys Project website on http://www.mvp.org.uk
