Assessment of Barriers in the Nore Catchment

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Developing the Morphological Assessment Process
Fieldwork Contracts 2006 and 2007 Morphology and
Biology Field Data
Risk Assessment Refinement BARRIERS TO
MIGRATION
Aerial Imagery Capture and Processing
PoMS STUDY
Derive Channel Typologies
Develop Remote Sensing Methods
Populate a morphology database
RISK ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION MONITORING
Decision Support Tool
Programmes of Measures
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Assessment of Barriers in the Nore Catchment

• The study will use an approach for the
  assessment of the impact of in-river barriers to
  fish migration, on
• a case study basis in the River Nore
  (Southern Regional Fisheries Board area), which
  can be used subsequently to assess river barrier
  impacts nationally.

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Methodology

• The Southern Regional Fisheries Board has
  compiled an extensive data set on the
  distribution of artificial and man-made barrier
  throughout the Nore system.
• The risk of each barrier to upstream migration
  has been assessed
• A system is required so that this information can
  be used to assess the risk of delaying or
  preventing salmon and other fish migration which
  can adversely impact on the status of the water
  body.

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R. Nore catchment Barrier to fish passage
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Key information datasets to aid risk assessment

• CFB Wetted Area Database
• Location of salmon spawning areas (GIS layer)
• Distribution and abundance of juvenile salmon
  (GIS layer)
• Relating the distribution of juvenile salmon
  and/or the location of salmon redds to the
  barrier information will allow assessment of the
  degree to which specific barriers are impeding
  the upstream passage of salmon.

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• The GIS layer on location of potential and
  known salmon spawning areas on the Nore Catchment
  is being updated
• This will be related to the barrier information

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• Information on the distribution and extent of
  juvenile salmon on the Nore Catchment is being
  updated
• Targeted electro-fishing upstream of high risk
  barriers has been undertaken

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Eel and Lamprey anadromy

• Sea-, river- and Brook lamprey

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(No Transcript)
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R. Nore Location of Sea Lamprey redds
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Risk Assessment

• The CFB wetted area database, when integrated
  with the salmon spawning and juvenile salmon
  distribution, will allow the extent of freshwater
  habitat upstream of barriers to be determined.

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Overall Risk Assessment

• Compass Infomatics will integrate information on
  barriers and the distribution of salmon and/or
  lamprey with the wetted area data for the Nore
  Catchment
• This would allow assessment of the benefit of
  removing a particular barrier and allow
  calculation of the additional wetted area to be
  gained.
• This will provide input for the development of a
  barrier risk assessment scheme by the WFD group.

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Barrier Risk Assessment

• While a barrier or series of barriers may not act
  to stop salmon or lamprey ascending, barriers may
  delay upstream movement.
• This may have implications for salmon angling
  upstream or delay multi-sea winter salmon from
  reaching headwaters, cause stress etc.
• This may be dependent on time of year, for
  example lamprey spawn in summer and may be
  prevented from moving upstream to spawn in low
  summer flows.
• The complexities of barriers or series of
  barriers relating to fish movement and risk is
  being addressed.

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R. Nore barrier to fish passage