FISH IN THE RIVER SID
Information, reports and stories of fish in the River Sid have been collected over time.
2015
The Devon Rivers Forum has some great discussion threads, photos and videos of the River.
Here’s something from October/December 2015:
The River Sid could possibly be one of the few rivers left with an indigenous species.
River Sid | Devon Rivers Forum
Including a video along the River showing “Hen and Cock Trout covering a redd in the River Sid DEVON UK … 25 November 2015”:
TROUT COVERING A RED – YouTube
A salmon redd is a depression created by the upstroke of the female salmon’s body and tail, sucking up the river bottom gravel and using the river current to drift it downstream. The female salmon digs a number of redds, depositing a few hundred eggs in each during the one or two days she is spawning.
What the Heck are Salmon Redds, Anyway? – Fly Fishing Traditions
2018
Here is an article and photo from the River Warden Peter Brookes in the SVA Newsletter No 84, July 2018, with a short introduction:
“I was informed it was a hen salmon (possibly looking for a spawning site) which had an estimated weight of some 13 Lb (almost 6 Kg), and when she was “launched” she created a bow wave as she sped off up river!! The date of the salmon rescue was Oct 2015, although we have netted several smaller fish since.”
http://www.sidvaleassociation.org.uk/activities/river-sid
2021
Clearly eels are not ‘fish’ – but they are an important part of the Sid’s ecosystem. Here’s a shot of a tussle between an otter and an eel taken by Sarah Fletcher on 4 November 2021:
(20+) SIDMOUTH community for the people | This morning…Wow | Facebook
2022
Here’s a lovely little video of ” a lamprey nursery at Fortescue” – filmed by Charles Sinclair of the SVBG on 10 February 2022:
https://www.facebook.com/sidvalleybiodiversity