The Sid valley Biodiversity Group have been very busy of late.
On the 5th September, two qualified people from the West Country Rivers Trust surveyed the fish population with electrofishing. Commissioned by the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group their task was to assess six sites to gauge the population of fish in each. Electrofishing involves passing a weak electric current through the water. This stuns the fish temporarily, so they can be netted and identified before returning them to the river; dazed perhaps, but unharmed. This was last done in 2014, so we have data to compare to this year.
Electrofishing on the Sid – Sid Valley Biodiversity Group
‘The West Country Rivers Trust try electrofishing on the Sid’ | Sidmouth Herald
And, yes, the last time this was done was almost a decade ago:
A map of the water-monitoring sites along the Sid: Sid Valley Biodiversity Group – Promoting & Enhancing The Natural Beauty of the Sid Valley
Here’s an excellent overview of the River Sid catchment area – and a look at how the water quality is measured:
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to our team of water monitors. Their data is the basis for this report and continues to contribute to our understanding, protection and improvement of the catchment. Thanks to the West Country Rivers Trust who organise and run the Citizen Science Investigation programme across SW England, the East Devon Catchment Partnership [EDCP] who support catchment projects in East Devon, advise and bring stakeholders together and East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty [ED AONB] who support initiatives to improve our environment and provide information about the area and networking opportunities.
With more here on what the monitoring team get up to:
We are the Westcountry Rivers Trust Citizen Science Investigations monitoring team in the Sid Valley. We are part of the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group which is run by volunteers and relies on donations and grants for funding. We work with individuals, many community groups, authorities and organisations to enhance and enrich aquatic and terrestrial environments. Working partners include the Town and District Councils, The Sid Vale Association, which has riparian rights on a stretch of river, The Friends of the Byes, South West Water, the Wild Trout Trust, East Devon AONB, the National Trust and other land owners. We are fortunate to have numerous landowners inthe valley who are committed to improving biodiversity.
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