Fish rescued after river changed course and stranded them
MORE than 1,300 fish have been rescued after a river naturally changed course following heavy rainfall – leaving them stranded in pools of water.
Over recent weeks the Environment Agency has been developing an incident response plan following evidence the River Coquet was likely to switch course into the Barrow Burn at Alwinton.
This is a natural process of a river diverting from an established channel into a new permanent course.
The switch of the Coquet into the Barrow Burn left a 300-metre stretch of the main river depleted of water and around 1,300 fish stranded.
Environment Agency fisheries specialists relocated fish in the cut-off stretch – including salmon, lamprey, eel and minnow – back into the main river. Some of the rescued fish were juvenile salmon and sea trout on their migration to the sea, as well as younger fish of both species.
The Environment Agency has been working with partners to prepare for the natural phenomenon, including Natural England, local tenant farmers, and ecologists for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, which provides ecological advice to the Ministry of Defence and originally reported the issue to the Environment Agency. The MOD owns land in the area.
The Environment Agency’s Alastair Laverty, a geomorphology expert, said: “The River Coquet between Thropton and Alwinton is a dynamic, wandering river, which maintains good connection to its floodplain and is still largely unmodified – a rarity for a river of this size in England.
“The switching of channels and the creation of new channels within the floodplain is an entirely normal occurrence.
“Once we were aware of the potential for the river to move course, we began developing an incident response plan to reduce any impact on communities, the environment and wildlife, and as part of our response on the ground more than 1,000 fish were rescued.
“The River Coquet is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and we are committed to retaining and restoring this complex and dynamic river to ensure it remains a good habitat for wildlife.”
In March last year, the river set a new course through Caistron Lakes near Rothbury following a period of heavy rainfall.