A MAJOR new wildlife project has secured almost £20million to help reintroduce an abundance of fish and wildlife to the river Severn.
The £19.4million project, which received £10.8million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £6million from the European Union LIFE programme, will create seven state-of-the-art fish passes which allow fish to travel past weirs.
They will be installed at five Severn weirs and two on the tributary river Teme to open up more than 150 miles of waterways.
The largest of its kind ever attempted in Europe, the scheme will re-open the UK’s longest river to all fish species, many of which became extinct in the upper reaches following the installation of weirs required to power the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s.
The project will also secure the long-term future of many of the UK’s declining and protected species, including the now-threatened twaite and allis shad, salmon and the European eel, by substantially increasing access to the critical spawning grounds.
Recreational and commercial fishing activities on the river contribute £15million to the economy each year.The funding will also mean the project can work with local communities and schools to reconnect millions of people with the natural, cultural and industrial heritage of the rivers, its backers said.
The scheme was developed as part of a three-year long collaborative partnership between the Severn Rivers Trust, the Canal and River Trust, the Environment Agency and Natural England.
Work to install the first of the seven fish passes will begin in 2017 and the project will take approximately five years to complete.
Tony Bostock, chief executive officer of the Severn Rivers Trust, said: “This exciting scheme meets our aims in protecting and enhancing the Severn catchment.
“It will deliver multiple benefits to fisheries interests and many local communities along the Severn and Teme. The state-of-the-art fish passes will truly unlock the UK’s longest river and together with proposed habitat improvements, provide greater resilience to climate change and other pressures in the future.”
Tom Tew, Heritage Lottery Fund Trustee, said: “Unlocking the Severn is a very rare opportunity to right 150 years of wrongs. The Severn has played a key role in our nation’s industrial development and our natural heritage, so now is the perfect moment to share that story.
“Whilst complex and costly, we know people care deeply about the natural world around them, so we’re pleased to be using National Lottery money to solve an enduring problem on the UK’s longest river.”
