Cotswolds Rivers Trust, caring for and conserving the wild brown trout rivers of the Cotswolds ANOB
Windrush Roach Project
Working in conjunction with Windrush Against Sewage Pollution Cotswolds Rivers Trust has installed a number of roach spawning boards in an attempt to boost the population of roach in the River Windrush
The River Windrush in Gloucestershire, in the heart of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB) used to have a large population of specimen roach. Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) identified that this population had declined and that the natural water plants used by roach for spawning were largely absent. The roach spawning boards provide an artificial substrate onto which the fish can deposit their eggs when spawning. You can follow WASP on Facebook or on their website.
Challenge
River pollution, particularly by untreated sewage, is a topic that has gained a great deal of media attention in recent months. Thanks to the work of organisations such as WASP the issue has been taken up by the mainstream media and now features in national and local press, TV and online. The habit of discharging untreated sewage, in breach of national controls on such discharges, is something for which water companies are being held to account. Sadly, the current thinking by central government seems to be that the solution can take 30 years to implement. Our rivers don't have the luxury of 30 years of pollution before permanent damage is done. Every small step that can be taken to reverse the impact of uncontrolled discharge is a bonus. As a result of consultations between the WASP and Cotswolds Rivers Trust organisations, one such step was identified; the improvement of availability of spawning substrate for wild roach.
Funding was obtained to manufacture the boards and to anchor them in the River Windrush.
Value
The objective is to boost the population of roach in the river, and to restore the health and size to its pre-pollution levels. Although the pollution problem has not been solved, yet, the trust feels that over time the fish population can recover. In the end, you have to start somewhere and these small projects can only benefit the river habitat.
24-04-2022
Roach Project Update
Cotswolds Rivers Trust helping the Windrush Recovery Project with a batch of spawning boards for roach. The attached netting mimics the willow moss (fontinalis) - the missing water plants which the fish prefer to breed successfully.
There have been some roach caught in this area so we will be watching the progress of this shoal fish.
The Windrush was once famous for its big roach as well as its healthy plant life.
On the downside, the river is getting murkier as the temperatures rise. We hear it is looking grim where it joins the Thames.
