River Ehen and Calder sub catchment Management Plan

This is the River Ehen and Calder sub catchment management plan: Consultation Report September 1993 produced by the National Rivers Authority (NRA) North West Region in 1993. The report focuses on the management plan of both River Catchments Ehen and Calder, in North West England, UK. The Catchment Management Plan (C.M.P.) enabled the NRA to summarise the status of the catchment, identify the main issues and present its vision of the future. It provides a strategic policy framework for its Management and influences decision making leading to improvements in the water environment. The report contains sections on Description of Catchment, Catchment uses by NRA function, Target and objectives of the plan, Summary of Issues and Catchment Issues. The section on description of Catchment includes a general description, Transport, Geology, major services, summary of key details, area, topography, administrative details, main towns and population, water quality Sewage Treatment Works Trade effluent discharges, Water Resources, flood defence and land drainage and Fisheries.

The River Ehen salmonid fishery - current status and a summary of fisheries work 1993-1996

This is the report on the River Ehen salmonid fishery - current status and a summary of fisheries work during the period 1993-1996, produced by the Environment Agency North West in 1997. This report draws together a number of investigations and surveys undertaken following the 1993 Strategic fisheries survey of the River Ehen. It specifically details the historic catch data available for this catchment for both salmon and sea trout and examines the current stock levels based on this data. Concerns over sea trout stock levels are raised and a detailed examination of the possible limiting factors involved is included. Information from surveys on the River Keekle is analysed with reference to its potential for sea trout production both currently and with the proposed clean up on Oatlands tip. Salmon production in the historically acidified River Liza sub catchment is examined along with ways of boosting production further following recent reductions in acidic episodes. Future and current issues and actions required in the catchment are listed along with the responsible party and estimated costs involved.

River Lune processes. A study of change in the River Lune catchment and recommendations for flood defence management

There has been a perception of increasing river channel instability in north west rivers and the River Lune in particular in recent decades. This has been attributed variously to: (a) long-term trends in precipitation-runoff regime; (b) changes in land-use such as moor-draining and sub-soil draining such that the river is more flashy than previously, and (c) a change in the magnitude-frequency relationships of flow such that high discharges are occurring with increased frequency. Resources are available in the form of rainfall and runoff records, archived information on channel planform, land use statistics and local engineering experience which have not been jointly and fully evaluated. Effective interpretation of the nature of channel change through time with respect to this resource may enhance the Environment Agency's ability to manage the river channel efficiently in the future and will aid the development of effective policy. The results of this study will for the first time, provide robust guidance with respect to long-term channel adjustment and the appropriate management options. The research provides suggestions as to how policy might be developed taking account of other pertinent factors.

An examination of the Community Fisheries Sub-Decree in Cambodia: changes and developments during the drafting process

This study examines the development of the Community Fisheries Sub-Decree. From its promulgation in late 2000 through its draft form in June 20021, this sub-decree has gone through over 25 drafts. Initially, the writing process involved the public intimately: community meetings were conducted, NGOs contributed their knowledge and expertise, and then, with these consultations in mind, the newly-formed Community Fisheries Development Office (CFDO) in the Department of Fisheries (DoF) drafted the sub-decree. Over the following year and a half, the sub-decree went through numerous changes, some of which fundamentally alter the tenor of the legislation. This includes the deletion of some of the primary issues of rural communities, such as what fishing gears they can use and whether they can participate in patrolling the fishing area. While the final form is still pending, there are many questions as to the positive effects that the sub-decree will ultimately have on people’s livelihoods when it is finally approved. This research was undertaken to track the development of the sub-decree to gain a better understanding of how the Cambodian policy-making system functions. Consultations were undertaken with the DoF and CFDO before the research began, both of which agreed to the study. It is hoped that this report will help not only those interested in community fisheries issues, but also those who want to advocate on other Cambodian development issues as well. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject material, and the fact that the sub-decree is still pending, the author has conducted interviews with the express purpose of keeping them confidential. Therefore, no individual will be quoted directly in this study. In addition, many of the English versions of the drafts examined were unofficial translations. The author has made no effort to correct the English in the drafts. Moreover, there are also questions regarding the drafts and their sequence, as no government records were kept of the process or the changes that were made along the way. These have been compiled after the fact. (33 p.)

A sub-regional management framework for South Pacific longline fisheries

The principal objective of this study was to determine if additional net benefits can be derived from the sub-regional longline fishery by the introduction of a new management agreement that would centre on the provision of licensing arrangements that would allow access by eligible longline vessels to multiple Exclusive Economic Zones, i.e. Multi-zone Access. [90pp.]

Decision support systems optimising effluent release in sub tropical estuarine environment - An Australian case study

Gold Coast Water is responsible for the management of the water and wastewater assets of the City of the Gold Coast on Australia’s east coast. Treated wastewater is released at the Gold Coast Seaway on an outgoing tide in order for the plume to be dispersed before the tide changes and renters the Broadwater estuary. Rapid population growth over the past decade has placed increasing demands on the receiving waters for the release of the City’s effluent. The Seaway SmartRelease Project is designed to optimise the release of the effluent from the City’s main wastewater treatment plant in order to minimise the impact of the estuarine water quality and maximise the cost efficiency of pumping. In order to do this an optimisation study that involves water quality monitoring, numerical modelling and a web based decision support system was conducted. An intensive monitoring campaign provided information on water levels, currents, winds, waves, nutrients and bacterial levels within the Broadwater. These data were then used to calibrate and verify numerical models using the MIKE by DHI suite of software. The decision support system then collects continually measured data such as water levels, interacts with the WWTP SCADA system, runs the models in forecast mode and provides the optimal time window to release the required amount of effluent from the WWTP. The City’s increasing population means that the length of time available for releasing the water with minimal impact may be exceeded within 5 years. Optimising the release of the treated water through monitoring, modelling and a decision support system has been an effective way of demonstrating the limited environmental impact of the expected short term increase in effluent disposal procedures. (PDF contains 5 pages)

An assessment of water quality in integrated poultry-cum-fish reservoir, NIFFR New-Bussa in reference to maximizing the water resources potentials of Nigeria for sustainable aquaculture under the sub-theme "Fish production and the environment"

In this reservoir, the parameters being assessed are very important in the aspect of fish culture. These parameters are: physical parameters which includes temperature (O), Transparency (M).Chemical parameters include: Dissolve oxygen (mg/l) pH concentration and the Biological Parameters which include phytoplankton and zooplankton. The phytoplankton and zooplankton identification and estimation were carried out in the NIFFR Limnology Laboratory, (Green House), New Bussa. Each identified zooplankton and phytoplankton species was placed according to its major group e.g. zooplankton was grouped into three families, Roifera, Cladocera and Copepods. During this study period it was observed that copepods have the highest total number of zooplankton both beside the poultry and monk (station 'A'&'B'). Water temperature of station 'A' (beside the poultry house) ranges from 27 C-29, 5 c also same station 'B' (near the monk). Dissolve oxygen station 'A' range from 6.30mg/l-7.40mg/l while that of station 'B' ranges from 6.20mg/7.50mg/l, turbidity reading of station A'ranges from 0.19m-0.3m while station 'B' ranges from 0.22m-0.37m. The last parameter, which is pH concentration, in both stations 8.2 was observed this is an indication that the pH was constant. According to some literature review all the water parameter figures obtained were good for fish culture

A decade of studies at Loch Fleet, Galloway (Scotland): A catchment liming project and restoration of a brown trout fishery

Loch Fleet is a small upland lake in the hills of Galloway in southwest Scotland. In the 1970s the waters of the loch became more acidic and a brown trout fishery failed. This account summarises an experimental project, the "Loch Fleet Project" initiated in 1984, designed to reverse acidification of the loch by liming parts of the catchment. Liming about 40% of the catchment in 1986 and 1987 raised the pH and calcium levels, and reduced toxic aluminium concentrations. The improved conditions had been maintained up to 1994, but water in the loch, and its principal inflow stream, is now falling close to the desired threshold of quality. After liming, restocking with local strains of trout in 1987 was successful, and a self-recruiting population became established within 2 years. Recruitment is highly variable, however, and was attributed to severe spring conditions and the limited spawning capacity of the nursery stream, rather than to water quality.

High-resolution automatic water quality monitoring systems applied to catchment and reservoir monitoring

Automatic recording instruments provide the ideal means of recording the responses of rivers, lakes and reservoirs to short-term changes in the weather. As part of the project ‘Using Automatic Monitoring and Dynamic Modelling for the Active Management of Lakes and Reservoirs', a family of three automatic monitoring stations were designed by engineers at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Windermere to monitor such responses. In this article, the authors describe this instrument network in some detail and present case studies that illustrate the value of high resolution automatic monitoring in both catchment and reservoir applications.

Factors influencing the downstream transport of sediment in the Lough Feeagh catchment, Burrishoole, Co. Mayo, Ireland

Research laboratories in the Burrishoole catchment have been the focus of salmonid research since 1955. One aspect of the research has been to monitor the number of salmon and sea trout migrating to sea as smolts and returning to the catchment as adults. In the early 1990s it became clear that the smolt output from the catchment had declined over the previous two decades. At about the same time the presence of fine particles of peat silt in the hatchery became increasingly apparent and led to a higher incidence of mortality of young fry. These observations and management difficulties led to a study of silt transport in the surface waters of the catchment, which is described in this article. The authors describe geology, soils, climate and hydrology of Burrishoole before examining the sediment deposition in Lough Feeagh.

Modelling soil erosion and transport in the Burrishoole catchment, Newport, Co. Mayo, Ireland

The Burrishoole catchment is situated in County Mayo, on the northwest coast of the Republic of Ireland. Much of the catchment is covered by blanket peat that, in many areas, has become heavily eroded in recent years. This is thought to be due, primarily, to the adverse effects of forestry and agricultural activities in the area. Such activities include ploughing, drainage, the planting and harvesting of trees, and sheep farming, all of which are potentially damaging to such a sensitive landscape if not managed carefully. This article examines the sediment yield and hydrology of the Burrishoole catchment. Flow and sediment concentrations were measured at 8-hourly intervals from 5 February 2001 to 8 November 2001 with an automatic sampler and separate flow gauge, and hourly averages were recorded between 4 July 2002 and 6 September 2002 using an automatic river monitoring system [ARMS]. The authors describe the GIS-based model of soil erosion and transport that was applied to the Burrishoole catchment during this study. The results of these analyses were compared, in a qualitative manner, with the aerial photography available for the Burrishoole catchment to see whether areas that were predicted to contribute large proportions of eroded material to the drainage network corresponded with areas where peat erosion could be identified through photo-interpretation.

Ecological change in Lough Erne: influence of catchment changes and species invasions

Lough Erne in Northern Ireland has been the subject of much research over the last 30 years by, amongst others, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD). In this article, the authors provide a summary of a workshop held on the 16–17th October 2003 in Enniskillen, on the shores of Lough Erne, which gave an opportunity to step back and take a holistic look at the Erne lakes. Ecological change has been driven by many factors, including land use changes and species invasions. The workshop consisted of five sessions which are summarised in this article: Session 1 – Invasive species, nutrients, phytoplankton and macrophytes; Session 2 – Zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish; Session 3 – An ecosystem approach – relating the previous sessions; Session 4 – How does Lough Erne fit into lake classifications? Implications of the Water Framework Directive; Session 5 – Using new techniques to examine food webs and species invasions. Identifying a future research programme for Lough Erne.

Key to the larvae of the genera of the sub-family Orthocladiinae from Larvae and Pupae of midges of the sub-family Orthocladiinae of the fauna of the USSR. [Translation from: Larvae and pupae of midges of the subfamily Orthocladiinae of the fauna of the USSR (Diptera, Chironomidae = Tendipedidae) (ed. Pankratova V.Ya.), 51-55. Leningrad, Nauka, 1970. ]

A key to the larvae of the genera of the sub-family Orthocladiinae from Larvae and Pupae of midges of the sub-family Orthocladiinae. Parts of the key refer to the rest of the publication which is not included in this partial translation.

Pollution and water quality control of the River Tejo. Report on a visit to Portugal, Sep 27th - October 10th, 1987

Fundamental changes in the management of water resources in Portugal are now evolving. Five regional organisations termed Administracaos de Regiao Hidrographic (ARH), will be created to manage water resources within their respective geographical areas. These areas will be catchment based. As a fore-runner to the implementation of the five ARH's a foundation project has been established within the Direcao-Geral do Recursos Naturais to examine the practical implications of the new system. This project has been divided into a number of sub-projects and complementary projects to include the Tejo complementary project. The Tejo complementary project is the focus of this report. The report is to advise on the role of biology in the proposed ARH, to establish priorities for biological studies within the present Projecto de Gestao Integrada dos Recursos Hidricos da Bacia Hidrografica do Rio Tejo (PGIRH/T) and to assist with the planning of laboratory facilities for biology at the new PGIRH/T laboratory at Alges, Lisboa.

The ecological impact of different mechanisms of chronic sub-lethal toxicity on feeding and respiratory physiology

Sub-lethal toxicity tests, such as the scope-for-growth test, reveal simple relationships between measures of contaminant concentration and effect on respiratory and feeding physiology. Simple models are presented to investigate the potential impact of different mechanisms of chronic sub-lethal toxicity on these physiological processes. Since environmental quality is variable, even in unimpacted environments, toxicants may have differentially greater impacts in poor compared to higher quality environments. The models illustrate the implications of different degrees and mechanisms of toxicity in response to variability in the quality of the feeding environment, and variability in standard metabolic rate. The models suggest that the relationships between measured degrees of toxic stress, and the maintenance ration required to maintain zero scope-for-growth, may be highly nonlinear. In addition it may be possible to define critical levels of sub-lethal toxic effect above which no environment is of sufficient quality to permit prolonged survival.