Work on creating an £8.5m ‘fish pass’ that will allow species to swim freely up the River Trent at Colwick is nearing completion – with an opening date to be revealed shortly.
When opened, the structure at Holme Sluices will become the largest of its kind in the country and will serve as an ‘elevator’ to allow fish to hop up and downstream.
The Environment Agency said the pass was needed as there were presently a number of barriers to fish migration within the River Trent catchment. These include the Holme Sluices, a major flood management structure built back in the 1950s.
The agency says the direct environmental benefits of the fish pass will be worth £18.6m.
Simon Ward, fisheries technical specialist, said: “Our priority is to open up the River Trent for all fish species.
“By installing fish passage, it will become easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds.”
He said the agency was working with a number of partners on the wider project for the river, known as the Trent Gateway, and other possible plans could eventually include a visitor centre telling the story of the Trent, its history, ecology and how it has shaped communities along its length.
Total waste of cash in these days of austerity – and despite my name I am NOT IN FAVOUR!!! LOL
The uk is the most wildlife depleted country in the world and this project goes a short way to redressing that issue, and it’s worth every penny that has been spent on it
Good on you Geoff – you get it. They used to be spawning grounds until we built obstacles in our rivers from the 1950s onwards. It’s giving fish back access to one of the UK major river systems.
As for cost – it all depends if you value wildlife but compared with the money spent/lost on HS2, PPE scandals, Liz Truss miscalculations etc. – it’s literally a drop in the water.
So the fish can get upstream but we can’t get across… open the bridge to pedestrians and cyclists and link the two country parks
Why the bloody hell do we need fish in the Trent? I just think there’s way more better things to spend money on.
Jenny & Jack Salmon – are those actually your names or is that a joke? Lol!
If they are returning to their breeding grounds it must have been passable prior to this. Am I missing something ?