Year 1 and 2 infants from Abbotsholme School in Rocester will be taking over the school’s Twitter feed during the restock to tweet their photos, videos and comments; you may follow their tweets at @AbbotsholmeHead or retweeted by @envagencymids.
The restock will involve 160,000 salmon bred at the Environment Agency’s Kielder hatchery in Northumberland, being released into the rivers Churnet and Dove. 20,000 of these salmon have been ‘clipped’ to distinguish them from naturally reared fish.
Both rivers are part of the Trent catchment which was adversely affected after the industrial revolution, and rendered virtually lifeless by pollution. Today, huge improvements have been seen, and the rivers now support a diverse invertebrate and fish population.
Steve Fairclough, Head of Abbotsholme School commented:
“The salmon restock into the River Dove is an excellent thing for the children to be involved in. They are already learning about the environment and social media on their curriculum, and combining the two will be excellent fun and a great learning experience.”
Mick Buxton from the Environment Agency said:
“We’re really looking forward to getting the children involved in our salmon restock. It’s so important to enthuse and inspire the next generation to get involved in protecting their rivers so they can be enjoyed for years to come. Our rivers are now the healthiest that they’ve been for over 20 years, and improvements in water quality should allow all these fish to thrive.”
Dr. Tim Jacklin, a trustee of the Trent Rivers Trust, said:
“We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Environment Agency in the ongoing salmon stocking programme which began in 1998. It’s fantastic news that the Dove and Churnet are able to support this iconic species, but the long journey salmon make to the sea and back highlights some of the challenges we still face in the catchment. Removing barriers to migration, not just for salmon, but other species like coarse fish, trout, eels and lampreys is a high priority for the Trent Rivers Trust, and we aim to deliver three major fish pass projects in the next year. Ensuring we have enough cool, clean water in our rivers is also vital – if we can restore a thriving salmon population, we can be sure our rivers are healthy.”
