BERVIE WATER – PROPOSALS FOR A CATCHMENT SCALE

STUDYESK RIVERS & FISHERIES

TRUST

CATCHMENT OBJECTIVES

• BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

• HYDROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

• GEOMORPHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

KICK SAMPLING INVERTEBRATE IDENTIFCATION

ELECTRIC FISHINGFISH MEASURED

BIOLOGICAL ANALYSISCOMMUNITIES OF INVERTEBRATES HIGHLIGHT THE ON-GOING

RIVER FUNCTIONS

DETECTS IMPACTS and ECOLOGICAL STATUS• Pollution, acidification, eutrophication, and metals• Score the invertebrates according to presumed sensitivity

Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) – based on families Ephemeridae (May Flies), Perlidae (Stone flies) – score 10 Caenidae (angler’s curse) – score 7 Gammridae (shrimps) - score 6 Baetidae (olives) - score 4 Hirudidae (leeches) - score 3 Chironomidae (midge larva) – score 2Oligochaeta (worms) - score 1

Proportion Silt Sediment Sensitive Invertebrates – alternative to quantifying the volume of deposited fine sediment (<2mm) in the river bed

PROPORTION SEDIMENT SENSITIVE INVERTEBRATES (PSI)

PSI = ∑Scores for sediment sensitive groups (Highly& Moderate)/ ∑Scores for all sediment sensitive groups

PSI River Bed condition100-81 Minimally sedimented/unsedimented80-61 Slightly sedimented60-41 Moderately sedimented40-21 Sedimented20-0 Heavily sedimented

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

Bervie Electro-fishing Results

trout 0+trout 1+trout 2+salmon 0+Salmon 1+total

Site No

No.

of

Fis

h C

aught

HYDROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

AVERAGE RIVER FLOWS ACROSS SCOTAND HAVE INCREASED BY ~ 20% OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS AFFECTING

• RIVER BANK EROSION• FLOODING• IN-STREAM HABITAT• INCREASED SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

Erosion downstream of Mondynes

Siltation at Tipperty

An example of the use of LIDAR data in a ground model mapping stream power

EVIDENCE OF RECENT CANALISATION

Erosion on the Lower Bervie

SEPA FLOOD MAP 1:200 YEAR EVENT

MAJOR FLOOD DECEMBER 2012

MOUTH OF THE BERVIE WATER

NO EASY SOLUTION!

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS!

THANK YOU