History of Eden Rivers Trust electrofishing programme
 The Trust began electrofishing in 2000 with the support of the Environment Agency. Staff and volunteers were trained free of charge by the Environment Agency to their health & safety standards.
In 2002 the Trust purchased its own backpack electrofishing equipment and started using a fast semi-quantitative survey technique. This allowed catchment wide coverage of the Eden with 300 sites surveyed each year allowing broad but meaningful data on the fish populations in the Eden to be collected. This complements the work of the Environment Agency at their annual monitoring sites and allows the Trust to target the most appropriate type of population enhancement technique.
The electrofishing data can also be used to look at other issues. In 2005 (after the large scale flooding in January) the data was used to look at how large scale flood events had affected the fish populations. Salmon fry numbers were higher than previous years, despite the flood, but trout fry numbers were lower than previous years. One possible explanation for this is that salmon bury their eggs more deeply making them less vulnerable to flooding. For more detailed information see the 2005 electrofishing flooding report.
The electrofishing surveys validate the aerial survey work the Trust has carried out. Examining areas identified by the RARE project as eroded or at high risk of diffuse pollution allows the Trust to identify which factor influences the fish numbers most and hence which restoration strategy will be most beneficial.
The 2006 electrofishing survey targeted the smaller tributaries in the Eden catchment, some only half a metre wide, to quantify the trout populations in those areas as the Trust is concerned about the health of trout populations.
The electrofishing data can also be used to monitor the success of habitat restoration projects and to see if fish passes in man-made barriers are working properly.
Electrofishing reports
2002 Electrofishing Report
2003 Electrofishing Report
2004 Electrofishing Report
2005 Electrofishing Erosion Report
2005 Electrofishing Flooding Report
2006 Electrofishing Report
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history of electrofishing 