Westcountry
River
Trust
Working with the Westcountry Rivers, Trust I spent a few days on the Devon-Cornwall boarder, on the river Inny, part of the Tamar catchment. At the time I didn't know what all those words meant; funny what a few days in the company of passionate, knowledge, dedicated people can.
A team of three, they carried out an electro survey, recording the number and type of fish present in a defined area of the river, in an attempt to better understand its ecological health.
An electronic backpack is used to attract fish which are netted and transferred to buckets for recording, before being released. It's just one part of a large body of work carried out by the Trust, who are dedicated to protecting and restoring the health of the inland waterways that grace the westcountry. In their words:
"We care for your Westcountry rivers, streams, brooks, estuaries and wetlands
Through science, evidence and experience, our charity preserves, protects and improves the region’s freshwater environments for all who depend on them.
Our aim is to inspire a long-term love for, and understanding of, this vital natural resource."