ALBERT

Description: This is the Investigation of rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Eden Valley, Cumbria report produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This report focuses on groundwater nitrate concentrations in the Eden Valley. Most boreholes in the Eden Valley had nitrate concentrations less than 20 mg/l but a significant number had higher concentrations, some exceeding the EC maximum admissible concentration for drinking water of 50 mg/l. The main objectives of this report were to investigate the causes of rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Permo-Triassic sandstone aquifers of the Eden Valley area and provide sufficient understanding of the groundwater and surface water flow system, including the sources of the nitrate contamination and the processes controlling nitrate movement, so that possible management options for reversing this trend can be considered.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Eden RHS and geomorphology evaluation: Final report October 2001 produced by the Environment Agency North West in 2001. This report analysed the River Habitat Survey (RHS) and geomorphology data to evaluate the level of habitat quality and the geomorphological characteristics of the River Eden and sub-catchments. RHS data and geomorphological assessment data was collected within the study areas by CEH and Fluvial Environmental Services Ltd. The River Eden and its sub-catchments are being considered as a Special Area for Conservation (SAC) due to the presence of habitat types and species, which are rare or threatened within Europe. The purpose of the project is to provide an overview of the state of the catchment in terms of river habitats and geomorphological processes in order to aid the derivation of sound management for this proposed SAC.The aim of this report was to determine the state of the environment within the Eden and sub-catchments and identify the main pressures on the system in order to derive sound management options.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Lynher Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 1999. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Lynher catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Lynher salmon stock. The actions presented within this final Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. The River Lynher salmon stock has suffered two periods of spawning target failure within the past ten years. This assessment can only be estimated and in this case is likely to be dependent on river flow and the availability of salmon to the rods as only rod catch is used in the compliance assessment.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Tavy Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2000. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Tavy catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Tavy salmon stock. The actions presented within this Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. An attempt has been made to cost these actions, identify possible sources of funding and to provide a timescale for action. This Action Plan aims to promote long term collaboration and co-operation between the Agency and other interested parties to effectively and efficiently manage the stock of salmon on the River Tavy.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Axe Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Axe Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. This document is part of a national initiative to produce action plans for the management of all the main salmon rivers of England and Wales by 2003. The aim of this plan is (i) to assess the status of the salmon stocks and fisheries of the River Axe - including the use of Conservation Limits as part of this process, (ii) to identify factors which may be limiting stock and fishery performance and (iii) to propose remedial measures address these factors. The salmon stock of the River Axe was apparently in a healthy state in the 1950s, supporting net and rod fisheries with average annual catches of around 100 and 50 fish respectively. Catches declined through the 1970s and 1980s to the extent where no salmon were recorded in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This decline was probably due largely to the effects of agricultural pollution, which virtually extinguished the salmon stock of the River Axe. Water quality has subsequently improved, but has deteriorated again in recent years.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Lyn Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Lyn Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This approach to salmon management within the England and Wales introduces the concept of river-specific Conservation Limits as a method of assessing the status of the salmon stock. The River Lyn Salmon Action Plan follows the format of those completed for the Rivers Exe, Axe, Avon & Erme, Teign, Torridge, Taw and Dart. It is the last of eight action plans that have been produced for salmon rivers within Devon Area. The River Lyn Salmon Action Plan contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. The Lyn salmon stock is judged to be meeting its Conservation Limit. However, this assessment is uncertain as it is based on an estimate of rod exploitation rate, which in itself is also uncertain.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the Rivers Avon & Erme Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This document is part of a national initiative to produce action plans for the management of all the main salmon rivers of England and Wales by 2003. The aim of this plan is (i) to assess the status of the salmon stocks and fisheries of the rivers Avon and Erme - including the use of Conservation Limits as part of this process, (ii) to identify factors which may limiting stock and fishery performance and (iii) to propose remedial measures address these factors. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the Rivers Avon & Erme Salmon Action Plan (SAP). While the stocks of both rivers have exceeded their respective conservation limits occasionally in individual years, only the Erme has achieved a period of statistical compliance since 1993. It is possible that this situation is largely normal, due to the steep nature of the rivers, obstructions to migration and dependence on suitable flow conditions occurring at the right time of year. The decline of the spring-running component of the stocks has left the populations dependent on autumn flows for the success of the late running component. Actions required to improve compliance with Conservation Limits are proposed and prioritised. The urgent actions relate to the need to improve the consistency with which adequate numbers of salmon reach and utilise fully all the accessible areas of the river systems. This document is intended to be dynamic, with opportunities for review occurring at regular intervals. For example, as the science of fisheries management improves, particularly in the setting of Conservation Limits, so the targets may be altered to reflect any improved methodology.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Plym Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Plym catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Lynher salmon stock. These issues and actions follow on from the detailed analysis of the catchment, which is presented in the River Plym SAP Consultation document.The actions presented within this final Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. The main objective of the River Plym SAP therefore, is to maintain, improve and develop the River Plym salmon stocks to a sustainable level that, on the basis of historic catch records, the catchment can clearly support. The River Plym has failed to pass its conservation limit since 1996, and the consultees felt very strongly that there were three major factors limiting the salmon stock of the River Plym.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Exe Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Exe Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The River Exe SAP follows the format of those completed for the Rivers Teign, Torridge, Taw and Dart. It is the fifth of eight action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers within Devon Area. The River Exe SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. The Exe salmon stock is judged to be meeting its Conservation Limit. However, this assessment is uncertain as it is based on an estimate of rod exploitation rate, which in itself is also uncertain. At present there is no means of accurately assessing the River Exe salmon run. In common with many other rivers, estimation of stock using catch statistics and rod exploitation rate is the model used, when direct assessment is not possible. The installation of a fish counter on the lower river, or the use of other direct counting methods, would help to provide a direct assessment of the annual run of salmon into the river. This would improve our ability to estimate the spawning escapement and hence assess compliance with the Conservation Limit.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Teign Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Teign Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This approach to salmon management within the England and Wales introduces the concept of river-specific Conservation Limits as a method of assessing the status of the salmon stock. The River Teign Salmon Action Plan follows the format of those completed for the Rivers Torridge, Taw and Dart. It is the fourth of eight action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers within the Devon Area Fisheries, Recreation and Biodiversity Team. The River Teign SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. The Teign salmon stock is currently failing to meet its conservation limit. This failure is largely attributed to the reduction in the survival rate during the marine phase of the salmon life cycle. This is likely to constrain stocks to lower levels than have existed historically. Still further catch controls may contribute to a reduction in exploitation rates and allow stocks to recover to meet their conservation limit. Other important actions include the continuation of habitat improvement works which aim to maximise spawning habitat utilisation, spawning success, and juvenile survival and production.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Torridge Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2000. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Torridge catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. The SAP provides a list of the issues and actions which were agreed for a five-year programme to maintain and improve the River Torridge salmon stock. Some of these actions have already been delivered before finalising the SAP, but others have yet to be addressed. An attempt has been made to estimate the cost of the actions, identify possible sources of funding and the timescale under which they will be dealt with. The Torridge salmon stock has declined dramatically since the 1960s and is currently failing to meet the spawning target. The decline in the spring fish component has accounted largely for the overall decrease in stocks. The reasons for the decline are not fully understood, but the spring fish problem is recognised as a national issue. The rate of survival over the marine phase has reduced in recent years for both the grilse and multi-sea winter (MSW) components. This is undoubtedly a contributory factor, which may now constrain stocks to lower levels than have existed historically. Agricultural pollution is recognised as one of the main factors limiting freshwater production. This SAP aims to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the River Torridge salmon stock and fisheries.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the Coleopteran Fauna of ERS on the river Dane, Cheshire: a survey report produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. A comprehensive survey of the Exposed Riverine Sediment (ERS) on the River Dane, Cheshire was undertaken between mid-April and mid-June 2003. 6 locations were selected and subsequently examined to determine the importance of the constituent invertebrate fauna. Appropriate sampling techniques (i.e. pitfall trapping, hand searching and excavations) were directed towards the target group (Coleoptera). All adults from the chosen taxa were identified to species level. The relative value of the fauna was assessed using species richness, conservation status, fidelity score and a site quality index.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: + appendices

Description: This is the Visual survey ERS Dane, Weaver & Bollin Catchments produced by the Environment Agency in 2005. Visual surveys of the River Dane downstream of the confluence with the Swettenham Brook, the River Weaver, and the River Bollin catchment in the EA Northwest South area of England were undertaken between 3rd and 9th February 2005 with the aim of identifying the spatial distribution and relative quality of exposed Riverine sediments (ERS). The potential value of these ERS in terms of likely habitat quality for ERS invertebrate communities was determined by recording a suite of appropriate environmental variables. Following an initial cartographical analysis of reaches likely to contain ERS, tens of kilometres of riverbank were inspected and 67 areas of ERS were selected for detailed visual survey. Site characteristics ranged widely both between and within catchments, with habitat quality ranging from poor to very high.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Fowey Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Fowey Salmon Action Plan (SAP). The River Fowey SAP follows the format of those completed for the Rivers Tamar, Lynher, Tavy and Camel. It is the 5th of 7 action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers managed by the Cornwall Area Fisheries, Recreation and Biodiversity Team. This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The River Fowey SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. Notably, there are historic workings for copper and china clay and two significant potable supply reservoirs (Siblyback and Colliford) which have been constructed within the catchment during the past 35 years. The whole of the Fowey catchment is set at the highest water quality grading of RE1 and this standard is met in all reaches of the River Fowey and its tributaries.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Tamar Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 1998. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Tamar Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The River Tamar was one of the premier salmon rivers in the West Country, supporting fifteen licensed estuary nets, and the second highest rod catch behind the River Exe. The River Tamar SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Camel Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2002. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Camel catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Camel salmon stock. The actions presented within this Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. An attempt has been made to cost these actions, identify possible sources of funding and to provide a timescale for action. This Action Plan aims to promote long term collaboration and co-operation between the Agency and other interested parties to effectively and efficiently manage the stock of salmon on the River Camel.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the Cheshire Stillwaters Summary results of 1999 produced by the Environment Agency on February 2000. The report highlights the water quality concerns of those areas surveyed by the Stillwaters Monitoring Programme: Oak Mere, Betley Mere, Petty Pool, Tabley Mere, Comber Mere and Norbury Mere. The report contains divided by area sections on physic-chemical characteristics and water chemistry, Algal and Zooplankton surveys, Discussion, Planned Surveys 2000 and survey maps. 1999 data from Petty Pool, Betley Mere, Comber Mere and Tabley Mere were classified by the trophic status of each stillwater as hyper-eutrophic/ eutrophic, and Oak Mere were classified as mesotrophic/ eutrophic.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: + appendices

Description: This is the River habitat survey and geomorphological evaluation of the Glaze Brook Catchment report produced by the Environmental Research and Consultancy of the University of Liverpool in 2002. The major aims of the project were to provide baseline information on river habitats in the Glaze catchment using standard River Habitat Survey (RHS) methods (sampling 25% of the catchment length) and, through the geomorphological audit, to assess the distribution and intensity of geomorphological processes, notably sediment transfer, sources and sinks. This information was then used to develop informed management recommendations. The Glaze catchment is a heavily modified watercourse of generally poor habitat quality. The most important factors contributing to the low quality of the sites are poor bank and channel features; low diversity/absence of channel vegetation; paucity of bankside trees and, to a lesser extent, a lack of channel substrate diversity. The high degree of modification relates principally to extensively resectioned banks and channels plus extensive culverting in the urban parts of the catchment.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: +6 appendices

Description: This is the River Axe Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2004. The River Axe Salmon Action Plan (SAP) has been produced after consideration of feedback from public consultation. The final plan provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the salmon stock of the River Axe. Efforts have been made to identify possible sources of funding, partners and timescales. It indicates how the plan will be managed, including the process for reviewing stock status, issues, actions and progress. Low marine survival is currently a major factor limiting salmon stocks throughout the United Kingdom. However, on the River Axe the freshwater environment is still the main factor limiting the recovery of the salmon stock. Most of the adults returning to the Axe at present are probably derived from hatchery reared smolts, although there has been some natural reproduction in recent years. Juvenile populations in the Yarty indicate that this is a tributary where salmon have started to re-establish a self-sustaining population. Actions to improve the quality of the freshwater environment, both in terms of water quality and sedimentation, are seen as the top priorities, and are required to allow the Axe to support a self-sustaining salmon population.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Dart Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Dart Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The north of the River Dart catchment is included in the Dartmoor candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC), designated under the Council EC Directive 92/43/EEC, the “Habitats Directive”. One of the conservation objectives for the cSAC is to maintain the habitat for Atlantic Salmon, Salmo Salar in favourable condition. The River Dart is an important salmon, sea trout and brown trout fishery with no significant coarse fishery. However, eels are ubiquitous throughout the catchment and are lightly exploited. The River Dart SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Lyn Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Lyn catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Lyn salmon stock. The actions presented within this Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. An attempt has been made to cost these actions, identify possible sources of funding and to provide a timescale for action. This SAP aims also to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the River Lyn salmon stock and fisheries.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Fowey Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Fowey catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Fowey salmon stock. The actions presented within this final Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. The main objective of the Fowey SAP therefore, is to maintain, improve and develop the Fowey salmon stocks to a sustainable level that, on the basis of historic catch records, the catchment can clearly support. Although the Fowey is passing its conservation limit, the consultees felt very strongly that there were two major factors limiting the salmon stock of the River Fowey- the overgrazing of Bodmin Moor and the use of the catchment for water supply by South West Water.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Lynher Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 1998. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Lynher Salmon Action Plan (SAP). The River Lynher SAP follows that for the River Tamar and is the second of seven action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers managed by the Cornwall area fisheries department. This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The River Lynher SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. The analysis of recent and historical catches of salmon on the River Lynher from both the rod and net fisheries indicated the fishery's reliance upon post 1 June salmon. Historically, annual salmon catches (both rod and net) on the River Lynher have been found to consist of a much higher proportion of pre 1 June (spring) salmon. Evidence is provided that illustrates the extent of the decline within this stock component since the early 1980s.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Exe Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Exe catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. The actions presented within this Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. An attempt has been made to cost these actions, identify possible sources of funding and to provide a timescale for action. This SAP aims also to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the River Exe salmon stock and fisheries. The River Exe salmon population is currently judged to be passing its Conservation Limit. However, its apparent declining trend in egg deposition in the recent years and the high uncertainty in its stock assessment suggest the following actions as priorities: actions promoting good land management, maximising salmon natural spawning activity and protecting smolts throughout the Exe catchment. Also, the lack of information on salmon stocks and its habitat quality and availability is recognised as the main factor limiting the better management of salmon fisheries. The actions presented in this document are perceived as those required to address the important issues and factors limiting the salmon stock.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Plym Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Plym Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The River Plym SAP follows the format of those completed for the rivers Tamar, Lynher, Tavy, Camel and Fowey. It is the sixth of seven action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers managed by Cornwall Area. The River Plym SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. Notably, there are historic workings for china clay and a significant potable water supply at Burrator Reservoir. The main River Plym has been designated as River Ecosystem class 1 for its water quality objectives. This is the highest water quality target set for rivers. This standard has been met in all reaches of the main River Plym and River Meavy.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Taw Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2000. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Taw catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. The SAP provides a list of the issues and actions which were agreed for a five-year programme to maintain and improve the River Taw salmon stock. Some of these actions have already been delivered before finalising the SAP, but others have yet to be addressed. An attempt has been made to estimate the cost of the actions, identify possible sources of funding and the timescale under which they will be dealt with. The Taw salmon stock is currently failing to meet its spawning target. However, there was a period of compliance in the 1990s following a decade of failure through the 1980s. The freshwater environment of the Taw has improved in recent years. The actions presented in this SAP are perceived as those that are required to address, as far as possible, the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. This SAP aims to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the River Taw salmon stock and fisheries.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Tavy Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 1999. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Tavy Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. In addition, salmon action plans have for the first time, attempted to evaluate in economic terms, all of the contributory components of the salmon fishery. The River Tavy Salmon Action Plan follows that for the River Tamar and River Lynher and is the third of seven action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers managed by the Cornwall Area FER department. The River Tavy SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Yealm Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Yealm catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Yealm salmon stock. The actions presented within this Salmon Action Plan clarify the important issues and factors currently limiting the salmon stock on the river. The resolution of these issues should ensure that a sustainable salmon population will be maintained for future generations. An attempt has been made to cost these actions, identify possible sources of funding and to provide a timescale for action. The main objective of the River Yealm SAP is to maintain, improve and develop the River Yealm salmon stocks to a sustainable level that, on the basis of historic catch records, the catchment can clearly support.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Dart Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Dart catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. It provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Dart salmon stock. The low marine survival (likely to be below 10%) is possibly to be the main cause for the River Dart salmon stock non-compliance with its conservation limit. Actions protecting smolts and maximising spawning activity of returning adults are seen as priorities to contribute to mitigate the low marine survival. Also the lack of information on salmon stock and its habitat is recognised as one main factor limiting the better management of salmon fisheries. Efforts will be focused on gaining more knowledge and improving modelling techniques. The actions presented in this document are perceived as those required to address the important issues and factors limiting the salmon stock. This SAP aims also to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the River Dart salmon stock and fisheries.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Yealm Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Yealm Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This strategy represents an entirely new approach to salmon management within the UK and introduces the concept of river-specific salmon spawning targets as a salmon management tool. The River Yealm Salmon Action Plan follows the format of those completed for the rivers Tamar, Lynher, Tavy, Camel, Fowey and Plym. It is the final one of seven action plans that will be produced for salmon rivers managed by Cornwall Area. The River Yealm SAP contains a description of the river catchment and highlights particular features that are relevant to the salmon population and the associated fishery. Notably there are potable water abstractions in the headwaters, workings for china clay on the main tributary, two inert waste landfill sites and an aggregate quarry adjacent to the main river and inputs from several Sewage Treatment Works (STW) and two industrial estates. The main River Yealm has been designated as River Ecosystem Class 1 for its water quality objectives. This is the highest water quality target set for rivers.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the Rivers Avon & Erme Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2004. The Rivers Avon and Erme Salmon Action Plan (SAP) has been produced after consideration of feedback from public consultation. The final plan provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the salmon stocks and fisheries of both rivers. Efforts have been made to identify possible sources of funding, partners and timescales. It indicates how the plan will be managed, including the process for reviewing stock status, issues, actions and progress. Low marine survival is currently a major factor limiting the numbers of salmon returning to spawn in both the Avon and the Erme. Actions to improve the accessibility of spawning areas and to maximise the productivity of spawning and nursery habitats are seen as priorities, which should help to offset the low marine survival. The quality of the information available to assess salmon stocks is recognised as a limiting factor in the management of salmon fisheries. The SAP aims also to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the salmon stocks and fisheries of the Avon and the Erme.

Description: Environment Agency Archives South West

Description: This is the River Taw Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2000. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Taw Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This approach to salmon management within the England and Wales introduces the concept of river-specific Conservation Limits as a method of assessing the status of the salmon stock. The River Taw Salmon Action Plan (SAP) includes a description of the current status of the rod and net fisheries and historical trends. The Taw salmon stock has declined since the 1960s and is currently failing to meet the spawning target. The decline in the spring fish component has accounted largely for the overall decrease in stocks. The reasons for the decline are unclear, but the spring fish problem is recognised as a national issue. The rate of survival over the marine phase has reduced in recent years for both the grilse and MSW components. This is undoubtedly a contributory factor, which may now constrain stocks to lower levels than have existed historically.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the River Teign Salmon Action Plan Final document produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This final Salmon Action Plan (SAP) for the River Teign catchment has been produced after consideration of feedback from external consultation. This final plan provides a list of the agreed issues and actions for the next five years to maintain and improve the River Teign salmon stock. An attempt has been made to cost these actions, identify possible sources of funding, partners and the timescale under which they will be dealt with. It indicates how the plan will be managed, i.e., implemented and reviewed, and, summarises progress of on-going actions. The low marine survival (likely to be below 10%) is possibly the main cause for the River Teign salmon stock non-compliance with its conservation limit. Actions protecting smolts and maximising spawning activity of returning adults are seen as priorities to contribute to offset the low marine survival. This SAP aims also to promote long term collaboration between the Agency and other interested parties in managing the River Teign salmon stock and fisheries.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This is the Effect of water quality on coarse fish productivity and movement in the Lower River Irwell and Upper Manchester Ship Canal: a watercourse recovering from historical pollution report produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of water quality upon coarse fish population dynamics in a lowland, urban watercourse. All of the research carried was undertaken in the lower River Irwell and upper Manchester Ship Canal, between February 1998 and December 2001. Of particular interest was the natural sustainability of the urban fishery given recent concern raised in the angling community over an apparent decline in coarse fish populations in lowland rivers. The research described in this report has concentrated upon the role of water quality in determining coarse fish population dynamics, and in particular: The impact of water quality upon fish growth and productivity; The impact of poor water quality and low dissolved oxygen concentrations upon fish distribution and movement; The impact of water quality upon the sexual development of fish.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: The Drought Monitoring workshop of October 1996, held at the Jarvis Leyland Hotel in Preston, England, established 4 priority issues for dealing with the question: How do we monitor the environment to pick up unexpected change ?1. Review existing data, and review related study areas throughout the country. 2. Modelling and analysis of data3. Monitoring / new data / sentinel species' 4. Public relations / Promotion.A group was set up to review issue 1 and feedback to the main group. This report establishes this feedback to the group and refers to existing data / monitoring, other Regional and national work, external Organisations and Recommendations.Appendix 1, is a summary of work completed at the workshop.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: This report presents data from the juvenile salmonid fish stock assessment which is part of the routine Environment Agency riverine monitoring programme. A total of 110 sites was electrofished throughout the Lune catchment between 15th July 1997 and 14th October 1997. These sites included 84 that had been previously sampled in the last comprehensive survey of the catchment, in 1991. The aim of this survey was to assess the distribution and abundance of juvenile salmon and trout in the River Lune catchment and to compare results with those of previous surveys.

Description: Environment Agency Archives North West

Description: From November 16 to 20, 2009, the International Coastal Atlas Network (ICAN) held a workshop on “Formalizing the Network, Engaging the Mediterranean” at the Adriatico Guest House of the UNESCO International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. The workshop (aka “ICAN 4”) engaged 32 participants from 12 countries, representing 26 organizations and multiple areas of scientific and technical expertise. This meeting was a follow-up to the successful 2008 workshop on “Federated Coastal Atlases: Building the Interoperable Approach” (aka “ICAN 3”) held in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as the 2007 workshop on “Coastal Atlas Interoperability” (aka “ICAN 2” in Corvallis, Oregon, USA) and the 2006 meeting “Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases” (aka “ICAN 1” in Cork, Ireland). ICAN 3 continued the momentum by identifying the additional opportunities for partnering on coastal web atlas development throughout Europe, demonstrating the atlas interoperability prototype to the European Environment Agency and its many partners, and initiating the development of a long-term strategy and governance model for ICAN. ICAN 2 examined best practices for achieving interoperability between atlases, and led to the design of a demonstration interoperability prototype using the metadata catalogues of two atlases. ICAN 1 examined state-of-the-art developments in coastal web atlases (CWAs) from Europe and the U.S., shared several case studies and lessons learned, and established key issues and recommendations related to the design, data requirements, technology and institutional capacity needed for these atlases. At the conclusion of ICAN 3 it was abundantly clear that ICAN had grown from a simple idea to the cusp of a formal virtual organization, which had captured the interest of the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Commission, UNESCO, and several government agencies, companies, non-governmental organizations, and universities. However, much more work needed to be accomplished. Therefore, the activities of ICAN 4 included: - Discussions of final implementation structures for governance (including formal procedures for receiving new members), technical activities, and continued identification of funding opportunities, so that ICAN can formally incorporate as a virtual organization (aka “community of practice”). - Presentations on emerging atlases in European countries (especially the Mediterranean) and beyond that are making themselves relevant through policy, environmental and socio-economic indicator work and related themes. - Continued progress on our ontology and semantic interoperability work, with an eye also toward articulating the benefits of semantic interoperability at a broader scale to non-specialists. In this we look forward to the advice and assistance of MMI and SeaDataNet, as well as to the new NETMAR (Open Service Network for Marine Environmental Data) initiative, which has already developed conceptual framework documents in this area. To this end, we also: -- Held a small “workshop within a workshop” for atlas administrators on how to become a new node in interoperability prototype. -- Initiated strategies on making further improvements to all those nodes (according to the Shared Environmental Information Systems (SEIS) principles of sharing information for multiple purposes, using data and systems that are accessible and interoperable). -- Facilitated further work on partnerships, infrastructure and data exchange formats, all with the overall objective of enabling the nodes to share and communicate with each other, avoid duplication, and streamline information management. - Presentations and discussion of user issues, including better knowledge of our atlas users, their needs, and on continued inventory, assessment, and evaluation of atlases. To this end, we discussed as part of a small “workshop within a workshop” how to improve the functionality of CWAs for general users, especially as the technology continues to change. - Small group meetings on potential funding opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic (European Union, US National Science Foundation and government agencies) in order to continue the work of ICAN. - Initiation of plans for a major ICAN presence at Littoral 2010 in London (European ICAN partners), as well as a standalone ICAN Americas meeting in Wisconsin, USA. In addition, the ICAN workshop took place around a two-day Workshop on Maritime and Coastal Information Systems, organised by the EEA’s Environmental Information and Observation Network (EIONET), which was open to ICAN 4 attendees as well. The main objective of this meeting was to inform the many participating countries of the EIONET National Reference Centre (NRC) network and to allow for a first exchange of views on scope and roles in the new formation for this entity. Four participants of ICAN 4 were invited to give presentations at the EEA/EIONET workshop, which allowed EEA/EIONET to explore collaboration opportunities as a result of ICAN’s emergence. The US National Science Foundation (NSF) had originally awarded support for two ICAN workshops, so there will be a 5th international workshop (aka ICAN 5), at the headquarters of the UNESCO International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) in Oostende, Belgium, August 31 to September 2, 2011. IODE will co-host CoastGIS 2011 in Oostende immediately following ICAN 5. Objectives of ICAN 5 will include follow-up activities that we did not have time to accomplish at ICAN 4, including: - Continued progress on our ontology and semantic interoperability work, but with an eye also toward articulating the benefits of semantic interoperability at a broader scale, to non-specialists. - Continued engagement and servicing of users of coastal web atlases, and on continued inventory, assessment, and evaluation of atlases. - Revisiting the main recommendations of the ICAN 1, especially evaluating atlas impact, and developing analysis and decision-support tools in atlases. - Forming proposal teams and submissions to the next available and appropriate NSF and other grant competitions (e.g., NSF Partnerships for International Research and Education, NSF Community-Based Data Interoperability Networks, NOAA, European Framework Program, InterReg, and ESF ). - Exchanging lessons learned in spatial data infrastructure between the US, European INSPIRE and other national and regional efforts. - Continued implementation and improvement of new governance, strategic planning, and technical working groups.

Description: US National Science Foundation; Oregon State University; Coastal & Marine Research Centre, University College Cork, Ireland; ERI; UNESCO; ITCP; ISMAR; European Environmental Agency; Marine Institute (Ireland)

Description: This workshop was held 16-20 November 2009, at the Adriatico Guest House, UNESCO International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. The workshop web site is http://ican.science.oregonstate.edu/ican4. Wright, D.J., Dwyer, N., Kopke, K., and O’Dea, L., 2010. Report of International Coastal Atlas Network Workshop 4: Formalizing the Network, Engaging the Mediterranean, UNESCO International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, 16-20 November 2009.

Description: Published

Description: From July 16 to 20, 2007, international partners in a trans- Atlantic workshop series on coastal mapping and informatics, held a workshop on the campus of Oregon State University entitled “Coastal Atlas Interoperability.” The workshop engaged 27 participants from 6 countries, representing 17 organizations and multiple areas of scientific and technicial expertise. This meeting was a follow-up to a successful first workshop entitled “Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases,” hosted by the Coastal and Marine Resources Centre (CMRC) at University College Cork in Ireland in July 2006 (O’Dea et al., 2007). While that first workshop examined state-of-the-art developments in coastal web atlases (CWAs) from the Europe and the U.S., shared several case studies and lessons learned, and established key issues and recommendations related to the design, data requirements, technology and institutional capacity needed for these atlases, the purpose of the second workshop was to examine best practices for achieving interoperability between CWAs. Given that no CWA functions alone as an island, and is often part of a larger universe of resources that is needed for effective marine spatial planning, resource management, and emergency planning, CWAs must build a common approach toward managing and disseminating the coastal data, maps and information that they contain. Workshop participants examined the issue of semantic interoperability (where concepts, terminology, even abbreviations that are shared between two or more individuals, systems, or organizations are understood by all to mean the same thing) and found this to be an important prerequisite for the integrated approach needed when working with a broader network of CWAs. For example, the terminology used to describe similar data can vary between specialties or regions, which can complicate data searches and integration. Use of the word “seabed” in Europe versus use of the word “seafloor” to describe the same feature in North America is a good example of this scenario, as is the interchangeable use of “coastline” versus “shoreline” in both regions. Agreements on content/semantic interoperability can help to eliminate such problems, making searches between disparate, but mutually beneficial, projects feasible. Ontologies provide the mechanism for enabling this, and workshop participants gained hands-on experience with some of the effective tools and approaches for creating ontologies and organizing them in catalogs, as presented by representatives of the Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI) project. Presenters provided examples from use cases and ontologies based on recent research and the outcomes of the 2005 MMI Advancing Domain Vocabularies workshop (Graybeal et al., 2006). During the workshop a project was outlined to develop a demonstration prototype as a proof-of-concept to inter-relate metadata and other information between two initial CWAs (the Marine Irish Digital Atlas or MIDA, 〈http://mida.ucc.ie〉, and the Oregon Coastal Atlas or OCA, 〈http://www.coastalatlas.net〉). The prototype is in the form of a catalogue services for the Web (CSW), where web map services (WMS) will be registered. It may not be immediately obvious how Oregon and Ireland may need to be interoperable, but these two mature atlas efforts can be used as a testbed for interoperability. Both provide interactive access to spatial data and metadata via web GIS, use similar technologies (open source Minnesota MapServer running on Apache web services), and contain metadata meeting national/international standards (i.e., FGDC and ISO). This proof-of-concept may then be used to make connections within regional partnerships (e.g., the OCA can use lessons learned in developing a regional network of CWAs with Washington and California, while the MIDA can do the same for building and strengthening atlas networks with the UK, Belgium, and other parts of Europe). The prototype is therefore envisioned as a seed application, a template of sorts that can be used by many others and develop further from there. The workshop on “Coastal Atlas Interoperability” is another step toward long-term goals of the trans-Atlantic workshop team to provide recommendations for best practices on all aspects of coastal web mapping, and to develop a cadre of scientists who will play a leadership role in forging international collaborations and technical solutions of value to the participating nations. Toward this end, the technical experts, scientists, decision makers and practitioners of the workshops in Ireland and Oregon have now organized under the (as yet) informal International Coastal Atlas Network (ICAN; see list of participating institutions in Appendix A). The strategic aim of ICAN is to share experiences and to find common solutions to CWA development whilst ensuring maximum relevance and added value for the end users. This is a mutually beneficial international activity with complementary strengths in evidence on both sides of the Atlantic, and with the additional provision of international experience for students and junior researchers. The long-term view is for global level operational interoperability which will evolve as the ICAN community strives to increase awareness of the opportunities that exist for increased coastal and marine data sharing among policy makers and resource managers as strategic users of a CWA. We see ICAN participants as playing a leadership role in forging international collaborations of value to the participating nations. A major goal is to help build a functioning digital atlas of the global coast based on the principle of sharing distributed information. We will go about this by organizing a cooperative interoperability and network project to globally integrate locally-maintained coastal atlases as the premier source of spatial reference information about the coastal zone of all coastlines throughout the world. We will do this by developing community-held constraints on mapping and presentation conventions to maximize the comparability and reliability of information about our coasts. This is done to provide a basis for rationally-informed discussion, debate and negotiation of sustainable management policies for our societies, nations and people throughout the world. This has tremendous potential to be relevant not only on both sides of the Atlantic for the North American and European partners involved, but also has implications for global spatial data infrastructures and Internet mapping projects. Based on the success of the workshop in Oregon, the European Environment Agency will host a third workshop from July 7-9, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to significantly advance these goals by examining how communities in Europe can use the recommendations and prototype developed thus far to improve their data systems’ interoperability. As a result, ICAN will: 1. exhibit the proof-of-concept conceived of at the Oregon workshop and validate first outcomes, 2. share results to inform and attract a larger population of potential stakeholders of the activity, and 3. develop a long-term strategy for effective governance of ICAN and further applications.

Description: US National Science Foundation; Oregon State University; Coastal & Marine Research Centre, University College Cork, Ireland; ERI

Description: Published

Description: From July 7 to 11, 2008, the International Coastal Atlas Network (ICAN) held a workshop on “Federated Atlases: Building on the Interoperable Approach” at the headquarters of the European Environment Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The workshop (aka “ICAN 3”) engaged 29 participants from 10 countries, representing 25 organizations and multiple areas of scientific and technical expertise. This meeting was a follow-up to the successful 2007 workshop on “Coastal Atlas Interoperability” (aka “ICAN 2”) and the 2006 meeting “Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases” (aka “ICAN 1”). These first two workshops examined state-of-the-art developments in coastal web atlases (aka CWAs) from Europe and the U.S., shared several case studies and lessons learned, established key issues and recommendations related to the design, data requirements, technology and institutional capacity needed for these atlases, and examined best practices for achieving interoperability between them, and designed a demonstration interoperability prototype using the metadata catalogues of two atlases. To continue the momentum of ICAN 1 and 2 in identifying the opportunities that exist for increased data sharing in coastal web atlases for coastal management, governance, and conservation, it was the goal of ICAN 3 to: 1. demonstrate the atlas interoperability prototype, report on the lessons learnt and decide on future technical activities; 2. attract and inform a larger group of potential stakeholders of the activity, and promote an exchange of related developments in coastal and ocean information services; and 3. develop a long-term strategy and governance model for ICAN.

Description: European Environment Agency; US National Science Foundation; European Topic Centre on Land Use and Spatial Information (ETC-LUSI); European Environmental Information and Observation Network (EIONET); Oregon State University; Coastal & Marine Research Centre, University College Cork, Ireland; SeaZone Solutions Limited; the European Platform for Coastal Research (ENCORA)

Description: Workshop held 7 – 11 July 2008 at European Environment Agency Headquarters, Copenhagen, Denmark

Description: Published

Description: In recent years significant momentum has occurred in the development of Internet resources for decision makers and scientists interested in the coast. Chief among these has been the development of coastal web atlases (CWAs). While multiple benefits are derived from these tailor-made atlases (e.g., speedy access to multiple sources of coastal data and information), the potential exists to derive added value from the integration of disparate CWAs, to optimize decision making at a variety of levels and across themes. This paper describes the development of a semantic mediator prototype to provide a common access point to coastal data, maps and information from distributed CWAs. The prototype showcases how ontologies and ontology mappings can be used to integrate different heterogeneous and autonomous atlases, using the Open Geospatial Consortium’s Catalogue Services for the Web.

Description: Published

Description: Executive Summary THE IMPORTANCE OF COASTAL WEB MAPPING Governments, industry sectors, academic institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have a tremendous stake in the development and management of geospatial data resources. Coastal mapping plays an important role in informing decision makers on issues such as national sovereignty, resource management, maritime safety and hazard assessment. Efforts to improve data accessibility are driven by legislation on topics such as Environmental management, open access of public sector information and data standards and harmonisation. The development of Geographic Information System (GIS) based web mapping products has improved the usability of GISs by non-specialists. This, combined with community needs, has resulted in the growth of a niche group of interactive coastal web atlases (CWAs) around the world, developed to address the needs of the coastal and marine community. The 2006 Green Paper on Future Maritime Policy in the European Union stated: “a veritable Atlas of EU coastal waters… could serve as an instrument for spatial planning” (European Commission 2006, p. 35), illustrating the increasing recognition of the potential of CWAs, even at an international level. TRANS-ATLANTIC WORKSHOPS ON COASTAL MAPPING AND INFORMATICS Funding was obtained through the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Marine RTDI programme in Ireland to organize two trans-Atlantic workshops on coastal mapping and informatics. The first workshop, entitled “Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases,” was hosted by the Coastal and Marine Resources Centre (CMRC) at University College Cork in Ireland in July 2006. This workshop brought together key experts from Europe and North America to examine state-of-the-art CWA developments, share lessons learned, determine future needs in mapping and informatics for the coastal practitioner community and identify potential opportunities for collaboration. COASTAL WEB ATLAS FEATURES A coastal web atlas is a collection of digital maps and datasets with supplementary tables, illustrations and information that systematically illustrate the coast, oftentimes with cartographic and decision-support tools, and all of which are accessible via the Internet. Access to the various components can be provided in different ways. The typical CWA contains a number of general features, including: geospatial data and metadata; a map area for data display; a legend and/or layer list; tools to interact with the map and data; data attribute tables; topical information; powerful server and software technologies; and a wellrounded atlas design to meet atlas and user needs. COASTAL WEB ATLAS CASE STUDIES As part of the workshop, a number of representative coastal web atlas case studies from both sides of the Atlantic were presented by developers. This report provides an overview of the case studies, which highlight key aspects of CWA development and operations such as atlas purpose, institutional support, technology and functionality. Those included as case studies are: The UK Coastal and Marine Resource Atlas; De Kustatlas Online, Belgium; The Marine Irish Digital Atlas; The Oregon Coastal Atlas; North Coast Explorer, Oregon; and Mapping Tools for Coastal Management, Virginia. STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS ANALYSIS During the workshop, four working groups were established to identify issues related to atlas design, data, technology and institutional capacity. Each working group focussed its discussion by carrying out a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis. CONSIDERATIONS FOR ATLAS DEVELOPMENT The design and usability of an atlas are keys to its success. An atlas should clearly communicate its purpose, be visually appealing, be kept as simple as possible, use efficient technology and management systems and have a flexible design to enable growth and change over time. Ultimately its success relies on the atlas users, so efforts should be made regularly to ensure that it meets the needs of those users. An output of the workshop was a list of considerations for atlas design and implementation on topics such as data content and display, metadata, atlas interface, atlas tools, technology, user feedback and support for maintenance and future developments.

Description: US National Science Foundation; Oregon State University; Coastal & Marine Research Centre, University College Cork, Ireland; ERI

Description: Report on Coastal Mapping and Informatics Trans-Atlantic Workshop 1: Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases, 24th - 28th July 2006, University College Cork, Cork, IRELAND, This is the report of the workshop that led to the founding of ICAN

Description: Published