£27,544 habitat improvement grant !

Allen Valley Angling & Conservation has just been awarded a prestigious river restoration grant of £27,544 from the SITA Trust Enriching Nature Programme. We will use the grant to carryout a river restoration project at five sites between Allenheads and Allendale Town. We plan to restore over half a kilometre of severely eroded river bank using a technique of willow weaving called spiling. As the willow grows it protects the river bank from erosion and creates a natural diverse habitat for wildlife.

Paul Frear, Secretary and founder member of Allen Valley Angling & Conservation said, ‘ the club is absolutely delighted to receive this grant from the SITA Trust as it will allow us to create some fantastic riverbank habitat for wildlife.’ Paul also went on to add, ‘ the habitat also enhances the wild brown trout and sea trout that we love to fish for because the willow reduces silt entering the river that can be harmful to fish.’

Sarah Kirkpatrick, Regional Fund Manager from the SITA Trust explained, ‘ the SITA Trust provides funding to biodiversity conservation projects through the Landfill Communities Fund. We are delighted to have been able to support this project which will improve the ecological status of the river and will benefit not only the areas where willow spiling will take place, but the river as a whole’.

The problem is that the species spreads rapidly and grows in dense clusters - choking native species, reducing the ecological value of the land and leaving the soil vulnerable to erosion. When the spread and growth of this species is allowed to continue unchecked, smaller native plant species can be completely prevented from growing. This causes problems on riverbanks which are dependent on the root systems of the native species to provide stability. Without the native plants binding the soil with their roots, when the Himalayan Balsam dies back in autumn the riverbanks are susceptible to erosion in periods of heavy rain fall.

Practice Catch and Release Fishing

In addition to following Environment Agency rules in respect of the minimum size that a fish must be, before it can be killed, as well as limiting the number of migratory fish species that our members are allowed to remove from the river to a maximum of 5 in any one season (download the fishing rules for full details) we also encourage catch and release fishing as a crucial aspect of our conservation efforts.

It's important to remember that the gills and internal organs of fish are very easily damaged from being poorly handled after having being caught. Fish that show signs of bleeding will usually swim off, but will probably die within a few hours.

We therefore ask all anglers to observe the simple guidelines for successful catch and release fishing, which are necessary to maintain a sustainable fishing resource and ensure enjoyable angling.