RESULTS of a research project on the River Severn into the life cycle of one Britain’s rarest fish species – the twaite shad – have been revealed.
Monitoring work during the spring and summer found that around 15,000 shad can make it above Upper Lode weir, near Tewkesbury before being halted by Diglis Weir in Worcester.
These results are significant as they indicate the current levels of twaite shad in the river which once supported millions of them.
Environment Agency fisheries monitoring specialist Charles Crundwell said: “We had no idea how many shad we’d find – we thought a few thousand, but in fact results suggest we could have as many as 15,000 in the lower reaches of the river.
This shows great promise that by unlocking the river there’s scope for a really thriving population.”
In addition to the twaite shad, the monitoring also recorded the rarer allis shad.
Charles explained: “Historically the allis shad were even more prized as a food fish and would certainly have been an important component of the catch prior to the navigation weirs being built. This is the first photographic proof that a tiny run of these fish still hold on in the Severn, which is really exciting and means that the natural restoration of this species is also likely to occur if we are able to provide fish passage solutions at the weirs further up the river.”
In medieval times the twaite shad fed locals living along the entire length of the Severn and it was also transported to the London fish markets, where it was a favourite of King Henry III, and abroad.
It was famed for its taste and quality, rivalling salmon and eel in economic importance.
However weirs installed for navigation purposes during the Industrial Revolution in the 1840s cut them off from their historical habitat, and the population crashed.
For more information about the project visit: http://severnriverstrust.com/projects_categories/unlocking-the-severn/ and follow the project on twitter via @shadsevern
