Projects

The East Yorkshire Rivers Trust co-ordinates and participates in a wide range of projects to improve the fisheries and biodiversity of rivers within their catchment. A description of projects can be seen by following the links on the left or below. For further information on the Trust's recent activity why not read our recent newsletter.

 

Fisheries Improvement Programme 2016-2017

Elmswell & Driffield Trout Stream. The aim of this project is to firstly re-instate a section of the Elmswell Beck at TA 02077 56601 where a tree has caused sediment build up and diverted the flow creating scour leading to loss of a large amount of soil and vegetation into the river channel.The second phase on the Driffield Trout stream is to create a meandering channel by using course woody material & logs gained from the removal and or crown reduction of nearby overhanging trees. Further Details.

 

 

Gypsey Race - Woldgate Weir Removal 2018

Gypsey Race is ephemeral in its upper reaches (well upstream of Woldgate Weir); the remainder of the watercourse flows all year (except in extreme drought events). Gypsey Race has a run of sea trout which run up it to spawn in the headwaters. However just upstream of the A165 road was Woldgate Weir; this was a defunct and dilapidated gauging weir. The weir was a barrier to fish passage and to the sea trout spawning grounds. It was removed and the affected section of channel restored to a more natural condition benefiting wildlife life.  Further details.

 

Lowthorpe Beck 2018

The removal of the Lowthorpe Mill Sluice in 2015, although very successful, created an unnaturally steep bed gradient.  Over the following two seasons this section was monitored to see what natural geomorphological  influences would affect the flows across this section of the Beck.

The final project was decided on with the approval of the owners & fishing interests. It was agreed that two meanders would be installed at this site to slow the flow and create deeper areas which would increase fish cover and flow diversity. Further details.

 

Millhouse Beck Feasibility 2019

This section of Foston Beck downstream of the Environment Agency gauging station has a very low gradient culminating at a defunct steel pile weir about 700 metres below the gauging station. This weir was installed in the early 1970s by the Millhouse Beck Dry Fly Club. It is constructed with sheet piles and has a mechanism in the centre that incorporates a fish screen. Much of this structure is in poor repair and is causing heavy siltation upstream towards the Foston Mill pool.

The aim of the project was to identify options to address the impacts of the structure. Further details.

 

River Seven Skylighting 2018

The Seven Angling Club had initially sought advice from the Environment Agency and subsequently the Wild Trout Trust and the East Yorkshire Rivers Trust (EYRT). Their request was for advice to improve recruitment of native fish populations within the sections of the River Seven that they controlled.

Under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) this part of the river is failing good ecological status for self sustaining native fish species, during the delivery of this first phase it became apparent that the continuous tree cover on both banks created a dense shaded habitat that needed to be addressed. Further details.

 

River Seven Habitat Improvements 2018

Introducing Large Woody Debris (LWD) to deflect the flows away from damaged banks and protect these friable sections from further erosion. The Seven, as with other moorland rivers, carries vast quantities of sediment into the Derwent which needs to be addressed at water abstraction points downstream.

This ‘Green engineering’ entails using local materials that will provide a diverse flow regime, more in stream habitat, cover for both adults who maybe predated upon but also refuges for juvenile brown trout and grayling. In turn this habitat will provide a more diverse flow regime that in turn maintains clean, well aerated gravels necessary for invertebrates and successful fish spawning. Further details.