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Last Updated: Monday, 30 July 2007, 09:15 GMT 10:15 UK
Fish stunned in monitoring study
Trout
The survey provides information to protect fisheries
Environmentalists are stunning fish in a Cumbrian river with electricity, in an effort to monitor falling numbers.

Up to 300 areas of the River Eden are being targeted in the move to gauge trout and salmon numbers.

The Eden Rivers Trust said so-called electro-fishing is an essential part of its work to monitor fish populations.

Electro-fishing involves passing an electric current through the river, which attracts fish and allows them to be caught, counted and safely returned.

Restoration work

A trust spokesman said: "It is a technique used to establish the size of the fish population in specific parts of the river, which is an indication of the water and habitat quality in that area.

"Salmon and trout are good indicator species of the general health of the river, being widely distributed throughout the catchment, but rare or absent in areas of poor water quality or habitat degradation."

The trust uses the data from the surveys alongside that from analysed aerial images to identify where to target any required restoration work.

The current testing will continue until October.




SEE ALSO
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