We are back at electrofishing after what has seemed like a very long winter and spring. Electrofishing is the highlight of the staff’s year allowing us to break free from the office for a month or two and find out what’s going on in the rivers.
With more rain falling last night, my planned surveys for the Lugton and Kilmarnock Water were postponed due to high or dirty water. Helen and I headed instead to the Pow Burn to check equipment was in order and to have a look to see if anything had improved since Brian and I last fished the burn in 2009. We visited an old site at Underwood where previously we found trout but this time we failed. There were a few eels, stone loach and one stickleback but that was it. Water quality was poor and the burn although low was opaque. Not very impressive.
I decided to look downstream at Brieryside Farm near the Airport. This was a new site and the habitat was good but once again there was a lack of fish. This time, only stone loach were recorded.
A likely spot for a trout but none appeared.
The lower Pow downstream of the Airport culvert hasn’t been good for as long as I can remember. I grew up on the banks of this burn and never saw anything but the occasional flounder in the mirky waters but in 2010, there was a pollution incident that resulted in a few trout being killed. I suspect there were only a few anyway and these were most likely as a result of someone stocking upstream (I know of someone who did). My question that I was trying to answer was ‘has anything survived to restock the lower reaches’? We decided to fish a short stretch near the old Pow Mill. Again the habitat should have supported a few trout but doesn’t appear to. There were a few eels but apart from that, no fish. Water quality appeared to be really poor and water hog louse invertebrates were abundant confirming that there are long term water quality problems in this area.
This should be a good burn but the mirky water is a symptom of diffuse pollution
Nearly 50 years have passed since I first got to know the Pow Burn and I can’t really see any improvement in this time. The Glenburn Pit and the Airport used to be blamed for the problems. The Pit has gone and presumably the Airport meets all the latest requirements so we are now faced with a situation of ongoing problems and issues upstream. I hope that the work that SEPA has undertaken through their Priority Catchment Diffuse Pollution Initiative will bring about changes across Ayrshire but I have to say this burn is a long way off of reaching good ecological status based on our findings today.
I’ll review this post in another 50 years, hopefully with something more positive!
I’m sorry to say but the diffuse pollution imitative work undertaken by SEPA over the last few years is only in an advisory capacity to
Farmers in other words no substance!!
So can you see any farmers forking thousands of £’s to fence of burns!!
No is the answer!!
I have concerns over the value of SEPA’s diffuse pollution initiative too but until I see their published results, I can’t be too critical. There is no mechanisim for funding at present so it isn’t likely that landowners will voluntarily fence anything and unless the regulator enforces action, I can’t see how things will change at all however at the moment SEPA are reporting that many farmers have SRDP actions underway. The Doon DSFB offered to assist with funding for fencing and SEPA were given a list of priority areas that the board is keen to assist with, yet to date not one request for help has been received. More pressure is required ( I believe) but that is SEPA’s call.
I’m not good at politics but in this instance, I have to bide my time before I can comment on the success of the strategy (or not).
i remember being there one day a few years ago near where the old recycling place was and i saw trout rising even though water was very murky looking not sure if that was near to where you were or not.
this would be a good project for some volunteers to have a go at working on any fish turning up afterwords on this burn would show what could be done on burns in better condition but still need a bit of tlc
MMM…. I guess I know this place… It was my first electrofishing point during my first day on the Trust!! OH… it’s been almost a year…
Best Regards!
Wrong!
Your first day was at the Barlewan Burn near Maybole. It was wet. I remember it well.
This was beside the airport.
They look quite similar though… Alright!
Best wishes for you all! I hope you can carry on with your strategies Stu!