The Angling Trust reports that the Environment Agency has issued an invitation for expressions of interest to develop hydropower on a further three of its weirs on the Thames: at Marlow, Boulters and Boveney despite a promise from the Regional Director in 2008 that no other Thames weirpools would be developed for hydropower until the first, at Romney, had been fully evaluated for its environmental impact. Romney has yet to be built.

This invitation follows a similar invitation on three other weirs last year (Teddington, Bell and Sunbury), and others that the Agency is working on with community groups at Goring and Osney (the latter is in addition to one already approved on the weir), and others which are proposed at Abingdon and Sonning, making a total of 11 weirs.

The Angling Trust has written to the Environment Agency’s Chief Executive strongly condemning the press release and demanding a retraction of the invitation. Angling’s representative body believes that a series of developments of this nature should be subject to an environmental impact assessment at a catchment scale. Developers should not be encouraged to draw up detailed plans for schemes, potentially supported by public funds, until this important scientific work has been done.

Weirpools are vital to the habitat and fisheries diversity of heavily impounded lowland rivers such as the Thames. They are the only features that offer suitable spawning opportunities, clean gravel shallows, for flow-dependent species such as barbel, dace and chub, among other species. The concern is that reducing the flow for much of the year will substantially affect this habitat, a view that has been substantiated by a recent independent expert report that the Angling Trust’s legal arm recently commissioned to examine the impact of a scheme on the Trent.

Hydropower schemes have several other potential impacts on fisheries, depending on the design. The EA’s Good Practice Guidelines, referred to in its press release, are currently under review after two reports from an independent fisheries scientist found that they were inadequate to protect fisheries and the ecological status of rivers.

Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd said: “It is outrageous that the organisation charged with protecting our fisheries is selling off the river’s flow at 11 weirs without even considering the cumulative impact on fish and without having adequate guidelines in place. The River Thames won a prestigious international award last year for the work being done to restore and improve the river. Hydropower developments on this scale could reverse all that good work at a stroke and destroy a really valuable fishery.”
James Page, Chairman of the Thames Anglers Conservancy said: “weir pools are really important to anglers and fish. We are very concerned about the lack of scientific data available proving that these schemes won’t damage the ecology of the river.”

Hello yes i have seen the info on the abingon weir, will take away a small fishing area on the weir side, not a weir gate!! and replace with the monstrosity of the hydro units. bearing in mind the side stream requires dredging and the area cleared of fallen trees first to get a decent flow along its length, having ask my local MP if funds could be made available to carry out this work, was told no go by the E A and think the Minister too. so no money for making this lovely area worthy of Abingdon, now to spend a huge amount of money just for 5,000 homes or less and whats important it will never pay for itself so another white elephant, and like is said will effect the ecology of the river.in the last few years the thames has see a steady decline in fishing and fish, last year in june i saw sea trout jumping the weir, if this goes ahead and others too on this lovely river make way for the undertaker as will surely die a slow death.

Dear Editor your comments reference the E A, and river thames possible hydro devolopment has not had any replies except mine, if this goes ahead i like you and many learned experts in water ecology think this will not only effect the thames but all rivers running into it. or am i wrong!!. they are not the only feature for fish spawning eg gravel bed weir pools but play an important part in fish reproduction. at anyone time at weekends along the length of this river must be thousands of fisher people enjoying our sport. we have over 5,000,000 anglers in the uk, the estimate turnover of fishing tackle runs into millions, yet these hydros will do little to help the national grid or reduce our carbon effect, we must try form an alliance with every forum and fishing paper to stop this desecration of our beautifull river.

Well said and that is precisely why we back the Angling Trust and their concerted effort to represent the interests of all anglers. We will continue to publish their press releases in the hope it will help spread word of the work they engage in and the issues they are involved in identifying and battling on our behalves.

Hello if you remember the ban on fox hunting brought 250.000 to londons march, whatever view you have on hunting my thoughts are more to do with numbers, and fisherman and if the Angling Trust is involved can just say to the powers of be that want this, 5,000,000 would i think not.

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say 5 Million sounds better