Hi - some improvements to ease upstream movement of trout, sea trout (and eels!) by my Wild Trout Trust colleague Andy Thomas in partnership with the recipients of a WTT practical visit - the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust.

First up - the situation at a culvert before intervention:


And after works - the level raised to drown out the concrete apron:


This was achieved by installing a rock ramp and riffle:




This means that, as well as making the culvert passable, the flow was channeled strongly in such a way as to attract fish to run up into the culvert - rather than on an alternative course up the main channel that is blocked (i.e. the rock ramp and riffle attracted fish into the passable route and away from the impassable one). It has also created some excellent habitat for "flow loving fish".







The next one was installed in a dry channel (the river is currently diverted, but will be returned to this channel in the near future). It is another super cheap use of wooden sleepers bolted to the channel bed. Here the sleepers have been used to create two stepped pools in order to break down an impassable leap into two small steps. Notice how the gaps are offset so that the flow does not run full force straight down the pool (which would happen if all the gaps were arranged along a straight line of sight).


Notice the cheap "eel brush" matting that also helps elvers to clamber up.


Nice.

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