In early July some members of the London Freshwater Group visited the FBA River Laboratory at East Stoke to learn about the facilities and work that is in progress there.

We met at mid-day and started with a gossip session over an excellent buffet lunch before hearing three very interesting presentations.

John Davy-Bowker, Facilities and Research Manager described the range of facilities that are available and the various different organisations that use them.

These include researchers and research students from Queen Mary, University of London and Roehampton University, at least two environmental consultancies

– APEM and GT Environmental – and the fish research group of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust as well researchers from the Environment Agency and, of course, FBA.

The latter are working on further development of RIVPACS models for Water Framework Directive compliance monitoring. John also told us about a new long-term monitoring programme

on the nearby Rivers Frome and Piddle, and some recent work to quantify the biases and uncertainties associated with the use of seepage meters in flowing waters.

Iwan Jones, now with QMUL, is leader of the River Communities Group who are using invertebrates to assess water quality and are working with the FBA to further develop

RIVPACS in deep rivers. Researchers from Roehampton and the EA are looking at the national distribution of meiofauna in groundwater and others are using the mesocosm

ponds at East Stoke to simulate global warming and looking at levels of photosynthesis and respiration within them. There is also a project to measure interaction strengths

within the food-web of Tadnoll Brook, a tributary of the River Frome.

William Beaumont of the GWCT described the work they are doing to monitor salmon as they return from the sea to spawn in the rivers. We have hourly data on the upstream movement

of fish for 36 years. Modern technology means that they are now able to put pit tags into up to 10,000 parr per year and detectors in the weirs can monitor their subsequent movements

and survival rates.

We were all very impressed with the research being carried out at the River Lab and it was an eye-opener to those who had not visited East Stoke before. It was a pity that more were not

able to be there. After tea we went on a tour of the facilities, particularly to see the outdoor tanks and artificial channels. We then walked along the river to see the salmon counter and beyond

into the fields to see some of the FBA-owned river reaches. There was much enthusiastic discussion and everybody enjoyed the whole afternoon.

The LFG, like several other regional groups, was set up in the 1970s to encourage discussion and communication within the freshwater research community. It is an independent group associated

with the Linnean Society of London and meets twice a year. I hope that more such local groups will be able to visit the FBA sites and appreciate the work being done. It will also enhance

communication with our members and hopefully, persuade others to join FBA.

 

Freshwater Biological Assoc. web site: www.fba.org.uk

 

 

The LFG group that visited the FBA’s River Lab in July standing on the bank of the River Frome with the           John Davy-Bowker talking to the LFG people about the salmon counter that is housed in the building behind.

laboratory building in the distance. John Davy-Bowker who is in charge there is fourth from left.