Spring watch ? No! Stream watch!
5 Goodgymers helped their local community in Sheffield
1 / 11
Monday 9th June
Credits
Report written by Celine (she/her or they/them)
Share the love
Swimming up a post industrial river is no mean feat when you are a salmon, trout or grayling. All these weirs get in your way of making it to the spawning grounds in the nice gravelly upstreams; and thats no exception on our local Don river and its tributaries.
Thankfully, fish passes have been built on the weirs.
Where there's a weir, there's a way!
But these must be checked regularly for obstructions; Leaping to the task were a (s)t(r)out team of GoodGymers: Rachel, Michelle, Cat, Celine, as well as Helen whose first GoodGym deed it was! Welcome Helen!
We were joined by Matt from Charity DCRT who shared his knowledge of all things weirs, fish passes and local wildlife with us, including the sand martins and the nest box in Kelham island - I'd never noticed that before!
Observing wildlife never fails to lift my spirits - it's always amazing to notice it on your doorstep, even in our urban environments. Giving wildlife a little care is even better! Join us on our next weir watch!
Thank you for all the fish (passes)...
This task supported
Survey the eight fish passes in the River Don from Steelbank Weir (Penistone Road) to Hadfield Weir (Meadowhall).
Sheffield's industrial past saw the implementation of weirs on the River Don to power the factories. These flow control devices inhibit natural migratory paths for fish. To combat this, fish passes have been installed at the weirs throughout Sheffield. These are important for the movement of fish (particularly salmon) between habitats and breeding grounds. The Don Catchment Rivers Trust have been working on the River Don to bring back the salmon population to the area and now efforts are needed to maintain this. GoodGymers will be part of long term surveying and monitoring of the fish passes to ensure they have not been blocked and remain fully functional.
See moreDiscuss this report
Mon 9th Jun at 8:57pm
Thanks Celine for a lovely run and stretching session. Really enjoyed tonight! Thanks all.
Join us on our next session
Sheffield
Helping this fantastic local clothes swap initiative to reduce, reuse and recycle!
