4. Restoring the Rib for Wild Fish
Themes: Ecology and biodiversity; People
Objectives:
- Improve morphology to increase resilience and restore natural processes
- Ensure connectivity for fish passage
Project description
Bringing the River Rib back to life; restoring the river to teem with wild fish and create a thriving fishery for anglers.
This project is focused on improving a 5km stretch of the River Rib, restoring it to a thriving fishery between Rib Valley Fishing Lakes and its confluence with the Lea at Hartham Common.
The Abbey Cross Angling Club own and manage this section of river and are keen to see it restored to support healthy populations of native, wild fish such as Barbel, Chubb, Roach and Dace. Restoration will also encourage more angling participation, keeping the classic tradition of course fishing alive and anglers as active stewards of the river!
The lower Rib has been damaged through historic activities such as dredging and flood defences, as well as suffering chronic low flows. This has led to a degraded river in need of work to improve the quality of its habitats and restore its natural form and flow.
The Abbey Cross Angling Club are working in partnership with the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Environment Agency, to bring the river back into good health for wild fish and anglers.
The first stage of the project is focused on removing a failing weir and restoring healthy conditions in the channel, so that wild fish can migrate freely along the river and have better spaces for refuge and spawning.
Project Progress
- In 2020, Aquamaintain Ltd. were brought onboard to develop design for the weir removal and river restoration, which was completed in 2021.
- Work to deliver the restoration will begin in 2022, funded by the Environment Agency.
Following this first stage, we will be seeking extra funding to develop more designs and deliver restoration throughout the rest of the fishery.
Please contact the project lead if you would like to support this project.
Project lead: Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Project partners: Abbey Cross Angling Club, Environment Agency
Funding source: Environment Agency. Seeking further funding.
Project start: 2020
Contact for more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
