Fish are an important part of river and stream ecology.

All species of fish rely on migration, be it locally to a gravel bed to lay eggs or deep water to hide from the heat or from sea to fresh water and back – again looking for places to spawn, hunt or hide when little. This essential migration is cut short by the existence of weirs and sluices. In an ideal world all weirs and sluices would be taken out of rivers and streams but this is not always possible as some play an important role in water management. Fish passes are designed to help fish across barriers.

The River Stour fish population have been struggling to move up river below Wye, for many years. Kentish Stour and the Wild Trout Trust have been funded by the Environment Agency to add a fish pass at one of the large obstructions below Wye and here is the completed fish pass.

The channel on the left is a lariner fish pass and hopefully we will see a positive change in fish population up river as a consequence.