Role of Fisheries Trusts/ Boards in River Basin Management Planning

Continuous cycle to protect and improve the water environment Monitor Classify Identify pressures Prioritise assign owner design measure Set objectives Implement measure In order to have an objective in the river basin plan, there must be a pressure identified and a measure to improve that pressure. Eg. A river is showing poor water quality in monitoring results, indicating a diffuse pollution pressure. The measure is to address the diffuse pollution through improving agricultural practices, which is achieved through targeted catchment work. Every less than good classification needs to have a pressure recorded against it

FFAG inputs on prioritisation and objective setting RBMP – what is your role? Local knowledge, help identify why fish populations are not good Monitor Classify Identify pressures Prioritise Assign Owner Design measure Set objectives Implement measure Support delivery of measures – esp. barriers Verify or challenge SEPA’s classification, provide evidence FFAG inputs on prioritisation and objective setting Knowledge of habitat – verify SEPA’s desk based assessments Advisory groups like Fish and Fisheries Advisory Group help shape the plans. Fisheries Management Scotland sits on FFAG. Public consultations are really important, so please do look at those and have your say. Not only on how we are classifying but on how objectives are set and measures delivered There is on-going work of trusts of course which helps with the ‘No deterioration’ aspect of the Water Framework Directive – reporting pollution incidents , commenting on CAR licence applications, providing important local requiremetns for timings of engineering works, etc. FTs local knowledge is extremely valuable to SEPA when identifying or verifying pressures on the water environment. In RBMP2 we had over 370 barriers causing downgrades. We have been working through these doing assessments and scoping and not all need to be fixed on the ground. For instance if the habitat above a barrier is naturally unsuitable for fish, or there is a natural impassable waterfall downstream, or even if the barrier has broken down over time and become passable. All this information means SEPA can screen out those which don’t ned real investment and concentrate efforts where it is needed. Trusts have been instrumental in tackling some of the historic barriers, with WEF funding, but also the asset barriers and advising councils. We also have the Active barriers which trusts input on by providing evidence which is used through licensing and regulation. Today is also about listening – so if there is a different role, please lets discuss. Public consultations including Draft plan 2020

Afternoon session Briefing –examples of the spreadsheets Show the Water Environment Hub/ Tool Split people up Instructions Timings

Catchment Maps

Draft 2017 Classification datasheets current published WB ID WB Name HMAWB WB Category Catchment Reporting parameter DRAFT 2017 Class Final 2017 Class (if changed since draft) Less than Good WB length (km) WB area (km2) 2016 Class 5700 River North Esk (Confluence with Cruick Water to Estuary) N River River North Esk (Tayside) Overall status Moderate Y 12.653 5701 River North Esk ( Water of Effock to Cruick Water Confluences) Good 28.792 5702 River North Esk/Water of Lee (Water of Mark to Water of Effock Confluences) High 1.905 5703 River North Esk/Water of Lee (Loch Lee to Water of Mark Confluence) 1.933 5704 Water of Unich 17.16 5705 Luther Water ( Dowrie Burn to North Esk Confluences) 4.613 5706 Luther Water (Source to Dowrie Burn Confluence) MEP 18.485 5707 Dowrie Burn (through Fettercairn) to the confluence with Luther W. 14.123 5708 Devilly Burn 12.037 5709 Ducat Water 5.813 5711 Black Burn 12.671 5712 Cruick Water 25.27 5713 West Water (Paphrie Burn to North Esk Confluences) 13.28 5714 West Water ( Source to Paphrie Burn Confluence) 24.931 5715 Paphrie Burn 8.123 5716 Burn of Callater 8.701 5717 Burn of Mooran 8.066 5718 Burn of Turret 6.729 5719 Burn of Berryhill 6.254 5720 Water of Tarf 27.038 5721 Water of Effock 7.835 5722 Water of Mark 21.432 5723 Water of Lee 7.959 5799 River South Esk (White Burn Confluence to Estuary) River South Esk (Tayside) 32.671 5800 River South Esk (White Water to White Burn Confluences) 32.052 5801 River South Esk (Source to White Water Confluence) 9.526 5802 Pow Burn Bad 30.21 5804 Melgund Burn GEP 6.815 5805 Noran Water 21.107 5806 Lemno Burn 13.899

Unfilter reporting parameter, get more WB ID WB Name HMAWB WB Category Catchment Reporting parameter DRAFT 2017 Class Final 2017 Class (if changed since draft) Less than Good WB length (km) WB area (km2) 2016 Class 5700 River North Esk (Confluence with Cruick Water to Estuary) N River River North Esk (Tayside) Overall status Moderate Y 12.653 Overall chemistry Pass Temperature High Reactive phosphorus Dissolved Oxygen Acid Neutralising Capacity pH Macroinvertebrates (ASPT) Macroinvertebrates (NTAXA) Fish Ecology unclassified n/a Fish barrier Macrophytes Good Phytobenthos (diatoms) Specific pollutants Morphology Hydrology (medium/high flows) Hydrology (low flows)

Water classification hub Can look at classification for overall status or any specific parameter

Water classification hub Drill down into data Drill down into detailed classification results, kind of what we are showing you on the spreadsheets but we have amalgamated to some extent, for clarity.

Water environment hub Water environment hub contains all the information from the plans = RBMP2 So you can see what was set out in terms of pressures, measures and objectives The best way to show it is with the “When will action be taken” section. You can see how the planned measures are divided up and how they will be delivered.

Deveron example – from public Water Environment Tool In this Deveron catchment, for example, we can see the main causes for downgrades are to do with historical engineering (physical condition) and rural diffuse pollution. There were also 5 wbs downgraded for fish barriers. We know from our tracking that 3 of these are already complete…

Measures tracking – SEPA internal - Example

Workshop Let’s look at maps and data!