At a site visit this week, some of the Fishtek team went to look at a fish pass that has just been completed on the River Don, in Sheffield. The Don is a flagship river highlighting the recovery of rivers previously rendered fish-less by the industrial past. The Don now contains thriving populations of both coarse and salmonid fish populations and it is possible to fly-fish in the centre of Sheffield for trout and grayling (see the excellent book ‘Trout in Dirty Places’ for more details). As part of the ecological restoration of the river, the Don Catchment Rivers Trust has recently completed the construction of a large Larinier fish pass on the Don at Meadowhall.
Fishtek were responsible for the detailed design of this fish pass, as well as the fabrication of the Larinier baffles and bespoke debris boom. We’re extremely proud and excited to have been involved in this project as it represents a big step in the continuing recovery of this river. An excellent video of the construction of the fish pass can be found on the Don Catchment Rivers Trust website here: http://www.dcrt.org.uk/hadfield-weir-at-meadowhall-sheffield