CEFAS24-42 Contract for the tagging of fish to support the BEEMS HPC Compensation package

The BEEMS (British Energy Estuarine and Marine Studies) programme is funded by NNB Generating Company HPC (NNB GenCo). Through this programme, Cefas provide scientific advice on the marine and transitional waters in the vicinity of potential new build nuclear power stations and require the supplier to deliver the element described below.

NNB GenCo is proposing a number of habitat conservation measures as compensation for the predicted losses of fish from the Severn Estuary SAC, River Wye SAC and River Usk SAC. Specifically, measures to ease migratory passage for Atlantic salmon, twaite shad and allis Shad are being considered on the Rivers Severn, Usk, Lugg (Wye) and Tywi.

The purpose of this project is to determine the movements of fish within the catchments in relation to the sites where potential barriers to migration occur, and to provide further evidence of the behaviour of fish within Bridgwater Bay to inform the risk of abstraction. A programme of fish tagging and monitoring is required to gain a clearer understanding of the current fish population, movement and utilisation of the rivers and estuary.