Local fish populations will be able to swim upstream of Kidlington in the River Cherwell for the first time in hundreds of years following the completion of a new fish pass built by the Environment Agency.
One of the Mill channels before installation of the fish pass with the impassable weir upstream
The new pool and traverse fish pass constructed from gabions – baskets filled with stones will allow fish to gain access past Kidlington Mill, which previously proved impassable to fish. The pass will allow fish populations access to new spawning grounds upstream of the mill.
Fish pass under construction
Tom Sherwood, Environment Agency Fisheries Officer for the Cherwell catchment said: ”This new fish pass improves the connectivity of the lower Cherwell. By allowing fish to by-pass Kidlington Mill they can now move unimpeded from Oxford all the way up to Shipton-on-Cherwell. Providing fish passage is important on all rivers as it allows fish to migrate upstream to utilise spawning grounds that might otherwise proved to be inaccessible.”
The new fish pass is part of a series of habitat enhancements that have been carried out over the last few months on the lower Cherwell to help improve local fish populations. Other schemes have been included to provide vital habitat for juvenile fish, including the creation of backwaters, which used to be a common feature on many of the region’s lowland rivers, but have been lost due to historical dredging. Spawning gravels have also been added to the bed of the Cherwell, which have contributed to preventing deterioration of the ecological status under the Water Framework Directive.
