Trout STREAM Project 

Sustainable Trout Restoration Ecosystem Approach and Monitoring (STREAM) 

We have reached the end of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation funded element of our Trout Stream Restoration Project, which has run over the past three years in the Upper Eden and Irthing sub-catchments. This first part of the project aimed to reconnect fragmented brown trout populations, finished in 2010 and we are currently sourcing funding to continue. The project report will be available here shortly.

The main achievement of this award winning project so far has been the establishment of two “super-refuges” for trout in the Upper Eden.  These are areas where we have carried out extensive habitat restoration work – fencing, nutrient planning, and on-farm projects - targeted after extensive surveys of the rivers and trout populations.  These areas should now form a stronghold of good quality, well connected habitat and clean water for trout at all stages of their life cycle – from spawning to fry to adult.  We will continue to monitor and look after them for years to come.

The project also included elements of research into trout life cycles, lots of volunteer input with Himalayan Balsam control and habitat creation, and a strong dissemination element – culminating in our “Trout Stream Management in the Real World” workshop which was held in Appleby in March 2010.

A full project report covering the first three years of the STREAM Project will be available on our website shortly.  We look forward to the next phase of the project!