Electrofishing survey at woodhouse gully

As part of an ongoing project with Hampshire County Council, Carcinus Ltd. were recently contracted to help orchestrate an electrofishing survey along with our close associates at RSK Biocensus Ltd at Woodhouse Gully, a small tributary of the River Hamble. The survey was undertaken to confirm the presence of salmonid species like trout in the watercourse. The survey was completed to support ongoing discussions between Carcinus, RSK Biocensus, Hampshire County Council and the Environment Agency.

Electrofishing survey

As part of company standard practice, all necessary permissions were gained in advance of survey. This included authorisation to fish using instruments (other than rod and line) under section 27A of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 from the Environment Agency in advance of each survey. A detailed work plan and project-specific risk assessments were compiled prior to each survey and agreed with the client.

Carcinus with support from RSK Biocensus conducted the survey in September 2020, where bankside electrofishing was used to qualitatively sample fish from the gully.

Here is a great video published by the Environment Agency on how Electrofishing works:

A Carcinus associate Matthew Davison (RSK Biocensus) processing the catch from Woodhouse Gully, Hampshire.

Following the survey, our staff used the data collected in the field to produce a detailed technical report summarising the key findings.

The team continue to work together on the next stages of the project and are looking forward to see the project through to completion and beyond.