Stop The Spread

North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) have produced a Biosecurity Plan to minimise the risk of transmission of marine invasive non-native species (INNS) and shellfish diseases within its district. For more information see the poster below.

If you have spotted any of the species in the poster, report your sightings by email to NWIFCA.

To read the Biosecurity Plan, go to the Science and Research page of the NWIFCA website. There is also information on non-native invasive species on the Non-native Species Secretariat website.

Have You Seen A Mitten Crab?

The information on this poster from North Wales Wildlife Trust also applies on the Wirral side of the Dee.

If you spot a mitten crab, you can report your sighting by phoning 0845 1306229 or online at the Mitten Crab Recording Project.

The Tidal Dee Catchment Partnership

Chinese Mitten Crab, an invasive species. Photo: Wikipedia

This is a group of stakeholders (interested parties) involved in the conservation of the River Dee. It includes statutory organisations such as Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Environment Agency, the local authorities of Flintshire and Wirral and conservation groups with an interest in the Dee e.g. RSPB and Cheshire Wildlife Trust. I represent Wirral Wildlife on the steering group. 

There are three such partnerships covering the whole of the Dee catchment - Upper, Middle and Tidal. The tidal group covers the estuary to Chester weir, while the middle covers Chester to the River Ceriog. The Partnership is a Defra initiative to provide a more local input into the development of the river basin management plans as required under the Water Framework Directive. This sets strict targets for improving water quality by 2027. Failure to achieve the targets could result in the UK Government incurring heavy fines from Europe. 

Of course, the Dee estuary is designated as a Special Protection Area under EU legislation and so has its own conservation objectives. Despite significant effort, it is unlikely we will meet the requirements of the Directive unless additional action is taken.

Current projects under consideration are tackling non-native invasive species such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed, monitoring Chinese mitten crab and identifying and tackling marine litter hotspots. Poor water quality in the surface water discharge at West Kirby is a concern which is being investigated by  the Environment Agency, Wirral council and United Utilities but up to now the source has not been identified. Contaminated land and eroding land fill tips and their contribution to water quality on the Welsh side is another concern. Some of the above projects are funded at the moment with additional or future funding being sought, others require funding.

We are now near the end of the first planning cycle (2015), and drawing up the second action plan. This will detail what on the ground activity is needed, by when and by who, and with what resources to achieve the agreed outcomes. Funding is available for a part time Catchment Officer who will co-ordinate projects to improve the Dee and seek funding streams where required. 

Co-ordination of projects, ongoing work and exchange of information to maximise existing efforts to improve the estuary are important aspects of the group’s work.

Tim Ganicliffe

Big Dee Day - 28th and 29th June

Following on from the success of the annual Big Dee Day river clean-up, a new event will be held this year to tackle invasive non-native plants and animals, such as Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and Chinese mitten crab.

This new event, The Big Dee Day - The Invasion, will be held on 28 and 29 June. It will be the first ever coordinated event to control these alien invaders across the Dee catchment, from the river’s source in Snowdonia National Park right through to its estuary.

The event is open to everyone across the area to come and help eradicate invasive non-native species from the River Dee and its tributaries and to record infested areas. The species that will be tackled are alien species, brought to the UK either accidentally or intentionally, which can cause big problems for our native wildlife, as well as having other effects such as making river banks more prone to erosion, which can lead to flooding.

A partnership of Welsh and English organisations including local authority Countryside Services, Snowdonia National Park Authority, the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Environment Agency and Environment Agency Wales, Wildlife Trusts, Chester Zoo and the Countryside Council for Wales are involved in organising the event.

Richard Lucas of the Welsh Dee Trust, who is also involved in the event, said:

“Over the past few years, we have been one of the organisations involved in tackling invasive species in the Dee catchment. We have worked with volunteers from various angling clubs, Keep Wales Tidy, and other voluntary bodies, but would like to invite more members of the public and voluntary groups to get involved by registering their interest in taking part in the Big Dee Day - the Invasion by visiting www.bionetwales.co.uk.”

 

If you or your group would like to get stuck in with balsam bashing or knotweed whacking, or if you fancy spying on the alien invaders and recording their locations then keep the dates in your diary and look out for further information in your local press closer to the time.

Himalayan balsam may look pretty but it can cause havoc on river banks,

out-competing native vegetation and dying back over winter,

leaving banks open to erosion.

Contact details for local coordinators:

Area	Coordinator	Tel	Email
Cheshire	Lyn Byrne or Eric Fletcher	07971 052162 or 01244 383749	Email Lyn Byrne or  Email Eric Fletcher
Denbighshire	Lizzy Webster	01824 708263	Email Lizzy Webster
Flintshire	Amy Green	01352 703263	Email Amy Green
Snowdonia National Park	Gethin Davies	01766 772515	Email Gethin Davies
Wrexham	Emma Broad	01978 298762	Email Emma Broad