Nigel Milner APEM Ltd n.milner@apemltd.co.uk

1. Monitoring and Assessment. Or, “if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it” Nigel Milner APEM Ltd n.milner@apemltd.co.uk

2. Content • What is it? • Why do it? • What to do and Where to do it? • Who does it? Universal Topics Standards (expectations) Scale (space and time) Effectiveness (fit for purpose? How uncertain can we be? How little can we get away with?)

3. What is Monitoring and Assessment? MONITORING ASSESSMENT Evaluation Data & Information gathering Measurement & Recording Diagnosis Randomised Investigation Routine Targeted Research Understanding Problem identification Solutions identification MON&ASS – interdependent parts of fishery management Forget definitions…what might “it” do in the Eden FMPlan?

4. Fisheries Management Cycle Law , policy, events resources MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES Set management TARGETS MONITORING and INDICATORS e.g. Fisheries Stocks Habitat ASSESS Diagnose and evaluate limiting factors SELECT ACTIONS IMPLEMENTATION Fishery development OUTCOMES Stakeholders Stock conservation Sustainable fisheries Good Ecological health Socio-economics Catch control Habitat & barriers Stocking & movements Predator and disease control Environmental improvement, via River basin Plans

5. PURPOSE OF MON&ASS • Measure status and trends of “fisheries” • Identify problems • Find solutions • Measure results of management and modify, if necessary • Must have an aim and a plan for the data

6. “Fishery” Monitoring Fishery = a fish stock + people • Catch number • Catch per effort • Composition • Location • Season • Value • Location • Abundance • Composition • Population (genetic) structure • Growth • Mortality • Timing • HABITAT (water, channel, banks, land) • Food • Predators • Environmental limiting factors • Fishing effort • Demand • Satisfaction • Participation • Ownership • Costs Monitoring options & indicators

7. Monitoring around the life cycle • Oceanic life • Post-smolt survival • Migration routes • Smolts • Numbers • Timing • flow/temp stimulus • free passage • Adult Fishery • Catches • Season/age • Effort • Catch per effort • Passage and Movements • Juveniles • Juvenile density • Standing stock • NB PLUS HABITAT • food availability • Temperature and water quality • Spawning • Redds • Effective distribution • Egg deposition • Fry emergence • Nos, dispersal • food availability • temp/growth rate • Incubation • Gravel quality • Egg survival Because of internal regulation in young stages, adult numbers can vary greatly for comparatively little change in juvenile abundance… so, what is the purpose?

8. Scale matters Localised distribution, but widely distributed SPAWNING & EGGS Some redistribution life stage /spp dependent. Highly habitat dependent So, Habitat inventory + stratified design if stock assesst is aim FRY-PARR Starts local, becomes whole catchment, NB barriers, predation. SMOLTS NB population structuring, genetics, catches are usually whole river-specific, ADULTS Pinch points-critical. local Q needs

9. Adult salmon sampling - Catch • (1) Measure of fishery performance • (2) Index of stock (run size) • Nets & rods (in-river) SOURCES • Environment Agency Licence returns • Annual published statistics • Private fishery records, Log books, Census DATA TYPES... • Catch, effort, C per E, location, season • NB errors (recording, environmental factors especially river flow)

10. Rod catch data Long term data quality? Compare with other rivers Seasonal effects What goes up must come down Factors: flow & fishing effort

11. Species diffs Comparisons to show patterns Common patterns may mean common factors

12. Adult in-river run estimation • INDIRECT (Catch) • Run (R), catch (C), exploitation rate (U) is proportion of annual run taken by fishery; then: • Run = Catch /exploitation rate (U) • (U is estimated independently) • Catch per effort • Catch-stock relationship obscure and variable • Can be taken on to egg deposition • DIRECT • Resistivity counters • Acoustic counters • Video • Visual count (tally) • Traps • Tagging Marking • Biological data • Index rivers

13. Sampling juveniles in Fresh Water • By Electro-fishing • Fry, parr, and resident adults • Distribution & abundance • Growth and survival, • Environmental problems • Semi-quant vs quant. • NB Coupled with habitat surveys...why is this important? Environment Agency’s juvenile fish electro-fishing monitoring programme

14. Why Evaluate Habitat ? • Interpretation of population surveys- habitat always affects carry capacity- need to put observed results into context- removal of habitat ‘effects’ (saves £ in surveys) • Identifying potential impacts (water quality)- pristine sites used for calibration- predictions assume no water quality problems

15. Sampling smolt runs • Runs are seasonal & flow/temp. dependent • Diurnal migration • Traps, trib specific only • Give direct counts or mark-recapture ests • Value for money? Wolf trap: filters smolts from stream flow, led into storage tank Screw trap: same principle but moveable, self cleaning and protects fish better

16. Reference Points and Targets: juveniles 1. HABSCORE: genuine “target” and statistical model 2. EA National Fisheries Classification System Classifies (typical) fish densities 3. WFD NFCS2 predicted salmonid densities for Water Body class. May allow estimation of potential benefits of environmental improvements

17. Reference Points and Targets: catches/run 1. Conservation Limits: Egg deposition, estd from run size. EA/NASCO. Well-known errors and caveats, BUT the best we have at moment. Whole-river, so vulnerable to within-river structuring. Only one part of the assessment process EDEN EDEN 2. Catch expectation based on river size: NB effort also greater on larger rivers. CPLD vs river size less tight

18. Monitoring for RTs on the Eden? • NB Capacity: resources, skills; avoid duplication, bring added value • ADULT salmonids: • local catches/logbooks NB trout • Improve return and recording levels • Scale collection: design; reading is specialist, but Hutton was an “amateur” • Local small stream trapping (to assess adult use, genetics, sea trout) • Redd counting • JUVENILE salmonids: • intensive timed surveys, for distribution, relative recruitment level. • Survival v difficult; growth feasible? • HABITAT: walkover, for habitat inventory • Smolt trap manning (samples easy, stock stassessment difficult…intensive, great care needed). NB check vs objectives • Flylife surveys • Constructive challenge and use of EA data

19. Monitoring and Assessment Summary MONITORING ASSESSMENT • 2 sides of same coin: support each other • Purpose: to help fishery management: status, trends, target actions, develop solutions, demonstrate success or failure of management. • Scope: fish stocks, habitat, fish food, people & socio-economics • Fish Life Cycle: shows which stages are most relevant for different MON&ASS purposes. NB pre and post regulatory phases. • Features of good MON&ASS: relevant to mgmt aims & targets, understandable, taken up, cost-effective, consistent and long term (OR, time limited OK if that’s the plan) • Who does what: resources, skills, collaboration