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Annual SEPA update for SFCC meeting - Alistair Duguid, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
The SEPA update from February 2016 discusses the publication of the Scotland River Basin Management Plan, addressing various water body issues such as fish barriers and pollution. It highlights the development of a loch classification tool and the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to assess fish presence, with ongoing projects comparing eDNA data with traditional sampling methods. Key results from studies on species presence and abundance in different lakes are reported, emphasizing the need for further research and data collection.
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Annual SEPA update for SFCC meeting - Alistair Duguid, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
- 1. SEPA update, February2016 Alistair Duguid
- 2. Outline • River BasinPlanning update • Barriers • Loch classification tool • eDNA
- 3. River basin managementplans • Plan for the Scotland river basin district now published at www.sepa.org.uk/water/river- basin-management-planning • 44-page document, supported by appendices and an online data tool. • Identifies where water bodies are affected by fish barriers, changes to physical condition, pollution, changes to flows, or invasive species. • Sets out actions and objectives to protect and improve the water environment. • The plan acknowledges that there are areas where more information is needed
- 4.
- 5. Fish barrier update •Artificial barriers to fish migration are a top priority for the 2nd RBMP • Now at the point of spending significant resources and need confidence in our assessments • Need for improved information on natural limits to migration upstream of weirs and dams • Priority list developed for checking • Smartphone app to improve information
- 6.
- 7. Loch classification • Classificationtool now developed for gillnet data • Measures the response to nutrient pressures (TP gradient) • NORDIC gillnet methodology • 35 lochs, wide range of sites (MSS, SEPA SNH, Stirling Uni) • Method provides 2 results • Rule based classification • Quantitative EQR based classification • SFINX (?)
- 9. Can we useeDNA to assess fish? • Gillnetting is expensive, time consuming, destructive, biased and unpopular • SEPA pilot project with RZSS has shown that shed DNA can be identified in water samples • Follow up project underway with EA, CEH & University of Hull 1: Comparing DNA traces in water samples with alternative data (gillnetting & hydroacoustic) 2: Assessing sampling requirements- spatial and temporal variability
- 10. Sampling Windermere: •Offshore (70 sites) •5 m - transect • 20 m - transect • Midline - transect depth profile: surface mid-water bottom • Gill net sites •Shore (40 sites) Loch Osgaig: •offshore (10 sites) •shore (10 sites)
- 11. Key results: speciespresence Previously (ever) recorded species (16) 12S: 14 (88%) Cytb: 12 (75%) Gill netting survey 2014: 4 (25%) 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 12S freq cytb freq Proportionofsitespresent Lake Windermere (65 samples)
- 12. 5 10 15 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 a)Windermere North Basin Long term rank SiteOccupancy(12S) BRE EEL LOA BUL PIK 3SS RLA PER SLA MIN ROA SAL BTR CHA RUD TEN Spearman: rho=-0.835, P=5.713e-05 5 10 15 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 b) Windermere South Basin Long term rank SiteOccupancy(12S) BRE EEL LOA BUL PIK 3SS RLA PER SLA MIN ROA SAL BTR CHA RUD TEN Spearman: rho=-0.766, P=0.00005 0.20.40.60.81.0 c) Bassenthwaite iteOccupancy(12S) EEL PIKRUF DAC PER MIN ROA SAL BTR 0.20.40.60.81.0 d) Derwent Water iteOccupancy(12S) EELVEN PIK RUF PER MIN ROA BTR Key results: species abundance
- 13. Key results: speciesecology South Basin North Basin a) Read Count: 12S 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 ProportionofSequenceReads South Basin North Basin b) Read Count: cytb 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 ProportionofSequenceReads South Basin North Basin c) Site Occupancy: 12S 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 ProportionofSitesOccupied South Basin North Basin d) Site Occupancy: cytb 0.00.20.40.60.81.0 ProportionofSitesOccupied South North a) Proportion Read Count: 12S 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 SequenceReads Legend S. salar P. phoxinus C. gobio S. trutta S. alpinus T. tinca S. erythrophthalmus R. rutilus A. anguilla A. brama B. barbatula E. lucius P. fluviatilis G. aculeatus Oligotrophic association Eutrophic association No association 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 Year MeanSRPinfirst4weeks(mgm -3 ) North basin South basin
- 14. Windermere results: spatialvariability 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 Windermere offshore 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 Windermere shore 10 species Missing Stone loach Three-spine stickleback Potentially underrepresented: Bullhead Minnow 11 species Missing Arctic charr
- 15. Osgaig results Siteoccupancy 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Osgaig Shore CytB 12S 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 EelBrown trout Minnow Salmon Arctic charr Osgaig Offshore CytB 12S 4 species Arctic charr not recorded Consistent between markers High frequency Gillnetting- 3 species (salmon and eels missing) 5 species Only 3 with both markers Low frequency
- 16. Next stages • RepeatOsgaig & Windermere sampling in winter • Sample ultra low abundance site (Loch Katrine) • Expand sampling to a wider range of sites eDNA lake fish project
- 17.
Editor's Notes
- #4 The Scotland plan has now been published on SEPA’s website. It is a short, focused document, supported by a volume of appendices and an online data tool, the water environment hub. A similar plan for the cross-border Solway Tweed will be published following final approval of the English part of the plan by the UK government. The river basin management plan sets out the current condition of Scotland’s water bodies (including rivers, lochs, groundwaters and coastal waters), and identifies where pressures such as fish barriers, changes to physical condition, pollution, changes to flows or invasive species have had an impact on ecological status. It sets out actions such as restoration of fish passage, improvement of physical condition and investment and regulation to reduce pollution. Ultimately, these actions should mean that around 94% of Scotland’s water bodies will reach good ecological status, with 88% reaching good by 2027. Examples of actions include the removal (or easement) of 145 barriers to fish migration by 2021, to improve 167 water bodies and two protected nature sites, with further actions to improve fish passage scheduled for the period 2021 to 2027. The plan acknowledges that there are areas where more information is needed (in Appendix 5). One of these is the need to understand and manage the likely risks posed by an expansion of marine fish farming. In order to support and guide sustainable development, we will increase our understanding of risks to the water environment that could result from a growing aquaculture sector and identify how those risks can be managed.
- #5 The Water Environment Hub is an important part of the RBMP, and there are direct links from the document into this web tool. It allows you to look at current condition, and identify where there are pressures (this map shows all water bodies affected by fish barrier pressures). The menu on the left allows you to see when action will be taken and good condition restored for each water body. You can also view charts and data, and filter the map in various ways. This tool will be improved during February to increase the amount of water body information that it displays.