Over the past few months Friends of Tawd Valley have been working with the Love My River Project Officer Samuel Gibson.
Kick Sampling is the typical method that involves disturbing the material on the bed of a river or stream and collecting the freed organisms in a net.
In an effort to improve the River Tawds water quality and wildlife habitat kick sampling is just one of the many important roles that must be undertaken to better understand the river. It also helps FoTV in meeting our requirements in moving forward in the Trout in the Town project.
The results of our River Tawd kick sampling sessions have been absolutely astounding. The variety of invertebrates that call the Tawd their home is overwhelming: Olive Mayfly larvae, Stonefly larvae, Caddisfly larvae, Horse Leech, Medicinal Leech, Water Hog-Louse (very few, which is a good sign), Freshwater Shrimp, Flatworm and lots more.
This is a really positive sign as it shows that the presence of a large invertebrate population could possibly show the support for a larger, more complex food chain, e.g. Fish.
We will continue to conduct more kick sampling sessions along the River Tawd and look for suitable sites to perform them. In the near future we will love to have members of the public join us and also involve local schools into the project. So please watch this space!!!
