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03 May 2011
Following an excellent smolt run last year the River Bela finished 2010 with the largest run of mature salmon and sea trout ever seen. Fish were seen running the lower river from August onwards and 33 salmon redds were counted at Christmas between Heron Corn Mill and Holme Beck and fish were still spawning. The fish pass at Heron Corn Mill has clearly been a great success.
An entry from the Milnthorpe Angling Association minute book reads
At their meeting in December, 1891, the Board of Conservators considered a petition, signed by 38 persons, which asked the Conservators to erect a salmon pass on the Bela at "Beetham Force." The matter was referred to the owner, Miss Wilson of Dallam Tower, who "entirely objected to a pass being made and would not consent to its being made as it would ruin the river as a Trout Stream."
The fish pass was eventually opened in the early ‘90s since which time salmon and sea trout have accessed the upper Bela to spawn. It would appear that some kind of tipping point has been reached given that so many salmon are running. Whether this run does mean the ruin of the trout fishery remains to be seen.
The run of fish did not go unnoticed by the otters! A single animal was in residence for the early part of 2010 but in the deep snow of winter tracks were very evident.
Although the river has emerged from Winter in good shape there is some concern for the Barn Owls that had established in owl boxes placed on Bela and Stainton Beck, some birds have escaped the weather but whether there are still breeding pairs remains to be seen.
This year’s work parties and Riverfly monitoring have been scheduled and we hope to carry out electro fish surveys to find out where the river’s wild brown trout spawn. Himalayan Balsam is hopefully not going to be a massive problem on the main river having been severely “bashed” for the last two years. The upstream tributaries are a different matter and it is here that we may have to concentrate effort.
No objections were made at the planning enquiry on the Auction Mart. Move to Moss End farm as this time the Developers obtained a Consent to Discharge from the Environment Agency prior to seeking Planning permission. The Moss End site will employ an effective waste treatment plant to treat effluent prior to discharging into Farleton and Peasey Becks that run into the Bela. The 20 tonnes of effluent discharged per day is not expected to create a significant ecological impact on the water courses.