The Spined Loach
Brett Westwood joins Andy Beal at Morton's Leam, a 15th Century river drainage channel that is home to the spined loach; one of Britain's rarest vertebrates.
The Living World is a natural history strand that revels in rich encounter, immersion in the natural world and warm, enthusiastic story telling.
The spined loach is a small freshwater fish that spends most of the time burried in the silt of riverbeds. It is believed be in the UK as a result of the melting from the last Ice Age when the UK was connect to Europe. After the Ice Age rescinded, the ocean water levels increased for a time before decreasing enough to essentially separating some of the species from the rest that live in Europe. Brett Westwood joins Environment Agency Fisheries Officer Andy Beal and his team conducting a survey of this secretive and rare animal at Morton's Leam; a 15th Century river artificial course of the River Nene in Cambridgeshire.
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Andy Beal (Far Right in picture) and team surveying for spined loach
I have worked for the Environment Agency (EA) as a Fishery Officer, covering the Rivers Welland & Nene, for thirteen years.聽 My primary role is to manage a field team responsible for monitoring fish populations in the rivers, drains and lakes in those river catchments.聽 I also routinely monitor water quality and aquatic invertebrates.
I build specialist equipment which helps oxygenate water and is deployed during pollution incidents or low oxygen level events in rivers and lakes.
Before joining the EA, I spent time teaching Fish Farming & Fishery Management at Brooksby College, Melton Mowbray, where I helped establish the college鈥檚 fish farm and hatchery.聽 I have also worked on a number of trout and salmon farms throughout the country as well as spending time managing ornamental fish retail outlets.
My formal training took place at Sparsholt College, in Hampshire, where I graduated with a HND in Fish Farming and Fishery Management in 1988.
Getting a clear look at one
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