The river Wensum is one of the most important rivers in Europe. It is a chalk stream – of which the majority are found in England – is an SSSI and an SAC, one of a very few chalk rivers to have both classifications.
River Maintenance
The Fishery’s members manage and maintain the river under its control, including carrying out an annual weed cut, cleaning potential spawning gravels at the end of the fishing season and carrying out regular river improvement projects to help improve the riverine habitat for the wild brown trout and to help maintain and increase the stock of wild fish in this part of the Wensum. Over the years many trees have been planted on the river banks to provide shade on some of the open stretches of river.
Riverfly Census
The Fishery has been working with Salmon & Trout Conservation UK since 2015 on its national Riverfly Census which samples the invertebrates at six sites on the river between Bintry Mill upstream to Doughton bridge. Riverflies and other invertebrates are excellent indicators of the underlying ecological condition of the river.