The River Allen's Wildlife

Fish, mammal and bird species of the River Allen

Atlantic Salmon - Salmo salar - 60 to 90 cms Increasingly rare due to raised water temperatures caused by global warming, pollution, silt and lack of water, the salmon of our chalk streams are in danger of extinction. One of the world\ Hatching salmon spend 2 - 3 years in our rivers before heading to sea in April. After a year or two of growth they return to their birthplace to start the cycle all over again. Brown Trout - Salmo trutta - 20 to 60 cms Trout thrive in clean, freshwater rivers and lakes, most famously in England\ They thrive in rivers where aquatic weed provides a home for invertebrates such as caddis & the famous mayfly, anglers paying big money to preserve the rivers in which trout live. They tend to live for four to six years and there is a migratory form called sea trout that grow larger on their marine diet, reaching maybe ten kilos in weight. They are good to eat! Grayling- Thymallus thymallus - 25 to 35 cms A game fish that lives only in clear, cold, well-oxygenated streams with fast currents, grayling differ from trout by breeding in the spring like the majority of our course fish.

 

Thank you!

Photographers Paul Sterry and Andrew Cleave kindly allowed us to borrow these images taken of live fish for a forthcoming book in order to support DWT’s Wild Rivers Project.

Wildlife Film-maker Hugh Miles took all these still frames while creating a series of nine one hour films for Ch 4 TV called “Catching the Impossible”. All were taken in the wild with a ‘Heath Robinson’ rig, a small camera on the end of a pole to avoid disturbing the fish (see right hand photo). Some species are missing but he’s working on it!

Freshwater Fish Predators

  • Otter
  • Great crested grebe
  • Kingfisher
  • Grey heron
  • Little egret
  • Cormorant
  • Goosander
  • Red-breasted merganser
  • Osprey
  • White-tailed eagle
  • Common tern

River Allen Fish Species List

  • BROWN TROUT ­ salmo trutta
  • SALMON ­ salmo salar
  • GRAYLING ­ thymallus thymallus
  • ROACH ­ rutilus rutilus
  • DACE ­ leuciscus leuciscus
  • CHUB ­ leuciscus cephalus
  • PERCH ­ perca flaviatilis
  • PIKE ­ esox lucius
  • GUDGEON ­ gobio gobio
  • BULLHEAD ­ cottus gobio
  • STONE LOACH ­ noemacheilus barbatulus
  • BROOK LAMPREY- lampetra planeri
  • EUROPEAN EEL ­ anguilla anguilla
  • MINNOW ­ phoxinus phoxinus
  • SEA TROUT ­ salmo trutta
  • THREE SPINED STICKLEBACK ­ gasterosteus aculeatus
 

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