19th August 2020

Fisheries management training Oct-Nov 2020: Bookings closed

As part of the Heritage Lottery Funded ‘Colne Valley: A Landscape on the edge’ project, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the Colne Valley Fisheries Consultative are excited to offer this training opportunity to clubs with fisheries within the Colne Valley Regional Park. A limited number of places are available for this training and therefore we are offering places for 2 representatives from each club, each of whom should ideally be a fishery manager for qualifying waters. The course will be run as part of the AQA Unit Award Scheme, allowing participants to gain certification in each of the topics covered. The aim of the training sessions is to give fishery managers the range of skills needed to start the process of writing or updating a management plan for their fishery site(s). Clubs who have attended the training will be expected to produce a management plan for agreed site(s). HMWT staff will assist with this process with support from CVFC.

Fisheries management Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 2020

Trainers: Viv Shears of VS fisheries and Bernice Brewster of Aquatic Consultancy.

These two sessions will cover a wide range of fishery management topics including fish ecology, fish disease, aquatic plant control, water quality maintenance, fishery enhancement and restoration, silt control and fisheries and the law.

Wetland Ecology & Management Planning Sunday 18 October and Sunday 1 November 2020

Trainer: Graham White.

These sessions will cover the ecology of wetland areas associated with fisheries and an introduction to the process of writing a management plan for a site. The wetland aspect will cover topics including key wetland habitat types, the structure, function and importance of wetlands, species that use wetlands and their requirements and conservation status, water flow to wetlands, ecological succession, wetland management techniques and the impacts of climate change. Upon completion of the training participants will be given assistance from HMWT and CVFC in the process of writing a short form management plan for their site(s) using a template plan.

Managing Change in Fisheries Sunday 15 November 2020

Trainer:Kate Measures from Heritage Insider.

This module will introduce learners to techniques and strategies for managing changes in their fisheries and cover topics including how to identify why and where change might be needed, practical techniques for planning and coping with change, why change can be difficult, techniques for dealing with resistance to change and the importance of building good relationships within clubs and beyond.

Sessions will be run from 10:00-16:00 at Uxbridge Golf Club (the session on Saturday 10 October will begin and end slightly earlier, from 08:30-15:30). This training is offered at the subsidised rate of £249 per person, £200 of which will be refundable after attendance at all 5 days training. Failure to attend all modules will result in the full £249 being charged.

In addition to this hugely discounted price, some funding is available to facilitate agreed environmental projects as identified in the finished management plans.

For more information and to book a place please contact [email protected] 07909 914962. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.