Energy and Climate Change CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (SEV40)
The Devon and Severn IFCA welcome the opportunity to provide written evidence to the Energy and Climate Change Committee. As the lead regulator for marine fish species out to six nautical miles we are responsible for ensuring the long term sustainability of both commercial and recreational angling within the river Severn.
Much has been written concerning the potential impact of a Severn Barrage and we would wish to refer you to both the Frontier Economics and the Atkins reports.
This IFCA supports the need to generate renewable energy and recognises the potential of tidal power. It is important that such schemes are developed in appropriate locations where impacts can be managed and mitigated.
The Severn estuary is arguably the most important estuary system in Europe and this is recognised through the myriad of designations it holds, most notably under Habitats Directive. In addition it is important to understand that it also feeds to further Special Areas of Conservation—the River Usk and the River Wye. Therefore any change within the Severn Estuary has the potential to impact upon three designated sites.
The role of the IFCA is to manage fisheries within the Severn and conservation; this response therefore focuses on these elements and how they will be impacted by a Severn Barrage and does not consider questions that are outside its remit.
The Severn Estuary supports over one hundred species of fish. The estuary is designated as important for its small fish assemblages. It is a nursery ground for a wide range of commercially important species including bass, pollock, sole, flounder and mullet. The construction of a barrage would irreversibly alter the tidal regime, sediment loading and transport, geomorphology and salinity of the feeding grounds. As the nursery for so many species this could jeopardise the viability of both commercial fishing and recreational angling in the area to the detriment of the local economy and tourism industry.
The turbines that form part of the barrage are known to kill and injure fish that pass through them. This reduces the number of mature breeding fish stocks and also increases the risk of disease transmission through damage to the fish.
The Severn, Usk and Wye are designated for their migratory species. These fish rely on both fresh and salt water habitats to fulfil their life cycles. The Allis and twaite shad are both anadromous species. These fish are only found in four rivers in the UK—the Severn, Usk and Wye and the Solway in Scotland. Both species are protected and UK and European law.
The report by the Sustainable Development Commission indicated that a barrage would result in the extinction of both species of shad in the Severn estuary as well as the Atlantic salmon.
The Severn is known for its migratory salmon, sea trout and eels, all of which are commercially important. The barrage would act as a barrier to migration and reduce the size of the populations and putting into question the long term viability of these species for commercial exploitation.
Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act the IFCA must consider the economic and social impacts within a fishery. Within the barrage proposals much is made of the economic development opportunities this would afford however these assessments do not factor in the job losses that would arise from the fishing and tourism sectors. The impacts on Recreational Sea Angling are also not fully recognised within this work.
The Severn’s intertidal mudflats are used by some 69000 over-wintering birds. The creation of the barrage would permanently submerge 14,000 hectares of mudflat. Under Habitats Directive the UK government is required to provide an equivalent area of compensatory habitat to mitigate for the loss on the Severn. We fail to see how this can be achieved.
This IFCA believes that the environmental impact of the barrage is disproportionate to the power generation potential. Barrages are twentieth century technology. Tidal power technology is developed apace and with the lead time to build such a structure the barrage will be obsolete by completion. Alternative tidal power proposals have been made, most notably the Evans Engineering tidal reef. Whilst noting that this generates less energy the trade-off is that the environmental impact would be negligible. These schemes should be considered in preference to the barrage proposed.
November 2012