Some really encouraging work is coming out of Norway at the moment, with some impressive results to show for it.

Our partner Sweco in Norway have been using FlexiBaffles to restore fish passage in a small urban stream called Fjøsangerbekken, in Bergen. Prior to installation, the stream had been heavily modified through culverting and channelisation, and previous surveys had recorded zero sea trout. It was rated as having very poor ecological status.
FlexiBaffles were installed inside the culvert, creating a series of step pools that allow fish to move upstream.
A year after installation, an electrofishing survey was carried out on a 40 square metre stretch of stream upstream of the culvert. The team caught 123 sea trout, ranging from young-of-year juveniles up to 130mm, indicating the stream is now being used for both spawning and rearing.

Using a conservative estimate, the survey team calculated a density of 127 fish per 100m2, which under Norwegian guidelines would classify the stream as very good ecological status.

It is a striking result for a stream that had essentially no fish the year before.

Before the holidays, we were on the ground in Gisborne, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, helping kick-start something exciting.

Gisborne District Council and local iwi (the Indigenous Māori tribes of the region) came together for a hands-on training day – learning to use the Structures in Waterways field app to start identifying barriers to fish passage across their area.
The app lets teams assess culverts and other in-stream structures in the field, recording characteristics to help determine whether they’re barriers to fish migration or not. All that data flows straight into a central Sharepoint, building a clear picture of what’s out there and where the priorities are.

But the data doesn’t just sit there. Once structures are assessed, the information feeds into planning for remediation – helping teams understand what materials are needed, estimate costs, and decide where to focus their efforts. 
Gisborne’s journey is just beginning, but to show you where this leads, here’s a snapshot from the Bay of Plenty region, where this same process is well underway.
Every dot represents a structure that’s been assessed. Every dot is progress.
We’ll be following Gisborne’s journey as they build their dataset and move toward remediation. Watch this space.

The key is to make the most of data collected to plan actual work programs, and not just produce dots on a map for reporting up the bureaucratic food-chain.

Don’t just watch, please share so we can all make a difference.