A survey of the fish populations of the middle severn estuary based on power station sampling

Abstract

Over a period of a year, weekly 24‐hour samples have been taken of fish species collected from the screens of the Oldbury‐on‐Severn Nuclear Power Station in the Middle Severn estuary (U.K.). The faunal list consists of 48 species compared with the 44 species recorded in a 3‐year survey (based on the examination of commercial catches) made over 30 yrs earlier. Numbers of fish as well as variety of species increased through the autumn and winter, reflecting in part, a seasonal movement of several gadoid species into the estuary. The Power Station samples contained some species not previously recorded specifically for the Oldbury region often in considerable numbers. A short description of the biological characteristics and seasonal changes in frequency is given for each of the more important estuarine species.