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This method statement describes a system for assessing and classifying rivers in relation to passage of migratory fish across barriers in Scotland.
Estuarine fish communities are good indicators of a range of man-made disturbances. They are mobile, relatively long lived, found near to the top of the food chain (so are affected by other parts of the chain and prone to bioaccumulation effects) and are easy to identify and return to the water: all of these characteristics make them ideal for the monitoring of estuaries. This method is based on the principle that the abundance of fish and the number of individual species found can change depending on the pressures on the estuary.
Following a consultation that ended on 28th February 2013, UKTAG has finalised its recommendations on 1) biological standards for rivers, lakes, coastal and estuaries and 2) phosphorus standards for rivers.
This classification method encompasses fish abundance, taxonomic composition and age structure.