In October the Fish of the Medway project received the 2024 Peel Ports Group Marine Environmental Award for its contribution to the local environment and community.
Fish of the Medway, run by the Living River Foundation, monitors juvenile fish that are using the estuary habitats. The surveys are completed by Foundation volunteers in spring and autumn from Rochester to Funton, near Iwade in the east. The objective of the project is to measure the benefits of the Medway No Take Zone, which was established in 2015, particularly for Sea Bass which is an increasing fishery in the area.
The Award was presented by Lisa Reilly, the Harbour Master for Environment at Peel Ports’ Port Users Group Meeting at Sheerness, Kent. The award itself is made from sustainable materials and is awarded once a year to a project within the waters managed by the Peel Ports harbour authorities. This is the first time it has been awarded to a project on the Medway.
Richard, Co-Founder of Living River Foundation said “We are extremely grateful to have been chosen as recipients of the Peel Ports’ Environmental Award 2024. The recognition of the work achieved by Foundation and our volunteers is indeed a milestone for us, and we will continue to work on the projects to ensure that the Medway and its estuaries become a better, cleaner place for the community and local habitat.”
The project is supported by experts from the Environment Agency, Rochester Oyster and Floating Fisheries, Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority, Medway Council, Institute of Fisheries Management and Hadlow College. Landowners support the volunteers access to survey sites are also important to the project, Peel Ports, Kent Wildfowlers and Medway Council.
Editors Notes
Peel Ports is a second largest port operator in the United Kingdom, consisting of 8 ports and managing the vital gateways for the shipping industry nation-wide. Port of Sheerness on the Medway is important for many industries importing cargoes of handling range of commodities at site.
Living River Foundation is a Kent based not-for-profit organisation which aims to monitor and raise awareness of the estuarine habitats. Through a range of projects and events the Foundation strives to contribute to the scientific understanding of the habitat health and improve the environment and local communities as a result.
