Effect of the Warm Water Discharge from a Power Station on Fish Populations in the River Trent

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Abstract
A monthly seine netting program was conducted from Oct. 1977-Sept. 1978 above and below Castle Donington Power Station, a 600 MW station situated on the River Trent using a mixed cooling system. This station when operating produced an average increase in river temperatures of 7.degree. C (maximum temperature increase 12.degree. C, minimum 4.degree. C). Nine coarse fish species were recorded of which bleak (Alburnus alburnus L.), gudgeon (Gobio gobio L.) and roach (Rutilus rutilus L.) formed over 92% of the overall catch. Fish population densities and species diversity were generally greater downstream from the power station than upstream. Numbers of all species except bleak were less in winter than in summer. This supports the theory of an upstream migration of fish in winter suggested by other workers. At Castle Donington the migration occurred in Oct. and Sept. in thermally unaffected sites, but was delayed until Dec. and Jan. below the power station discharge. The fish redistributed throughout the river in May. [Leuciscus cephalus, Perca fluviatilis, L. leuciscus, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, Tinca tinca and Barbus barbus were also discussed.].

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