In The Media
BBC Countryfile: Did you see the edition when the Grantham Canal and the GCS starred on Countryfile? John Brydon’s steamboat figured largely as John Craven sailed along the Grantham Canal; Chris Tizzard was at Muston Wharf talking about the role of the Belvoir Castle Tramway and there was even a (brief) shot of volunteers working on Harlaxton Wharf. This was great promotion for both the canal and the society.
The construction of the new landing stages was reported in the Grantham Journal, Nottingham Evening Post, and other local news-sheets during June 2009.
14th August 2008 - BW Press Release
The Dirty Dozen
Public called to help vanquish waterway invaders
British Waterways is highlighting the 12 non-native species most likely to choke its canals, rivers and towpaths and harm native wildlife in a bid to encourage the public to think again about the environmental impact of the plants and pets they buy and dispose of.
Many invasive non-native species have made their way into the UK's inland waterways in recent years. These include: the seemingly harmless weeds released by people when clearing out their garden ponds; the mink let out of fur farms; and even a rash of Red-Eared Terrapins released after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze of the 1990s.
Non-native, invasive species can cause serious problems for native wildlife, boating, access to banks and towpaths and the maintenance of the infrastructure of the waterways. Dealing with problem species costs British Waterways in the region of £1million each year and its ecologists, in conjunction with other organisations, monitor the impact of invasive species on native wildlife habitats.
Across Britain's 2,200 mile waterway network, the 12 worst offending plants and animals are:
Japanese Knotweed, Australian Swamp Stonecrop, Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam, Water Fern, Floating Pennywort, Chinese Mitten Crab, Red-Eared Terrapin, Mink, Zander, American Signal Crayfish and Zebra Mussels
Chris John, British Waterways National Ecologist said: " Whilst not all non-native species are harmful, many pose real problems to our native wildlife, to boaters and to our historic channels, locks and bridges. With no natural predators to control them they can overwhelm wildlife, channels, banks and towpaths".
British Waterways invests a large amount of time and money to protect our canals and rivers through identifying, monitoring and controlling damaging species. This is very costly and diverts resources that could be used elsewhere on the waterway network. We are therefore asking people to help us by disposing of non-native plants safely and carefully selecting alternative plants for gardens, ponds and aquariums.
Non-native invasive species arrive in the UK in a variety of ways, from their use in the horticulture, agriculture and aquaculture industries to coming in on or attached to ships. Often, unaware of their potential to cause damage to native wildlife, people introduce non-native, invasive plants and animals intended for garden ponds and aquariums to the waterways when they dispose of them.
Invasive species cause problems for a number of reasons:
- normally bigger, faster growing or more aggressive than native species means they have no natural predators to control numbers
- they�re often resistant to traditional control techniques
- they compete with native species for space, water and sunlight and are recognised as the second most important threat to wildlife diversity after habitat destruction and decline*
- their rapid growth can choke rivers and canal channels and they become caught on boat rudders, lock gates and canal fixtures.
How you can help
British Waterways is encouraging people to:
Buy alternative native plant species for ponds and gardens
Destroy or dispose of invasive non-native plants from a garden or ornamental pond in an appropriate and responsible way. Do not put them in a waterway, throw over the garden fence, or fly tip. Many species of non-native plants can be disposed of by householders in their domestic waste/recycling bins in small quantities, but if in doubt seek professional advice.
Buy properly labelled plants; as problem plants may be sold under different names. If in doubt, check with the supplier or seek professional advice and let Trading Standards know about mislabelled plants. Do not accept unknown plants or animals from friends and neighbours.
Do not release unwanted pets into the wild, which can be an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act and cause problems.
Prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species when using the canal - especially boaters and anglers - by cleaning equipment in warm soapy water and allowing it to dry fully before transporting it from one water body to another.
For further information and a list of useful organisations to contact visit www.waterscape.com.
Dirty Dozen – the Rogue’s Gallery
1. Japanese Knotweed
One of the most invasive weeds in Britain, its dense growth crowds out native vegetation, erodes riverbanks and causes structural damage. Growing up to 3m high, this horror is common throughout Britain and can regenerate from tiny fragments.
2. Floating Pennywort
This fleshy-stemmed plant uses its roots to interweave a floating mat of lush foliage. But don’t be fooled by this former resident of tropical aquaria and garden ponds, this pestilential plant is a real problem – it grows very rapidly in late summer and is responsible for choking waterways, crowding out native plants and taking oxygen from fish and insects.
3. Giant Hogweed
This former ‘beauty queen’ of 19 th century ornamental gardens, now found along waterways and areas of wasteland, grows up to 5m high. This dangerous, dark green giant produces thousands of seeds and can shade out other plants, increasing the risk of bank erosion. It also contains sap that can burn the skin when exposed to sunshine.
4. Australian Swamp Stonecrop
Sold in garden centres as an ‘oxygenating plant’, rapidly growing Stonecrop can quickly smother native vegetation. Spreading across the country since the 1970s, this yellow and green stemmed nasty can re-grow from tiny fragments and lives in a variety of habitats.
5. Water fern
The popular pond plant is also known as Fairy Fern but there’s nothing ethereal about this floating fiend, which forms dense mats of vegetation on the waters’ surface that may pose a hazard by appearing solid. Able to withstand British winters and invade a region very rapidly, this innocently sounding plant can reduce light beneath the surface, killing native plants and causing de-oxygenation.
6. American Signal Crayfish
Found throughout England, these brash 15cm-long beasts are aggressive, breed faster than the native species and damage banks with their burrowing. These filthy thugs also carry a fungal disease - ‘crayfish plague’, which is harmful to our native species.
7. Himalayan Balsam
Despite its soothing name, this densely growing pink and red-stemmed brute has an anti-social habit of projecting its seeds up to four metres away, allowing it to stifle native grasses and plants in its path. It dies back in Autumn but its destructive legacy lives on as it leaves waterway banks vulnerable to erosion.
8. American Mink
The bully of the inland waterway, mink are often mistaken for otters but are smaller and far more aggressive. An efficient predator, this menace - brought to Britain in 1929 for commercial fur farms – has a score to settle and will greedily dine on a variety of waterway natives, including fish, birds, invertebrates and Wind in the Willows’ favourite, the water vole.
9. Zebra Mussel
These stripey stowaways landed in Britain’s waterways on the hulls of ships from Eastern Europe and decided to stay. Growing up to 5cm long, the nautical nuisances reproduce rapidly and form large colonies that attach to almost any submerged hard surface, impeding the smooth running of canal gates and sluices.
10. Zander
This wide-mouthed predator has excellent vision and fang-like teeth, which it uses to eat native fish and steal their food. Highly adaptable, this voracious carnivore has now spread and thrives in large, slow flowing waters in Central England.
11. Chinese Mitten Crab
Named after their white tipped claws, these 8cm-long Asian crustaceans have a voracious appetite for almost anything that gets in their way. Their extensive burrowing damages canals, drainage embankments and structures – mostly in London, where they were found more than 70 years ago.
12. Red-eared Terrapin
Britain’s inland waterways were a safer place for bird eggs and insect larvae before these terrors came along. Brought to Britain from the USA as pets, these real life ‘Ninja turtles’, which can live for 25 years, are often dumped in the wild when they grow too big or their owner gets bored.
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