neet
and strat
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Channelised
section of the Strat |
The river Neet is a tributary of the river Strat which reaches the
sea at Bude, a popular holiday destination and seaside resort on
the north Cornish coast. Collectively, the Strat and Neet catchment
drains an area of approximately 133.5km2, characterised by extensively
drained agricultural land although some Culm grassland can still
be found in the upper reaches.
The Strat and Neet rivers are
not long, measuring 12.7 and 10.5 miles respectively, and are characterised
by very quick response times to rainfall events. As a consequence,
flooding can be a problem with extensive flood defence schemes being
in place at Bude and Helebridge.
Land use within the catchment
is dominated by intensive agricultural production. The upper reaches
of the Strat are predominantly farmed by beef and sheep enterprises;
elsewhere all types of farming including dairy and arable can be
found. River bank damage by livestock has been extensive throughout
the catchment, leading to large amounts of sediment entering the
rivers which is thought to be having a significant detrimental effect
on salmonid spawning grounds. High nutrient loadings have also been
recorded on the river Neet, especially around Helebridge, leading
to concerns over water quality.
There are currently no salmon
present in either the Neet of the Strat although both rivers have
populations of sea trout, brown trout, lamprey, eel, bullhead, minnow
and stone loach
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