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St Alban's Primary School
St Alban's Primary School explored the foreshore
at Chiswick on 9 September 2002. Here is what
they found on their wildlife survey...
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Animals
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0-5
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6-10
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10-20
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more than 20
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Freshwater Shrimp
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20+
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Nerite Snail
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20+
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Leech Species
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20+
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Chinese Mitten
Crab
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20+
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Estuarine Prawn
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3
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What was it like on the Thames foreshore today?
We had a lovely late summer day on the foreshore
and everyone did a brilliant job finding river
creatures. We found clues to the health of the
Thames, both good and bad. On the good side, we
found lots of freshwater shrimps, which can only
survive in clean water. On the bad side, we found
LOADS of tiny Chinese mitten crabs, the most Thames
Explorer has ever seen. These crabs damage the
river banks and disrupt the natural system in
the river, so lots of baby crabs is bad news!
What does our survey us about the "Rhythms
of the River"?
We know that we are heading into Autumn, as we
did not find any baby fish in the shallow water.
We also know that the river is quite healthy,
as we found lots of freshwater shrimps, snails
and leeches. However, one of the biggest threats
to the river, the Chinese mitten crab, seems to
have healthy populations that are multiplying
rapidly.
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