Can tadpoles survive in rivers?

[werdnal]

Sorry, may be a thick question, but I always assumed they needed still water - pond, lakes etc.

The reason I ask is that our garden pond is spring fed. The spring runs in one side, and to prevent it overflowing into the garden, we have a small ornamental stream across the lawn, which leads into a drainage ditch, which in turn flows into the natural stream past our house. We have put a couple of dams across the stream to create little pools and help trap any tadpoles that may inadvertantly get wash out by heavy rain. Yesterday, I caught quite a few in one of the pools and returned them to the pond, as we had heavy rain forecast today, which infact never materialised, but I wonder if they would come to any harm if they do get washed into the stream.

Would they survive or are my little rescue missions worthwhile?

[J-Williams]

Sorry, I do not wish to bother you but I would love to see a picture of your garden! It seems to be quite interesting! and sorry I do not know the answer....

I would say that if the River was not fast flowing then (My opinion, not fact) I would say that they could survive, I thought that the main reason they lay their Spawn in ponds is so it doesnt wash away, so Id say tadpoles would be fine! Like I say I presume, not fact!

[Malcolm Banks]

This is a good question and one I have also been wondering about in the last couple of days, albeit wrt to spawn. A friend of mine reported 20 batches of frogspawn last Friday, in a natural pool of a stream/river that runs through his garden midway up the Black Mtns, near Talgarth, Powys. I use the term stream/river adroitedly since being fast running due to the terrain, and fed by the mountains, the water level and volume fluctuates rapidly from fast stream to rushing torrent.
I have no doubt that the next heavy rains will move his spawn downstream but doubtless it will eventually lodge somewhere more permanently where the river bed flattens out. I would expect the taddies to be OK if hatched there, but wouldn't give much for their chances if they were violently washed downstream from their current location. So I think spawn may survive the torrent but taddies probably not, but others may know more/better
M

[Paul mabbott]

There are (at least) two problems about them getting into fast running water.
Rivers usually end up in the sea where tadpoles will not survive and rivers contain fish which will eat the tadpoles!
Tadpoles don't have very good directional swimming ability so unless they are lucky and drift into a shallow side water they are not likely to survive stream life ...

[J-Williams]

Well what I said has been completely blown out of the water, you get it!