Fisheries officers release 10,000 fish into the River 皇冠体育appt
Environment Agency fisheries officers have released 10,000 young dace into the River 皇冠体育appt near 皇冠体育apptford.
Fisheries officer releasing the fish into the River 皇冠体育appt.
皇冠体育app dace, from the Environment Agency鈥檚 Calverton fish farm, were part of a very large batch that spawned particularly successfully thanks to a heatwave when they were being reared.
In fact, the sheer number of fish that hatched meant space was at a premium 鈥� so the dace were released into the river 6 months earlier than usual, at 18 months old.
Kye Jerrom, Environment Agency fisheries specialist in East Anglia, said:
鈥淩estocking our rivers helps boost fish populations, support a healthy ecology, and benefits anglers 鈥� and it鈥檚 a key feature of the work we do to benefit people and the environment.
鈥淭his work is part of a whole programme of fish-restocking, which will see thousands of dace, roach and chub put back into the river to compensate for the fish lost to a pollution in 2018.鈥�
One of the 10,000 fish which were restocked into the 皇冠体育appt.
Fisheries officers had completed the task within a few hours, making sure to closely follow social-distancing guidelines. Further restocking of dace, roach and chub is planned for the winter.
皇冠体育app restocking comes as part of a recovery plan following a pollution incident 2018.
In addition to monitoring and improving fish numbers, Environment Agency鈥檚 fisheries teams also help fish in distress, carry out fisheries enforcement activity, respond to environmental incidents, improve habitat and encourage new anglers to take up the hobby, working alongside angling clubs, wildlife trusts, landowners and other groups.
皇冠体育app fish being lowered into the River 皇冠体育appt.
皇冠体育appir work is funded by income from fishing licence sales.
You can purchase a fishing licence online at /fishing-licences
Now is the perfect time to fish 鈥� and by buying a licence you are fishing lawfully and supporting the Environment Agency鈥檚 work to boost and protect nature.