A Christmas stocking for East Anglian rivers
Rivers and fisheries in Norfolk and Bedfordshire have received an early Christmas present of 17,400 fish being released as part of a yearly stocking programme.
A fisheries officer releasing fish into the river Ivel.
Officers have been travelling to the Environment Agency Calverton fish farm to pick up 1 and 2 year old fish which have been bred there.
15,000 fish which consisted of 5,000 chub, 5,000 dace and 5,000 roach have been added to the River Thet in Norfolk. The restocking comes as part of a recovery plan following a pollution incident in 2018.
A fisheries officer holding a barbel.
1,412 barbel went into the River Ivel at Biggleswade Mill and Blunham gauging weir. 12 of these barbel were given blue dye marks on their stomach. This is done so officers can identify some of the fish that have been stocked so they can evaluate how successful the stocking has been. Anglers are encouraged to take a picture of these marked fish, weigh them, and get in touch.
1,000 crucian carp were distributed between 2 fisheries in Norfolk and Buckinghamshire.
Kye Jerrom, a fisheries specialist, said:
The purpose of fish stocking is to enhance and develop our rivers.
Our aim is to create a river that can manage natural predators and support angling.
Every penny made from fishing licence income is spent on making improvements to rivers to benefit anglers.