27-Jul-2006
- The Environment Agency is appealing for experienced
local anglers to help protect fish in rivers and
pools from suffering during the hot weather by
spreading good practice among fellow anglers and
discouraging the use of keep nets.
In two recent incidents at Shrewsbury
and Tenbury Wells, fish are believed to have died
because they were kept unnecessarily in keep nets.
Fisheries Technical Officer
Andy Roberts said "Unless you are taking
part in a competition, keep nets are just not
necessary and, in these hot weather conditions,
they can cause fish to die, either in the net
or shortly after release.
"The rivers are quite low
and the water temperatures are warm. These are
not good conditions for fish to be kept in keep
nets and we would ask anglers to think whether
putting fish into a net is really necessary."
"Experienced and responsible
local anglers will already know this, and can
really make a difference by spreading the word
among fellow anglers, especially visitors who
may not know the damage that badly used keep nets
can do."
River levels continue to fall
during the recent very warm and dry weather. Warm,
shallow water holds less oxygen, leaving fish
vulnerable to stress, suffocation and disease.
This is especially true of shallow water near
the banks where keep nets are used.
With low river levels, the water
may barely cover the fish and keep nets allow
no escape from the discomfort. As well as the
increased risk of suffocation and disease, distressed
fish may struggle and damage themselves.
Andy Roberts added: "No
responsible angler would want to cause distress
to fish. We urge anglers to return fish to the
water as soon as possible."
Lyn Fraley
