Jane Nower - 16-May-2007
- An aquatic head count took place near
Guildford this week, as Environment Agency
staff completed another phase in restoration
and renovation works at Britton’s Pond.
The ongoing project - involving Surrey
Wildlife Trust, the Guildford Angling Society,
Guildford Borough Council and the Environment
Agency - seeks to improve water quality,
limit silt build-up and promote sustainable
fish stocks in the pond.
Adrian Bicknell, fisheries officer for
the Environment Agency undertook the slippery
job of trying to count the number of carp
living in the pond. The survey involved
carefully netting each fish, which were
then weighed, measured, logged, and marked
with a harmless blue dye before being released
back into the water. The Environment Agency
fisheries team returned three weeks later
and the pond was netted again. By counting
all the marked and unmarked carp, fisheries
officers were able to get an accurate estimate
of how many carp live in the pond, which
is placed at approximately 400.
Carp are of particular interest because
they are large fish that feed from the bottom
of the pond, and can, therefore, stir up
the mud and silt in the process. With the
average size of carp in Britton’s Pond reaching
10.4lbs, project leaders are keen to introduce
greater numbers of other fish species, such
as tench, roach, perch and gudgeon.
As well as reducing the impact of the carp’s
feeding activities, introducing different
sizes and breeds of fish will provide new
angling challenges, especially for those
just taking up the sport.
Mr Bicknell said: “Over the past few years
we have been called out to Britton’s Pond
on numerous occasions to deal with dead
fish or to deploy emergency aeration equipment
to enable the fish to breathe. These problems
are caused by a large build-up of silt in
the pond, coming from surface water drainage
systems in the surrounding area, which can
be stirred up by large fish like carp.
“The project aims to prevent further impacts
by removing some of the build-up and constructing
a purpose built trap to stop further silt
leaching into the water. However, we also
need to ensure we have the right number
and mix of fish for a pond of this size
and type. Reducing the number of carp will
make Britton’s Pond a better all round fishery
and improved habitat for wildlife. It will
also improve the quality of the remaining
carp stocks.”
Alan Tanner from the Guildford Angling
Society said: “We are looking forward to
working with the Environment Agency to decide
exactly which new fish to introduce as we
really want to encourage more people to
come and get involved down at Britton’s
Pond. We plan to hold angling events to
show beginners how to get to get to grips
with baiting, casting and assessing their
catches once the new stock is introduced.”
The whole project is due for completion
in 2008 or early 2009.
Notes
The Environment Agency has invested £35,000
into the Britton’s Pond redevelopment project,
from funds raised by rod licensing fees.
All anglers over the age of 12 years need
a licence to fish in the UK. Buying a licence
couldn't be easier - there are around 15,000
Post Offices and other outlets which sell
them direct, and for a small additional
charge they can be purchased over the phone
(0870 1662662) or from our web site - www.environment-agency.gov.uk/fish.
