16/06/2005 - Environment
Agency Fisheries Officers have spent two days
rescuing hundreds of carp from a lake in Greenhithe,
Kent.
Stone Castle Lake, leased by the Blue Circle
Angling Club from LaFarge Aggregates, has
been losing water for some time. This year
has been the second driest winter in 100 years
and the lack of rainfall has caused water
levels to fall, further threatening the resident
fish population.
The Environment Agency was called to the
lake after the Blue Circle Angling Club feared
for the welfare of the fish living there.
Environment Agency Fisheries Officers first
had to health check the fish to ensure they
were free of any significant parasites and
could be moved elsewhere. They then spent
two days electric fishing to remove them.
Electric fishing is a harmless method that
assists the catching of fish. A small electric
current is passed into the water which temporarily
attracts and immobilises the fish, allowing
for them to be caught.
On Monday (13 June 2005), the first day of
the emergency removal, Fisheries Officers
caught around 200 common and mirror carp and
around 150 on Tuesday (14 June 2005). This
amounted to around 1metric ton of fish. The
fish have been taken to a number of more suitable
lakes across north Kent.
Jon Whitmore, Kent Area Fisheries Team Leader
for the Environment Agency, said:
"It was essential that we removed the
fish from this pond the low water level
was threatening the fish so had we not arrived
when we did they would have died. Its been
two days of hard work to remove them and get
them to safety in another pond but thankfully
we managed to save all of the carp.
"This year has been very dry so we may
have a busy summer ahead with more emergency
fish removals. We are grateful that this angling
club was aware of the signs to look out for
and contacted us before fish had to die."
