12/09/2005 - Environment
Agency teams saved thousands of fish on the
River Weaver this week after pollution incident
had left bream, roach, carp, pike and chub
at serious risk.
The Environment Agency attended the incident,
near a sluice gate on the Weaver at Nantwich
on Tuesday (6 September) after a member of
the public called the Agency’s free 24 hour
emergency hotline, 0800 80 70 60, after seeing
fish gasping at the surface of the water.
Environment Agency fisheries officers found
about 200 dead fish and several thousand more
showing signs of distress. Oxygen levels in
the water were unusually low, depriving the
fish of the oxygen they need to survive and
forcing them to gasp for air at the surface
instead of breathing through their gills in
the usual way.
Fisheries officers installed temporary pumps
to circulate air through the water and boost
the oxygen levels. They manned the pumps throughout
the afternoon before handing over to their
colleagues in the Agency’s Operations Delivery
Department who carried on well into the evening
until they could be sure that oxygen levels
were back to normal and the distressed fish
were safe and able to breathe normally.
Environment Agency Fisheries Officer Paul
Blake said: "We acted as quickly as we
could because we were keen to save as many
of the fish as possible. If we hadn’t taken
action, many thousands of mature fish of different
species could have been lost and impact on
the Weaver would have been much more serious.
"Our environment management team believe
that some form of pollution was responsible
for the sudden drop in oxygen levels, although
a lack of any visual clues or odours is making
it hard to trace. We will continue investigating
possible sources, but in the meantime we’re
pleased that we’ve been able to restore the
river to its normal healthy state.
"We’d also like to remind members of
the public that by reporting these sorts of
incidents to us they can help us to act promptly.
Calls to our emergency hotline, 0800 80 70
60, are free and lines are open 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year."
