12/04/2006 - The Environment
Agency is working hard to save thousands of distressed
fish in an Andover lake today (Wednesday 12 April)
after algal blooms were discovered.
Up to 100 fish have already
died, and tens of thousands of coarse fish, such
as bream, roach and pike, are still in Foxcotte
Lake.
"It’s very early in the
year to see algal blooms and we believe this is
because of the current drought. The lake is only
half full so oxygen levels are already low making
it harder for the fish to breathe. The algae have
also caused fish to suffer gill damage,"
Andy Thomas, Environment Agency Fisheries Technical
Specialist in Hampshire, said.
"We are doing our best
to improve the situation at the lake but we have
seen some fish deaths already and unfortunately
we may see more. With low water levels across
the county there is no way of moving these fish
elsewhere without putting them or other wildlife
living in these waters at risk."
The Environment Agency was called
to Foxcotte Lake after the angling club spotted
dead fish in the water.
Fisheries Officers are now set
to pump hydrogen peroxide into the lake. Officers
hope to increase the oxygen and reduce the toxicity
of the algal blooms.
Algal blooms, which turn water
a green colour, cause massive fluctuations in
oxygen levels in the water. They can cause fish
to become stressed and may eventually suffocate.
They can develop with a combination of shallow
water, warmed by the sun, and high nutrient levels.
Normally nutrients would be flushed out of the
system with high winter flows.
It has been the driest year
in the south of England since 1933. The Environment
Agency urges everyone to do their bit to protect
the environment by minimising water use.
If you see fish in distress
please call the Environment Agency incident hotline
on 0800 80 70 60.
Foxcotte Lake in Andover is
owned by Test Valley Council.
