Tim
Abbott - 01-Nov-2006 - Fish in a Hertfordshire
lake will have nowhere to hide as the Environment
Agency begins work on a European programme to
improve our rivers and lakes.
The Environment Agency ecology
team will use seine nets, fyke nets and acoustics
to gauge stocks of carp, bream, tench and other
species at Stanborough Lake, near Welwyn Garden
City.
There is no escape for anglers
either – they will be asked a series of short
questions to complement the Environment Agency’s
information from the 20-acre course fishing gravel
pit.
Fisheries technical team leader
Richard Tyner said: “This is the first of many
fish surveys of this type we will be required
to do under new European legislation to assess
and improve water environments, including large
lakes and rivers, for fish and other wildlife.
This will ultimately be of great benefit to anglers
and the wider public.”
Environment Agency staff will
be trained in techniques to survey fish as well
as look out for populations of zander – a non-native
fish from Eastern Europe introduced in the 1960s.
The results will also help the
fishery owner to better manage the lake for fish
and fishing in the future.
This survey, which is also part
of the Environment Agency’s regional fisheries
strategy, will inform a wider European programme
designed to monitor and improve the ecological
status of waterbodies, in relation to the Water
Framework Directive.
Regional strategy specialist
for fisheries Matt Carter said: “Our new Regional
Fisheries Strategy summarises many of the issues
in and around London and we are very keen to see
this work happen as it will lead to a better environment
and improved quality of life for local people.”
The Water Framework Directive
(WFD) is the European legislation which will establish
a new and better way of protecting rivers, lakes,
groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters.
The Environment Agency is the
competent authority for the WFD and the plan promotes
sustainable water consumption, reduced water pollution,
reduced effects of floods and droughts, and acts
as an opportunity to address other challenges
such as climate change and sustainable development
in a more focused way.
Notes to editors
A seine net is a very long net,
which can be set either from the shore or from
a boat for surrounding a certain area, and is
operated with two ropes fixed to its ends for
hauling and herding the fish.
A fyke net is a fish trap. It consists of cylindrical
or cone-shaped netting bags mounted on rings or
other rigid structures. It has wings or leaders
that guide the fish towards the entrance of the
bags. The fyke nets are fixed on the bottom by
anchors, ballast or stakes.
