28/04/2005 - The Environment
Agency will this afternoon restock the River
Churnet with fish to replace those killed
during a pollution incident last summer. We
will be restocking the river with fish rescued
from an overcrowded pool at Longton Park,
Stoke on Trent.
Longton Pool is very productive and has a
high fish population, mainly bream and roach.
The overcrowded environment led to the fish
becoming stressed and, as a result, 560 have
recently died.
Now that the fish have passed their health-check
with flying colours, we will be removing a
large number, mainly bream and roach, to relieve
the pressure on the remaining fish population
and allow them to thrive.
The fish we remove from Longton Pool will
be released into the River Churnet at Consall
Forge to replace fish killed during a pollution
incident there last summer, when farm slurry
entered the River Churnet from Coombes Brook.
Fisheries Officer, Mick Buxton, the officer
dealing with the operation, says: "We
have a duty to protect fish stocks in rivers
and pools in England and Wales and this operation
is an example of the work we do.
"The operation will have a double benefit
as it will mean that the fish left in Longton
Park Pool with have a better chance of survival
and the fish we remove will help to re-populate
the River Churnet, which suffered badly during
the pollution incident last year."
Operations like this fish rescue could not
be carried out without the support of anglers
who are investing in the future of fishing
every time they purchase their rod licences.
