Fish release on Thames near Reading
250 Barbel will enter the Thames at Goring
Last updated 5th Dec 2024
As part for the Environment Agency’s fish restocking programme this winter, 250 barbel will be delivered to Ferry Lane Fishery at Goring on Thames and released by specialist fisheries officers on Friday (6 December).
Some of the barbel have also been marked with blue dye so that their development can be tracked by anyone lucky enough to catch one in the future.
This is the second year of a three-year programme to restock a total of 750 marked barbel into the River Thames below Goring weir.
Catch reports from anglers indicate that barbel in the River Thames seem to be getting bigger, with fewer reports of smaller barbel being caught. It is vital to restock to help maintain a balanced population. The barbel have been marked with blue dye so that their development can be tracked by anyone who catches one in the future.
This year alone has seen 22,650 fish, including species such as chub, dace, barbel, roach, tench and carp, be restocked at 17 different fisheries and waters in the Thames Valley.
Opportunity
Peter Gray, Environment Agency Area Fisheries Manager, said:
“This year’s carefully coordinated releases on South East rivers and still waters provides an amazing opportunity to further increase fish numbers and help our local angling clubs.
“Through our breeding program we are enhancing fishing at popular fisheries like Goring by boosting stocks and providing even more opportunities for anglers. Without rod licences this vital work would not be possible.
“We work closely with our partners to protect and enhance local fish populations. We do this by responding to reports of fish in distress, gathering evidence at pollution incidents, protecting or enhancing habitats for fish, improving angling access and addressing barriers to fish migration.”
Nationally, the number of fish reared from the EA’s Calverton fish farm in Nottinghamshire during 2023/24 to boost populations in fisheries around the country is 478,937.