Fish moved from drought hit river in west Berkshire
The Environment Agency carried out the rescue operation over concerns about effects of dry weather
Some 50 brown trout in the Thames Valley have been given new homes as the seemingly endless dry spell has an increasingly challenging effect on wildlife and habitats, including rivers.
Fisheries officers from the Environment Agency swung into action to rescue the fish from a shallow area of the River Lambourn at Eastbury, near Hungerford, in Berkshire.
Expected rainfall is down by 50 per cent in the Thames Valley over the last three months. This and three heatwaves in just a few weeks have put more pressure on our natural life.
The otherwise-healthy fish were removed from the Lambourn in oxygenated tanks, then rehomed in deeper waters a short distance downstream. Officers will monitor the juvenile and adult trout to make sure they get used to their new surroundings.
The rescue and relocation comes after the country suffered its driest spring since the last years of Queen Victoria, and June was the hottest in England – ever!
Happier
Peter Gray, fisheries team leader in the Thames Valley for the Environment Agency and in charge of the transfer of fish, said:
“We hope this population of brown trout, up to around three years old, will be much happier in a part of the Lambourn with stronger flows.
“We’ve acted today to save the fish. They can be the first casualties when conditions deteriorate, and react better to being moved in cooler temperatures.”
Earlier this month, the Environment Agency declared the Thames Valley and parts of Surrey as being in a period of prolonged dry weather, and is keeping a potential move to drought status under close review.