Hundreds of fish released as part of Royal-backed project to make fishing more accessible
The fish have been released on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall
Hundreds of fish have been released in Devon - on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall - to help improve access to fishing for disabled people.
The joint project at the newly named 'Berry Ponds', near Tiverton, is a partnership between the Duchy, Exeter and District Angling Association and the Environment Agency.
The site was created in the 1970s on tenant farmer land owned by the Duchy, which later fell into disuse. Members of Exeter and District Angling Association say they have ‘made it their mission’ to restore the three ponds - and have been desilting the water and cutting back vegetation.
A starter stock of 500 crucian carp and 500 tench reared at the Environment Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm in Nottingham have now been delivered to the site.
Rod licence money is used by the agency to help raise fresh fish to replenish waterbodies and watercourses where the fish population has suffered due to climate changes, pollution and other causes.
The agency has also given the angling association £4,000 from its Fisheries Improvement Programme to go towards four disabled platforms to make angling accessible.
In total there will be 20 fishing platforms created at the site.
Rob Chapman, treasurer at the Angling Association, said: "We're now putting in tracks which will be stone based so anybody with disabilities will have a sure footing from the areas where they are going to fish from."
He says volunteers have spent months laying a new car park surface and will now prepare the site - which could open in the Summer.
Nick Maye, Environment Agency fisheries officer, said: “The work done here is very exciting and is a perfect example of rod licence money being reinvested to improve not just angling but the habitat for everyone.”