Blue
barbel released into River Great Ouse
(From the Environment
Agency) On
21 November, the Environment Agency is, for the first time on the River Great
Ouse, releasing 750 dye-marked barbel as part of a monitoring programme.
Overall, 4,000 fish
of different species are being released into the upper reaches of the Great Ouse
at Radwell to restock the river. Of these, the 750 barbel have been marked with
a blue dye on their bellies so they can be tracked as they move around the river
system. Not
enough is known about the distribution and habits of barbel. To learn more about
them, the Environment Agency is working with local angling clubs so that when
anglers reel in a dye-marked barbel, they can report the details of their catch.
James
Hooker, an Environment Agency Fisheries Officer, said: “This is the first
time we have used dye to track barbel on the Great Ouse. “The
fish suffer no ill effects and with the support of clubs like Vauxhall Angling
Club, we expect to get a fuller picture of barbel habits and behaviour.”
The Agency is asking
anyone catching a barbel with a blue spot on its belly to photograph it and send
the photo with the time, date and location of the catch to James Hooker.
This information will
help plot how far they have moved, how long they live and will go to support a
three year study into the future prospects for barbel on our local rivers (announced
two weeks ago). Dave
Maple, from Vauxhall Angling Club, said: “This is fantastic news. We really
appreciate the Environment Agency’s help and support with the restocking.
“Our
members will be only too pleased to help with the barbel monitoring as we all
want healthy rivers with healthy fish populations.” All
4,000 fish – including chub, dace and roach - have been reared at the Environment
Agency’s national fish farm at Calverton in Nottinghamshire.
Anglers’ photos
of the fish should be sent to:
James Hooker, Environment Agency, Bromholme
Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 4NE Or
emailed to:
ian.hirst@environment-agency.gov.uk
November 8th 2008 | 
