The Environment Agency is requesting assistance from anglers, fishery owners, and the general public to help them protect endangered fish stocks in light of a rare Red Extreme Heat Warning issued by the Met Office for Monday, July 18, and Tuesday, July 19.
Extreme weather conditions, such as high temperatures that don’t let up and thunderstorms, can be extremely harmful to fish and result in a variety of issues, especially for more delicate species like salmon and pike.
Algal blooms are often brought on by hot, sunny weather, which can lower the amount of dissolved oxygen in our waters, causing fish to get disturbed and, in some cases, die.
Thanks to anglers, fishery owners, and members of the public who reported concerns to our Incident Hotline at 0800 80 70 60 or informed the fishery owner or angling club, Environment Agency officials have helped protect thousands of fish in Worcestershire and Essex over the past week.
The public should never transport fish to other bodies of water since they are unlikely to survive and may accidentally introduce invasive species or diseases that harm the local fish population and other wildlife.
Environment Agency personnel are working hard to reduce the effects of recent high temperatures and are actively monitoring the situation when it comes to protecting fish in danger, according to Heidi Stone, the organization’s manager of fisheries partnerships.
We try to react to reports of fish in trouble as soon as we can. We offer free guidance to anyone on how to protect fish during hot weather since we know that community support goes a long way.
The Environment Agency last week sent three aeration pumps to an angling club’s fishery in Worcestershire after the dissolved oxygen levels dropped to about 15%.
This quick reaction prevented a large fish death and saved thousands of susceptible fish.
Officers from the Environment Agency installed aerators at a different fishery in Basildon, Essex, in response to a report of 1,000 dead fish at a fishery run by the borough council.
Since then, dissolved oxygen levels have increased again thanks to early notification and a timely response from EA fisheries officers.
Working with angling clubs and anglers to offer expert advice, deploying aeration equipment or hydrogen peroxide to increase dissolved oxygen levels, and on rare occasions, as a last option, moving fish are all part of the Environment Agency’s incident response activities.
The money from fishing licence sales pays for all of this activity, which gives fisheries a crucial lifeline at a critical time.
However, a list of 10 top advice is available to help people understand how to maintain important stocks and, where feasible, reduce fish fatalities.
Many angling clubs and fisheries employ successful strategies to help manage and mitigate the implications of persistently high temperatures on fisheries.
By using less bait, exercising caution when playing, landing and releasing large or delicate species, such as pike, barbel, trout, and salmon, and by avoiding snapping photos of fish out of the water to prevent further oxygen loss, anglers can also aid endangered fish stocks.