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River Thames fishery restocked with 250 barbel

BBC A bucket of fish being poured into the river Thames by a man in a green fleece and black trousers.BBC
250 barbels have been released into the river Thames

Hundreds of fish have been released into the River Thames to help boost stocks for anglers.

As part of the Environment Agency's (EA) fish restocking programme, 250 barbel have been released at Ferry Lane Fishery, in Goring, Oxfordshire.

It is the second of a three-year programme to restock a total of 750 barbel into the River Thames below Goring weir.

Goring Fishing Club, who requested the extra stock, said the local fish population "needs a boost".

Neil Debono, chairman of Goring fishing club, said: "The idea when we approached the EA was to introduce a small barbel stocking programme which didn't alter the environment of the river and to boost the population."

"A lot of the big barbel we had, it held it up to 18lbs (8kg), but we were beginning to lose them and the fish we had were getting tired," he added.

Neil Debono is wearing a blue fleece over a green hoodie. He has short brown hair and is wearing glasses. Behind him is a wooden bridge over the river Thames.
Neil Debono is the chairman of Goring fishing club

Stuart Manwaring, fisheries technical specialist for the EA, told the BBC: "We've responded to a call from the angling club saying that they were concerned about the population of barbel in the river Thames here at Goring."

"It's when we get stories like this from a fishing club where they highlight what they think could be a problem that we could investigate a little bit closer."

Stuart Manwaring has short black hair and glasses. He is wearing a black coat over a black fleece. Behind him is the river Thames.
Stuart Manwaring is a fisheries technical specialist for the EA

Some of the fish released have been marked with blue dye, so that their development can be tracked.

"The hope is that the fishing club will catch these fish and be able to tell us how they're growing," Mr Manwaring said.

"If they don't catch any, that could indicate a problem as well, so it's a bit of a look-see really," he added.

A silver medium length fish on a white work top, above a purple ruler.
Some the fish have been marked with blue ink

Peter Gray, Environment Agency area fisheries manager, added that "without rod licences this vital work would not be possible".

A rod licence is a legal requirement that allows you to fish with a rod and line for certain types of fish in specific areas. They are estimated to raise £20m for the EA each year.

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