A fishy taster session
4 Jun 2014 03:54 PM
Scores of keen anglers
from across Shropshire took part in an exciting fish scale sampling event on
Sunday 1 June.
The free event in Bridgnorth,
hosted by the Environment Agency, and supported by a range of partners,
provided an opportunity for visitors to learn about how to safely collect fish
scales. Complimentary scale sampling kits were also handed
out.
Brecht Morris, an Environment
Agency Fisheries & Biodiversity Technical Officer and avid fisherman, led
the practical demonstration at Kinver Freeliners’ Woodland & Lodge
Park Pools.
Mr Morris,
said:
It was great to see so many
people come along and experience the training. This shows that there is an
appetite for such sessions and I was pleased to help, thanks to our partners
for their support.
The sampling opportunity was
part of an ongoing ground-breaking project which involves predator anglers
studying pike and zander on the Rivers Severn, Warwickshire Avon and
Wye.
The research team intend to
first collate scale samples, which will help provide a baseline of data
establishing average annual growth rates, for future comparison. Later, it is
hoped that the project will extend to include data on fish
movements.
Other partners involved in the
project include The Angling Trust, Severn Rivers Trust, Pike Anglers’
Club, Zander Anglers’ Club, Lure Anglers’ Society and the Canal
& River Trust.
Dilip Sarkar MBE, Fisheries
Enforcement Manager, the Angling Trust said:
The Severn Basin Predator Study
provides an unprecedented opportunity not only for research into predatory fish
species, but equally for the Environment Agency, Angling Trust, Lure
Anglers’ Society and Severn Rivers Trust to engage with predator anglers.
We are delighted to have the support of both the Pike Anglers’ Club and
Zander Anglers’ Club in this endeavour, in addition to individual
predator specialists. This will hopefully, therefore, herald a whole new era of
interaction and understanding for all involved – whilst promoting a
better appreciation and furthering our knowledge of the species
involved.
John Ellis, National Fisheries
and Angling Manager at the Canal and River Trust said:
Fish are the best indicator when
trying to find out the health of an ecosystem on a canal or river and by
analysing fish scales we can work out just how quickly the fish are
growing.
Removing scales is completely
harmless and doesn’t cause any distress to the fish. Once caught, the
fish will be measured, weighed and then released allowing them to carry on
exploring the nation’s waterways.