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Re-Stocking our rivers

Clive Shipman

Clive Shipman

Senior Member & Supporter
I often have thoughts on how we could improve the fishing on some of our depleted rivers especially my own local. I often see the stocking of fingerings or small 4 to 6" fish stocked into rivers and this got me thinking what chance do they have in the wild.
It may not be a roundly excepted idea but why not approach our local fisheries and I do mean lakes and ponds to use as say growing on ponds over a few years. I'm not entirely sure they would be 100% safer for the fish to grow on but must be a percentage better as they can be busy places that cannot see as much predation.
Benefits being regular feeding increasing growth this being aloud until they are a few pounds and can be released in this time the clubs could get more pond/lake stockings keeping extra sport for the clubs.
What are your thoughts?
 
Clive, have you ever caught a carp etc from a heavily fished commercial ? Some of them are in an awful state. Mouths/lips none existent. I would hate to catch a barbel/chub/roach etc from a river in that condition. Have you seen the " matchmen " THROWING the fish into the over-crowded keepnets as fast as they can, ( ok, not all of them ). Just my tuppence worth.
 
I'm sure I saw somewhere that a river got stocked somewhere, up North maybe, with slightly bigger Barbel about 4lb sort of size? I'm assuming this is a rather expensive choice though despite them being more likely to survive.

I'm not sure it'd be a good idea to grow them on in a commercial pool, let them get caught multiple times and then release them into the wild..... the risk of disease is too high. Not to mention that would involve putting Barbel into a Stillwater.
 
I think RDAA are looking to do this, except they will be brought on for 3 years in stock ponds before release. Believe i read it in their news page on the website.Sounds like a good idea, interesting to see if it works.
 
Isn't there some issue with muscle development of barbel reared in stillwater? Because they don't have to work a certain muscle type (white muscle?) to hold station in the flow of a river those muscles don't develop. Take them out of their placid rearing water, and put them in a river, they'll just get washed away!!

That may all be complete rot, but i'm sure i saw someone writing about that years ago, may of been Ray Walton, i'm not sure.
 
If that's the case were doomed because all stocking is from ponds and tanks.
 
I hope it is a load of rubbish, it would show that my research is as up to date as my fishing methods!!

It's just that it seemed to have some mileage when i read it, considering the slightly individualistic behaviour of the barbel, being able to sit motionless on the bed of very fast moving rivers.
 
What we are looking at doing in this area is stocking barbel into nature reserve lakes to grow on for a few years
 
Why on earth should we be discussing re-stocking our rivers? The Environment Agency's P.R. bods have been telling us for quite a while now that our rivers have never been healthier - surely they wouldn't lie to us poor innocent little angling chaps!
 
About 10 years ago Uxbridge rovers stocked lots of Tench into the ponds on the golf coarse at Denham. The thought was to let them grow on and then stock into their lakes.Sadly they all disappeared when they went to see how they were doing, the suspects were Herons. Calverton put the fish that are going into rivers into tanks with flow through them so that they are used to it when stocked.But i would think that Barbel are shaped so well that they would have few problems,chub roach or dace might be different.
 
Good point Roger, the EA have been telling us our rivers are the healthiest they have been...:confused:
 
Agreed Mark,you only have to watch them in the flow and they hold station with no noticeable movement as you say it's down to their shape and outsized pectoral fins which I believe must act like a wing with the current pressure pushing them down
 
My local rivers are the upper Colne and Lee, on both of these rivers small lakes/ponds have been created, connected by channels to the river. These have proved to be excellent refuges for fish and fry in floods etc. and very good spawning sites for some species. On the Colne the increase in the general fish population was nothing short of miraculous after the construction, unfortunately, being open access, the fish population has suffered very badly from EE harvesting but on the positive side the ponds do still provide a refuge for the fish due to their restricted bankside access.
On the Lea, which is a private fishery, the pond has also proved to be an extremely valuable resource giving the fish options as to where to reside dependent on conditions. Sometimes there's been a mass migration of Tench and Rudd into the river, after extended periods of hot weather. At other times the pond has a large population of Barbel (say in very low water levels) and I'm sure it provides a useful refuge for the young Barbel spawned in the river. The river has a very healthy population of small Barbel 1-4 lb. The surprising thing though is that there now seems to be a resident population of much larger Barbel in the pond, mostly 6-7 lb and they are in excellent condition and fight like tigers.
If I was in control of a river fishery I'd certainly be constructing a refuge pond connected to the river.
 
i think the RSPB and natural England should help with re-stocking costs its their beloved pets eating everything that swims.
 
You can't blame the RSPB for otters as the bird life has suffered as much as the fish stocks. We can, however, blame them for a refusal to admit they protected the wromg species when they protected the cormorant when they actually meant the lesser shag
 
what gets me with the RSPB is they strongly resist controlling cormorant numbers to protect fish stocks but were happy to wipe out , was it ruddy ducks and mergansers or goosanders? to protect other birds. I also am told but it may or may not be true, that magpies and crows do not do very well when they intrude on bird sanctuaries. Seems rather hypocritical to me.
 
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