Fish return to the Wandle (From Your Local Guardian)

Fish return to the Wandle

9:28pm Tuesday 11th December 2007 in

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To watch the fish released in to the Wandle click here

Fish have returned to the Wandle, with about 5,000 juveniles released in a bid to repair the damage of September's river poisoning.

Four tanks of fish were hauled from Nottinghamshire and emptied in to the river on Monday afternoon, bringing a smile to anglers faces, even if the fingerlings were too small yet to catch.

The one- to two-year-old chub, dace, roach and barbell are expected to be ready to catch in about five years' time.

Morden Hall Park Angling Club chairman Clive Terry hoped the restock would undo the damage of September when a chemical spill killed tens of thousands of fish.

He said the river had been gaining a strong reputation with local fishers until stocks were decimated in September.

Environment Agency fisheries officer Tanya Houston said fish introduced in to the Wandle in the past had grown well and hoped the latest release would do the same.

She said the agency would be monitoring the river and would consider releasing more fish if necessary.

Environment Agency and Wandle Trust surveys have found some species of fish were completely wiped out in the upper reaches of the river, closest to the pollutant's origin.

Theo Pike of the Wandle Trust said the surveys showed the river was still healthy enough to hold fish.

"The recent surveys have confirmed the serious impact of the pollution, but they have also demonstrated that there is adequate food and shelter for this limited initial restocking," he said.

"This is important because we need to give nature a helping hand to restore fish stocks as there are many barriers to the free movement of fish up and down the river, meaning natural recolonisation would be very slow."

To watch the fish released in to the Wandle click here