After two weeks of hard work the Environment Agency completed its 2005 annual survey of fish populations along the River Thames on Thursday September 15.
The survey was carried out along more than 40 miles of the freshwater Thames, from Hurley to Teddington and forms part of a national monitoring programme – covering 2,700 miles (4,300km) of watercourses across England and Wales. The results will provide a picture of fish populations, and show how healthy our rivers actually are.
Environment Agency staff have used a specialised electro-fishing boat to catch the fish. Two arms extending from the front of the boat pass an electric current through the water, which attracts and momentarily stuns the fish, enabling them to be caught easily in a net.
Length and weight are then recorded and scales taken to determine age, before the fish are returned safely to the water.
Fisheries team leader, John Sutton, said: “The information collected in these annual surveys provides us with a good picture of the population structure and range of fish species living in our rivers. It also helps us to understand environmental factors that influence the health of our rivers from year to year.”
