Source: Environment Agency
Thousands of fish including pike, perch, bream, tench, roach and eels were washed out of the canal after a section of bank gave way in November 2012 following torrential rain and water from the canal flooded surrounding fields creating a temporary lake.
The Agency was keen to rescue as many of the larger fish as possible as they are an important part of the canal’s breeding stock and, together with the Tiverton Angling Club, launched an emergency rescue and successfully returned more than 400 fish to the canal, but many of the fish trapped in the lake did not survive.
An initial batch of roach, rudd, tench and bream, from the Environment Agency’s national fish hatchery at Calverton, were released into the canal earlier this year as part of the re-stocking programme and the latest batch of 4,000 young fish were released at Sampford Peverell on Tuesday 10 December.
Local angler and head bailiff for the Tiverton Angling Club, Ian Nadin said:
“We really appreciate all the help we’ve received from the Environment Agency both at the time of the bank collapse and the re-stocking that has taken place since. Some additional fish were lost last summer due to excessive algal growth in the canal during the hot weather, so this latest batch of fish is especially welcome.”
Nick Maye for the Environment Agency commented:
“The bank collapse resulted in the loss of a significant number of fish from the canal. Some were injured and died within days of being washed into the lake. The re-stocking is important because it will speed up the recovery of the fish population.”
Devon County Council, which owns the canal, installed two temporary dams to prevent further loss of water and to allow repairs to be carried out to the damaged section of bank. The work is due to be completed in February 2014.
