Justifying ‘the one that got away’ should be harder than ever for the nation’s estimated 3.9m anglers, the Environment Agency said today, as it published the most comprehensive report ever produced on the state of freshwater and migratory fish in England and Wales.
Publishing ‘Our nations’ fisheries’ last week, the Environment Agency, which is responsible for fisheries in England and Wales, said that thriving and diverse coarse fish populations are now present in more rivers than at any time in the past century, including their restoration to many previously polluted and completely fishless rivers.
In the biggest ever survey of fish stocks in England and Wales, the Environment Agency caught fish at over 98% of sites surveyed, with 50% of sites producing eight species or more. The most species rich sites were on the River Mole in Surrey and the River Lymm in Lincolnshire, both of which reported 14 different species, and the most abundant stocks were found on a tributary of the Warwickshire Avon. Major sewage and pollution clean-ups and restoration of natural habitats are behind much of the improvement, the Agency reports.
As well as proving the natural value of our rivers, streams and lakes, ‘Our nations’ fisheries’ highlights the increasing economic, recreational and social benefits associated with fish and fishing.
Arguably the most popular participation sport in the country, angling alone is estimated to be worth £ 3billion to the economy per annum and, interestingly, its recreational value – helped particularly by the improvement in many urban rivers – is beginning to emerge as a useful contributor to schemes tackling anti-social behaviour, truancy and offending in young people.
Not all the news from the report is positive, however. Salmon stocks are seriously depleted, with 70% of salmon rivers in England and Wales failing to meet their conservation limits in 2002 and 46% achieving less than half of this break-even threshold. This depletion is not only affecting England and Wales but is a trend that is mirrored globally. Despite these problems, however, some previously polluted rivers, including the Tyne, the Tees, and rivers of the South Wales Valleys, have recovered dramatically to overtake many others and return some of the best catches in the country.
Eel stocks are critically low, and the number of juveniles returning to rivers has collapsed to just one per cent of historic levels. The reasons for the decline are unclear, but changes in the marine environment may be particularly significant for this migratory species. Measures to reduce eel and elver fishing may need to be considered, but only in combination with other measures aimed at increasing eel abundance, the Environment Agency says.
Sea trout, the migratory species of the native brown trout, on the other hand, have increased in the majority of rivers in the past thirty years, in many cases significantly so. The total reported catch of sea trout in 2002 was significantly greater than in 2001 and above the average for the past five years.
Grayling populations are also healthy, and, in the majority of sites surveyed most recently, juvenile trout numbers were above the average of a decade ago. Trout are now distributed across much of England and virtually the whole of Wales, with isolated populations of native brown trout present in more than 50 per cent of river catchments.
Climate change is emerging as a major consideration in fisheries management. Increased severity and frequency of flooding may be a factor in reducing fry survival in rivers. Conversely, warmer, drier summers may result in earlier spawning and a longer growing season for coarse fish, resulting in larger fry that are more likely to survive the winter. The fact that some species will adapt better than others will lead to changes in the future balance of fish communities. While rising temperatures may increase the variety of fish species, however, this could also bring an increased risk of fish diseases that can survive the climate.
The report identifies a number of additional factors affecting fish stocks. In recent years there has been a significant improvement in water quality in most of the rivers of England and Wales, yet as a consequence of removing gross pollutants, the effects of other more subtle and sub-lethal pollutants are now detectable. Whilst the understanding of these chemicals is still improving, there is evidence that they can affect reproduction in coarse fish and that fish populations may be at risk following long-term exposure.
Other factors such as agricultural impacts, predation, habitat damage, fish removals and introductions, disease, loss of fly life and pollution also have key roles to play and need to be factored into decision-making initiatives such as CAP Reform and the Water Framework Directive.
Dafydd Evans, Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency, said, ‘This report marks a key milestone in our monitoring and understanding of fish stocks in England and Wales.
‘Whilst ‘Our Nations’ Fisheries’ demonstrates that a lot of the excellent work that has been done for example in improving water quality is now paying dividends, there is clearly much still to do, particularly in relation to our eel and salmon stocks. The Environment Agency looks forward to working with all organisations involved in fisheries management in achieving this.’
Copies of ‘Our Nations’ Fisheries’ can be downloaded at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/onf.
