Archives for January 26, 2015

Netting Kingfisher Lake Part 1

An EA fisheries team came down to Kingfisher Lake this morning to net a sample of fish, prior to the removal of all fish, draining of the lake, and a big de-silt operation later on this summer.

Kingfisher Lake was last de-silted in 1995, and in recent years the silted area has built up dramatically and now covers nearly a third of the lake. Its possible to access the central island without getting your feet wet, so the land owners (Forestry Commission) have decided that its time to sort it out.

Todays preliminary netting was necessary to take a small sample of fish to ensure that they are not carrying any notifiable parasites or diseases.

Once the fish receive the all clear from the scientists, the EA will come back to complete a thorough netting operation, and move the fish to other lakes within the Phillips/Drinkwater Park area.

The EA team found some lovely pound plus roach, nice bream and tench, a single crucian carp (though there are probably a lot more hiding in the wee/reed beds) and plenty of pike. Not a single carp was netted, though again, that doesnt mean they’re not in there.

Kingfisher was last netted in 2011 to thin out the stocks of stunted silver fish, and over 10,000 roach and rudd were removed and re-stocked into Drinkwater Park lake. The proof that this thinning out of fish stocks worked was the large numbers of bigger roach, and bream which were absent in 2011, also the large number of small skimmer bream which were none existent in 2011. The thinning of numbers has resulted in better growth rates of the fish we left in, and also given the bream a better chance of growing on, and breeding.

Its hoped that all works will be completed in summer 2015, and that water levels will be back to normal as soon as possible. We will then re-stock the lake in winter 2015/16

Apologies for the quality of the film – its my first attempt a filming/editing

Please take a close look 20 seconds into the film  – Ian Hayes rendition of Swan Lake is taking place on the far bank

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