The Environment Agency says its seasonal restocking of West Country waters is close to completion, with coarse fish released into rivers, lakes and ponds across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. Fish were reared at the Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm near Nottingham and supplied using income from anglers’ rod licences, according to the Agency notice.
The release cites a total of 6,750 fish for this winter programme. However, the background table in the same notice lists 6,950 fish distributed across the named sites. Policy Wire records the site and species breakdown as published by the Environment Agency and notes the discrepancy for transparency.
Allocations include 1,000 juvenile barbel to the Bristol Avon and a combined 400 fish to the River Tone, split between dace and roach. Stillwaters also received stocks: 1,750 fish to Edmondsham Lakes, 1,250 to Lysander Lake near Dorchester, 900 to Crookwood Lake at Devizes, 500 to Burbrook Lake at Melksham, 300 to Players Golf Club at Chipping Sodbury, 200 to Century Ponds at Keynsham, 150 to Mappowder, 100 to Pythouse Lakes and 400 to Gall Pond at Tortworth.
By species, the Agency’s table reports 2,000 roach, 1,350 bream, 1,000 barbel, 850 rudd, 825 tench, 725 crucian carp and 200 dace, with no chub in this tranche. These species reflect typical coarse-fish communities in lowland rivers and stillwaters across the region.
The Agency identifies December and January as the optimum window for introductions. Cooler water lowers handling stress and oxygen demand, and stocking ahead of the spring spawning period allows fish to acclimatise and integrate with existing populations.
Reasons for targeted restocking include disease, pollution incidents, high temperatures and the low flows experienced in many catchments last summer. Short-term augmentation supports angling access and ecological recovery while longer-term habitat and water-quality measures proceed.
Rod-licence income underpins this work. The Environment Agency’s statutory fisheries duties include maintaining, improving and developing freshwater fisheries in England, and licence receipts fund activities such as fish production at Calverton, incident response and enforcement alongside advisory support for clubs and fishery managers.
Operationally, fish from Calverton are health-checked before release and distributed with support from local partners; images accompanying the notice show Wimborne and District Angling Club assisting. Site selection reflects requests from managers and ecological assessments by Agency officers to ensure stocking is proportionate and appropriate.
For anglers and clubs, winter releases signal a planning window ahead of the new season. Restocking now should translate into improved catch rates from spring where waters were stressed by drought and heat. A valid rod licence remains required for freshwater angling in England and can be obtained via GOV.UK.