Tomorrow, (Thursday 28 February 2008) Environment Agency Fisheries Officers will be helping anglers from Stoke on Trent Disabled Angling Club, Moorside Fisheries, Abbey Hulton, to solve the mystery of why they are not catching as many fish as they used to.
Fisheries officers will use equipment called a seine net from a boat to net the fish living in the pool to assess how many there are and to advise the fishery on whether the pool needs to be re-stocked.
During last summer’s floods, the bank of the lower pool breached and it is possible that some of the fish escaped into the river.
Fisheries Officer Mick Buxton says “Angling is a wonderful sport for people with a disability and we encourage fisheries to provide suitable facilities such as those at Stoke on Trent Disabled Angling Club. But the thrill of angling lies in catching fish. When we heard that anglers at Moorside Fisheries had not caught so many recently we agreed to investigate.
“Like so much of the work we do, this project to help disabled anglers get more out of their sport will be paid for by other anglers who buy rod licences. It is their support that enables us to continue to improve angling for everyone. When anglers buy their new rod licences at the end of March they can be reassured that their money is being well spent for the benefit of themselves and their fellow anglers.”
