Environment Agency fisheries officers moved fish to a new home in Teesside last week to give them a new lease of life.
Officers moved two thousand roach, bream and perch to a new home at Hemlington Lake, which is used by the Environment Agency to encourage people to take up fishing.
The fish were donated by ‘Carp Krazy’ from Chop Gate fishing lake, Stokesley. This is predominantly a carp fishery, and the move was done to limit overcrowding in the lake, and give them a better chance to grow and breed in other fishing lakes in the local area.
Hemlington Lake is a man-made flood storage reservoir connected to Bluebell Beck on the Outskirts of Middlesbrough. The Environment Agency has been working there with professional partners and the local community to improve and promote fishing facilities and access, while continuing to protect wildlife.
David Bamford, fisheries technical officer at the Environment Agency said: “We are aiming to stock enough fish into Hemlington Lake to create a self sustaining population which will provide a first class angling resource for the local community. This will allow local people and in particular local youngsters to catch fish at Hemlington Lake.
“It is particularly important for people trying fishing for the first time to catch something on their first trip. We want as many people as possible from different parts of the community to give angling a try”.
Mark Pictures of Carp Krazy said: "I am delighted to be able to help with the regeneration of an urban fishery such as Hemlington Lake. Getting young people involved in angling can give them a focus in life and teach them to respect and appreciate the environment".
Officers used large seine nets to capture and sort the fish and then moved them in tanks by land rover to their new homes on Thursday.
This fish move is part of the Environment Agency’s wider work in the region to help fisheries owners control and improve fish stocks in the region.
David Munt of ‘Get Hooked on Fishing’, re-homing the fish at Hemlington Lake
