Tiverton Canal to be re-stocked following fish losses
The Environment Agency is to re-stock part of the Tiverton Canal following fish losses caused by a spectacular bank collapse. Thousands of fish including pike, perch, bream, tench, roach and eels were washed out of the canal after a section of bank near Halberton gave way following torrential rain.
Water from a two mile section of the canal flooded surrounding fields creating a temporary lake. A team of Environment Agency officers assisted by members of the Tiverton Angling Club launched a rescue operation and successfully returned more than 400 fish to the canal.
However, they only caught a fraction of the fish trapped in the lake. Agency officers are keen to rescue as many of the larger fish as possible as these are an important part of the canal’s breeding stock.
There was some welcome news this week when the Environment Agency’s national fish hatchery at Calverton in Northamptonshire offered to supply young fish to help restock the canal. The hatchery was set up with the specific purpose of replacing fish lost through pollution and other unforeseen incidents.