All In The Family: Maine Mother & Son Charged in Massive Drug Bust

Barbel Fish Restocked Into River Severn For First Time Since 1950s

Fishing groups, Pixham Farm, Clevelode and Beauchamp Court Syndicate, and the Worcester Angling Society have collaborated with the Environment Agency in order to restock the river with barbel fish. 

The first restocking is currently set to take place on the first week of December, which will see 250 of the species released into the river. There will be two more instances of restocking to follow, on an annual basis - with 250 more fish to be released in each instance. 

"They're going to be about a pound each," said Mark Rogers, who runs the Pixham Farm, Clevelode and Beauchamp Court Fishing Syndicate. "All the fish are tagged so we hope in a few years to know where the fish have gone, hopefully they will have survived and grown on.

Barbel fish are being restocked into the River Severn on the first week of December (2024) (Image: Mark Rogers)

"They grow to over 20 pounds in weight, they're great looking fish, and they're very hard fighting.

"The number one fish that people fish for in the UK is carp, and they live in lakes. The second most popular fish is barbel, and they live in rivers.

"They are probably the second most sought after fish."

The local area has always been a popular fishing spot in the Severn, with the area between Bridgnorth and Bewdley previously being known as Barbel Alley. However the number of the species has gradually dropped over the last 10 years. 

"I don't think any of the rivers in the UK had barbel in originally. But the Severn got stocked in the 50s," said Rogers. "The piece of the Severn between Bridgnorth and Bewdley is called Barbel Alley, its where a lot of anglers in the UK come to fish and it is quite a known holiday destination to come and fish on the River Severn.

"Over the last 10 years, the numbers have dropped considerably due to pollution and phosphates.

"There is not as many young fish as there was before."

The Environment Agency will fund and provide the fish from their own fish farm.

Barbel Fish Released Into River Severn Near Callow End

Two hundred and fifty barbel fish were released into the River Severn near Callow End as anglers and Environment Agency officials worked together, using buckets to transfer the fish to the water.

West Midlands Environment Agency's fisheries team is expanding its angler-driven citizen science study to explore whether stocking barbel in larger rivers, such as the River Severn, can enhance fish stock health and create more opportunities for anglers.

As part of the efforts to study and support barbel populations in the lower Severn, 250 two-year-old barbel from the Environment Agency's Fish Farm at Calverton, Nottingham have been stocked into the River Severn. 

The fish have been specifically bred and conditioned to thrive in flowing water environments, ensuring they are well-suited to the river's habitat.

Each fish will be fitted with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag - a small, implantable microchip that provides a unique and permanent identifier for each fish.  

HELLO: A fish preparing to swim out to its new home in the River Severn (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)

This cutting-edge technology will enable the Environment Agency to monitor the movement and survival of these fish and provide long-term data on fish caught by anglers. It will also offer valuable insights into their behaviour and the effectiveness of stocking efforts, contributing to better fisheries management and conservation efforts.

CAREFUL: Chris Bainger, a technical specialist for the Environment Agency, navigates a muddy bank to stock the River Severn with barbel (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)

The Environment Agency is collaborating with anglers and academic partners to trial the advanced tracking technology in a three-year study to explore the potential benefits of additional barbel stocking. The study will examine whether stocking efforts can enhance fish populations and angling opportunities in a sustainable way.

EA Fisheries Technical Officer Laura Bullock, who is leading the project, said: "We have equipped several individual anglers with PIT readers and kits to record vital statistics from the fish they catch. Alongside researchers from Bournemouth University, we have provided in-depth training on how to accurately document any barbel caught.

HONOUR: Mark Rogers of Pixham Fishing Syndicate was involved in returning barbel to the River Severn (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)

"The anglers will measure the length and record the individual weight of the fish. They will also remove a small number of scales, which will allow us to determine the fish's age. This detailed data collection will provide valuable insights into the health of barbel in the River Severn, which can then be compared to findings from similar studies in other rivers across the country.

RECOMMENDED READING: Big cats sightings Worcestershire: 'panther' in Norton

RECOMMENDED READING: 'Fundamental change' to nature-harming industries needed, UN report warns

"This collaborative approach ensures that anglers play an integral role in building a deeper understanding of barbel populations and their condition, helping to inform and improve fisheries management."

EFFORT: A bucket of barbel is brought to the River Severn as part of the stocking (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos)

The stocking of marked barbel will be repeated over the next three years, but it is hoped the study of the barbel catches on this part of the River Severn with the angling society will continue for many years after.

Before 1956, barbel were not native to the River Severn. The species was introduced through an initial stocking of 500 large adult fish from the southern River Kennet.

These fish thrived, successfully colonising the river and earning a reputation among anglers as one of the ultimate coarse fish species to catch, prized for their impressive size, strong fighting ability, and the finesse required to land them.

Subsequent barbel stocking efforts, however, have not been as successful as the initial introduction. Some fisheries scientists believe this is because the barbel population has already maximised its available ecological niche, reaching a sustainable level in the river.

Turkiye Hails Discovery Of Endangered Leopard Barbel Fish

ANKARA: Turkiye on Thursday hailed the unexpected discovery of the leopard barbel fish — listed as one of the most endangered in the world — in the Tigris River.

Environmentalists say the spotted carp-like fish was last seen in the wild more than a decade ago and was feared to have become extinct.

Turkiye's Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli called the leopard barbel "one of the 10 most sought-after fish in the world".

The discovery "is good news for the protection and development of our country's biodiversity," he said in a social media statement.

The fish was discovered by a team that included scientists from Turkiye's Recep Tayyip Erdogan University and members of the Re:wild and SHOAL conservationist programmes.

"There is nothing quite like the feeling of finding that a species that has been pushed to the brink of extinction is still hanging on, despite the odds," Recep Tayyip Erdogan University associate professor Cuneyt Kaya said.

The fish was once abundant in the rivers of eastern Turkiye and parts of Syria and neighbouring Iran and Iraq. Environmentalists say the fish suffered from pollution and dams set up along the Tigris and Euphrates River system to support local agriculture.

The Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature last month reported that 25 per cent of the world's freshwater fish species were at risk of extinction.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2024

---