TALKING POINT Zander in the spotlight
Regarded by some as a menace, zander are facing a cull, but others are calling for the practice to end
If angling is changing, then let the change happen
LOVED by some, loathed by others, zander seem to polarise opinion like no other species.
For Midlands fishing clubs and match anglers, they’re an alien invader that decimates stocks of native silverfish species and should be eradicated from our fisheries.
But a rapidly-growing army of predator anglers and lure fishing fans target zander all year round and believe that the species is now so popular and widespread, it should be afforded the same protection as other British freshwater fish.
Over recent years, the Canal & River Trust (CRT) has been using electrofishing methods to remove zander from some of the waterways under its control, at the request of the clubs that rent stretches from it.
We’ve spoken to two people who couldn’t be further apart on the subject of zander.
Neville Fickling, Zander Anglers Club (ZAC) Secretary
“IN THOSE waters where zander are well established, they are no longer a problem. Data from silverfish surveys in the Fens shows this to be the case.
Stillwaters with zander, such as Bury Hill and Ferry Meadows, don’t appear to have any problems either. It’s a different story in murky, shallow venues such as the Midlands canals, where the zander are better adapted to hunt and feed in low visibility than other predators.
Because they’re classed as non-native, there’s no limit to the number of zander that can be removed from a fishery. Their only protection is from a small number of angling clubs whose members enjoy fishing for zander, but it’s far better to have the EA enforcing the law with its legal departments to process prosecutions. Our aim is to try to get zander the same protections as other species have got.
The problem with culling is that as soon as you stop, the population expands. If you leave zander alone, eventually a natural balance should be restored, even in coloured canals. In Holland, for example, there are many miles of this type of canal, and no problems have been noted with zander being present.
With electrofishing costing around £800 a day, we suggest this money should be used to supplement stocks with fish that are too big for the majority of zander to eat. It will enable adult silverfish to be able to spawn and support stocks.
The increased interest in lure fishing means that many anglers are targeting zander, so it makes sense their removal should be phased out. If angling is changing, then let the change happen.”
Trevor Johnson, Chairman of Milton Keynes AA
“ZANDER are an invasive species that has no place in our shallow canals and small rivers.
On the boated canal network their excellent eyesight and pack-hunting instincts enable them to out-compete native pike and perch, pack on weight and very quickly create breeding stocks. And they eat... oh, how they eat!
On stretches of the Grand Union Canal that I grew up fishing, the gudgeon have all but disappeared. Going back around 10 years, the smaller roach started to become rarer, and then skimmer bream numbers dropped and the pike looked scrawny. The numbers of match and pleasure anglers on the venues affected have waned, replaced by the occasional lure angler.
Within a couple of years of electrofishing being started by the CRT, patches of small roach began appearing, and now small skimmer bream are showing. Numbers of decent-sized perch are growing and, this winter in particular, the number of healthy looking double-figure pike has rocketed. It’s no coincidence, because zander completely destroy the natural balance of some waters.
Last year I attended an Angling Trust workshop on the issue. Scientific evidence was presented which showed that on some canals zander can end up forming between 30% and 70% of the fish present. This isn’t a natural balance, obviously.
Also, the CRT’s electrofishing work has made considerable progress in turning some of the worst-affected canal sections back into the types of areas where beginner anglers can once again reasonably expect decent silverfish sport.”
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ELECTROFISHING?
Over the past decade the Canal & River Trust, at the request of its tenant clubs, has overseen around 40 days a year of electrofishing on sections of the Grand Union, Ashby and South Oxford canals. This process stuns the fish, which then float to the surface before being netted out. They then face one of three fates, as John Ellis, the CRT’s National Fisheries and Angling Manager, explains.
“The fish can be stocked into stillwaters which hold the relevant permits, which is our preferred option. Alternatively, they can be incinerated, and this happens to a lot of the small fish. Finally, the larger ones can be sold to Billingsgate Fish Market and end up in the food chain.
“In areas where the zander have been electrofished, evidence shows that the silverfish populations have recovered well, with the fishing back to almost the level it was before the zander were introduced.”
IS THERE A COMPROMISE?
Back in 2015 the Canal & River Trust proposed the creation of a Midlands Canal Zone in the Warwickshire Avon catchment area, within which zander could be returned by anglers and/or rehomed there by the Canal & River Trust without fear of prosecution. Alternatively, it proposed relocating zander into fully enclosed (but non-Canal & River Trust owned) stillwaters in the Midlands.
The Angling Trust has voiced its support for this proposal and went on record to say that it would prefer to rehome zander where it is legal to do so, rather than kill them. The proposal was rejected by regulators but was submitted again in May 2019. An official outcome was expected by Christmas 2019, but has yet to be forthcoming.
Zander can completely destroy the natural balance of some waters