Fish given a boost thanks to increase in rod licences

THE sale of more than one million fishing licences has generated £24million to improve England’s rivers, figures show.

Data from the Environment Agency (EA) have also revealed that rather than buying day passes, more fishermen are purchasing annual rod licences.

This is allowing the EA to spend more money on fish pass projects –opening up rivers for the free movement of fish – as well as breeding rare species to release in the waterways.

Mills, locks, weirs and sluices were constructed to retain the height of rivers, affecting the natural water gradient. These barriers can prevent fish moving freely, affecting where they can feed, breed and access essential habitat. Fish passes help the animals bypass such structures.

One EA project has helped wild salmon return to the River Don in Sheffield for the first time in 200 years.

Another is taking place at the Godmanchester Mill in Cambridgeshire, which will help dace, chub and eels make their way to the sea at King’s Lynn, Norfolk. The Unlocking the Severn Project has seen the creation of a fish pass at Diglis that helps the endangered twait shad, a species that has been unable to move freely in the River Severn for 170 years.

The number of people buying EA licences has risen by almost 150,000 to 1,090,068. In 2021/22, the EA has sold more annual licences than day passes.

An EA spokesman said: “Income from licence sales has seen an increase of around 4.7 per cent compared with 2019. We continue to invest anglers’ licence income into projects which enhance fisheries environments.”

Almost 500,000 fish were bred and released last year, including over 130,000 barbel and 82,000 roach.