Help save our stocks this summer

As I write this it’s nudging 100 degrees (in old money) in my office and only a few degrees shy of that out on the banks.

For anglers who enjoy the sun and catching lots of fish, there’s no doubt it’s a great time, and just what we’ve been waiting for after being stuck in the house for the past few months.

For fishery owners, however, it’s a worrying period. It only takes a few days of sustained heat for oxygen levels in the water to fall to alarmingly low levels, especially on our stillwaters. And that can be fatal for our fish stocks.

Community ponds, park lakes, and even the most well-managed commercials are highly susceptible to this rapid rate of fall, but our river fish can suffer badly too, especially when their natural habitat is faced with low flows.

There’s no magic wand to be waved here, it’s nature at it’s hardest, but I am asking all anglers to be vigilant, and responsible, when it comes to caring for our precious fish stocks. If we don’t, who will?

I’m not advocating not going fishing, just do it sensibly, and make sure you return fish properly and without delay.

Listening to what the owners of our stillwaters are asking and abiding by their rules is crucial, especially when it comes to feeding your swim. Bait bans and feeding limits aren’t always well received, but right now that’s a short-term view and we should be thinking more about the longer-term health of our fisheries.

If you read our exclusive investigation on pages 6&7 this week, it’s probably time for us all to have a rethink about how much we feed anyway.