Pike fishing ban as Broads feels heat

Anglers have been told not to go fishing for pike on the Norfolk Broads because of the stress the heatwave has put on fish.

The Environment Agency, with the Pike Anglers’ Club of Great Britain, Norwich and District Pike Club and the Broads Angling Services Group, urged visitors not to cast baits to catch pike until Oct 1. The broads have lakes and river systems holding some of the biggest pike in Britain. Some weigh 40lb and measure nearly 5ft in length.

Continued hot weather leads to low oxygen levels. This in turn lead to increased levels of stress in fish populations and fish deaths.

The move is designed to help conservation efforts. Catching and putting back pike when the water is too hot makes them weak and vulnerable to diseases which flourish in warm weather. Pike are particularly susceptible to heat-related stress when water temperature reaches 21C (70F). *