Fish stocking is a contentious topic, but ambitious club members have taken matters into their own hands, aiming to give one of our most beloved rivers a much-needed boost.
The Kennet Hatchery is a programme led by Reading & District AA (RDAA) with the aim of restoring populations of barbel, chub, roach and dace to the chalk stream.
Following in the footsteps of the successful Avon Roach project, it uses broodstock from the river to maintain the specific strain of Kennet fish.
After harvesting their eggs and milt, the resulting fry are nurtured in the hatchery until they are big enough to survive in the wild, with 70 per cent released after eight weeks at known spawning locations. The remaining 30 per cent are kept back longer, to be released later as mature fish.
The programme, which is supported by other local angling clubs as well as the Environment Agency (EA), has just released its first-year report, stating that it aims to introduce upwards of 50,000 fish back into the Kennet this year.
“Our site is a bit like a mini– Calverton Fish Farm – the EA’s fish-rearing headquarters,” Del Shackleford, RDAA Fisheries Manager, revealed.
As the majority of the fish they introduce are tiny fry, Del admitted that a few eyebrows are raised at the strategy. But he explained that the project is about giving nature a helping hand.
“We could rear ‘super’ barbel and chub, a bit like is done in the carp world, but that moves away from what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.
“We want to replicate nature as closely as possible, which is why we’re using broodstock from the river."
“One of the biggest obstacles is in the stage between the fish laying their eggs and them hatching as swim-up fry, as crayfish are a real threat. By rearing the eggs in a predator-free environment, we’re helping them through that first hurdle.”
Could other clubs follow their example? Del said it’s tricky, but possible.
“We’ve had fantastic support along the way, and the running costs are high, not to mention jumping the hurdles of bureaucracy. However, on a smaller scale people could look at doing something similar. If you’re tenacious, it can be done!”
