Future of rivers looking bright as fry numbers soar
Thousands upon thousands of fry have been spotted in rivers all over the UK, prompting expert predictions that the future is bright for our running waters.
Despite the current weather conditions being less than ideal for angling and the environment – including a lowering of dissolved oxygen and water levels – it appears the heatwave suits fish fry just fine.
The last major fry boom was back in 1976 which, incidentally, was a summer many will remember as the hottest of their lives. That year anglers witnessed an explosion of fry which fast-forwarded to the ‘glory years’ of the 1980s, when rivers nationwide saw an abundance of silver fish.
One angler who vividly remembers the aftermath of 1976 is river maestro Dave Harrell:
“I’m no fishery scientist, but I’ve been around long enough to have witnessed a lot of changes to fish stocks in rivers,” he said.
“The last time we had a sustained period of dry weather like the one we’re currently experiencing was in 1976.
“Rivers all around the country saw an incredible number of chub growing and thriving during the 1980s. I think the same thing could happen again.
“I’m also excited by the news coming in from many rivers concerning numbers of small barbel between 1lb and 2lb that have been caught since the season began. I would imagine these are three-year-old fish, so 2015 must have been a good spawning year too. Is there a fish boom on the way, I wonder?”
If a boom is really on the cards it can only be good news for the future of our river systems – but why do the current conditions promote such positive fry recruitment? Environment Agency technical officer Richard Pitman, from Calverton Fish Farm in Nottinghamshire, explained:
“I’d say it’s more to do with flows, but there are other factors,” he said. “Minimal rainfall is perfect for fry – it creates low water conditions which enable them to choose a safe location. In a normal year we have summer floods which push them into less secure areas and make their survival far less certain.
“At the moment the rivers are also full of natural food and for these little fish the living is easy. Hopefully the fry will survive and we’ll see a boom, which can only be great for angling.”
Anglers, too, are noticing the increase in fry numbers on their travels. Angling Times reporter Jake Benson has been fishing various river locations since the beginning of the season, and said: “I recently spent the day with a team from the Environment Agency, and it didn’t take long to spark up a conversation about the thousands of fry we witnessed at each location we visited.
“It’s something I’ve been noticing across all river systems this year – the Severn, Great Ouse, Ivel, Hampshire Avon, Lea, Nene, Thames, Trent, Wensum and Suffolk Stour are all examples of rivers that are alive with fry – I’m sure the future is bright right across the UK.
“I’m always hearing people moaning about the state of our rivers, and while I do think there is a lot more we can do to help, from what I’ve seen they are teeming with fish.
“Try walking a stretch during the hours of darkness with a headtorch – I can’t tell you how much fry life I’ve seen doing that.
“I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say we’re in the middle of a positive cycle – five to ten 10 years down the line and I think our rivers could be in a great place.”