ANGLERS in Warwickshire are being encouraged to get involved in a survey to identify how fish migrate along the River Alne.
The two year, £30,000 project, part of a fish improvement programme, is being funded by the Environment Agency and the Severn Rivers Trust. The Banister Charitable Trust has also provided an additional £9,000.
The project will see Environment Agency fisheries officers using different coloured dye markings on fish for different stretches of the river above Alcester, running past Wootton Wawen and through Henley.
Anglers are being asked to record catching fish with their dye colour, so data can be compiled by the Environment Agency showing where fish are migrating to on the river. Local angling clubs have been given LED flashlights to help with the identification process.
And to improve water quality new fencing and stiles are also being put up along parts of the river to prevent cattle entering the water, 1,000 trees are being planted along embankments and there are plans to remove a weir.
Environment Agency fisheries officer Darin Alberry, who is leading the project, said: “We’ve responded to concerns of anglers about declining fish stocks and plan to run this project over a few years so that we’ve got really good data to monitor fish populations.
“The project will help anglers to increase their knowledge of fish populations in the river and just how far up and downstream they migrate.”
