Rivers restocked as water quality improves

The Rivers Tame and Trent are both due to receive new fish stocks from the Environment Agency after pollution incidents earlier in the year badly affected water quality.

Mature fish will be the first to be introduced to the waterways next month, followed by baby specimens due to be released in the early summer of 2010.

Cyanide pollution devastated the River Trent last month, particularly in areas downstream of Stoke-on-Trent and near Burton-on-Trent.

It was summer storms that had a detrimental effect on the River Tame, increasing the levels of pollution in the watercourse.

Fish from the Environment Agency's Calverton fish farm near Nottingham will be used to restock the rivers.

Species including chub, dace, bream and roach will all be brought in to repopulate the stretches of river affected by the pollution incidents.

Nick Eyre, fish farm technical officer at Calverton, said: "We will seek to reclaim the cost from the polluters but it is important to act now to bring fish back to our rivers."

In 2007, there were 522 pollution incidents that had a significant effect on water quality.

Posted by Claire Manning