The Environmental Agency are extremely sensitive about such issues and rightly so

Anglian Water use a large number of the Hanningfield fish for their stocking programme throughout the season. Yet in July the staff at Hanningfield noted problems with their cages of trout and then in early August there was an order put on the fishery to prevent the movement of trout to other waters. The Environmental Agency are extremely sensitive about such issues and rightly so! This sad event has lead to other problems in the trout fishing scene as the knock-on effect occurs. Firstly, as Hanningfield is probably the largest supplier of trout, this means that many lakes are naturally going to end up down on their usual stocking ratio.Secondly, the quality of fish supplied by Hanningfield is superb, and not easily matched. This means that even if another source can be found, it may not produce the type of stockies that anglers are growing accustomed to!Finally, all suppliers have to work on a long-term picture, so if someone other than Hanningfield is asked suddenly to provide say 10,000 trout, it is highly unlikely that the size criterion is going to be adequate.Fortunately all of the major waters use more than one supplier of trout, and so the problem should not be too serious. Unfortunately, there is a rather more deeply laying worry.Anglers visiting Hanningfield, as I do just a couple of times a year, notice how the cages are spreading out into the lake. If you go there week in week out, you probably do not realise the increase in the amount of cages for rearing. As Hanningfield is such a major supplier to the fishing scene, and Heaven forbid, there is a more serious problem, then what happens next?Rumours abound – as always in situations like this! Let us all hope that Hanningfield’s excellent fisheries scientists get to grips with the problem quickly.My home fisheries – Chew, Blagdon and the Barrow Tanks are all stocked from fish reared in Bristol Water’s own rearing ponds. It seems that even they are in danger of closure as cutbacks set in! Maybe this problem with supply and demand as we are seeing at the moment will be enough to persuade the management team at Bristol Water that their Hatchery is a rather special asset and one that should be preserved. Visits to the hatchery have been encouraged amongst the local schools, and the Bristol Reservoirs Fly Fishing Association used to organise a yearly trip for members. I have included a couple of photographs that I took on one of my visits. The whole process – from trapping the fish that run up the feeder streams is a fascinating story, and one that all of the visitors to the hatchery have really enjoyed. I hope that the rumours prove to be foundless.Without doubt, the quality of trout that Bristol Water rears is the best in the country. From as far afield as Scotland and Wales, anglers that visit us always comment on the quality of our trout. During the Worlds in May, the competitors were constantly remarking upon our fine fish. For an asset like this to go would indeed be worrying! What would be next?I hope to speak to someone at Hanningfield for an update for next week.Tight lines,

Martin Cottis