The Thames Anglers’ Conservancy (TAC) has developed a strong working relationship with the Environment Agency’s fisheries team. As anglers, it is fascinating to listen to them, with their knowledge gained from electro-fishing, netting surveys and working daily on the river.

The TAC spoke to Tanya Houston, a fisheries team member based on the Thames:

Tanya, anglers are catching big carp along the Thames but we don’t hear many reports of junior carp being seen – 1 lb and under. Have any appeared in electro-fishing or netting surveys? If so, in what numbers and what sizes?

We don’t find young carp in our surveys. There are backwaters where carp may spawn but the juveniles could also be using these areas instead of the main river. We believe many of the larger carp in the Thames escaped from flooded gravel pits further upstream. Sounds like a good idea for a match to me!

Is the Thames or any of its tributaries stocked with carp by the EA?

No, we don’t stock carp into the Thames or its tributaries.

I understand the Thames starts getting brackish around Battersea. How far downstream do you know carp are confirmed to appear?

We have seen large carp quite far down the estuary, but this is normally due to being washed down. There have been occasional angler reports of carp captures from around Charlton. Commonly, we can catch them in surveys around Strand on the Green, downstream of Kew Bridge.

How far down the river coarse fish appear can depend on rainfall and, therefore, freshwater levels in the estuary but what coarse fish (not including eels) do you find surviving furthest downstream and how far downstream are they?

The eel fishermen fishing the lower estuary often pick up small pike and other species after rain storms or around creeks, but our main survey data suggests that we find bream, dace and roach as far down as Greenwich.

What is the current stocking policy for coarse fish in the Thames and its tributaries?

Generally we only carry out stocking of coarse fish in three circumstances: – 1. Following a pollution incident. 2. Where a new fishery has been created 3. Upstream of impassable obstructions.

The Thames tributaries in South London, however, are stocked annually to help them recover from past pollution events.

** The TAC helped the fisheries team stock hundreds of juvenile chub, roach and dace into the Beverley Brook and the Hogsmill tributaries. They were purposely stocked in November when the water is cold and oxygenated. The fish are bred at the EA’s fish farm in strong flow and cold water, to prepare them specifically for the conditions of these rivers. We’ve seen fish stocked from previous years now at healthy weights and can confirm that stocks are thriving and the restocking exercises are a success. **

Tanya, is there a water quality target for the Thames? If so, who is that target set by and how is the Thames doing against that target?

The water quality targets are set by European Directives such as the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and Water Framework Directive. These are achieved by regulation of industry, misconnections and controlling pollution. The best example of this is the work that Thames Water are doing to improve their three works on the Thames Tideway and the installation of an intercepting tunnel (currently under consultation).

Are there any stretches of the Thames that have a particularly low water quality reading and if so, why do you think this is?

Again the Thames Estuary can suffer from poor water quality in the summer. Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSOs) and Mogden storm discharges cause sudden and dramatic reductions in dissolved oxygen in the Richmond to Chelsea stretches, which can kill or affect fish health following rainfall. This is the most significant water quality issue in the estuary. Increasing the treatment capacity of Mogden and the Thames Tunnel will largely fix this problem.

Salmon are oft quoted as an indicator of water quality. What time of year do the salmon run up the Thames?

They are in the estuary between June and October. They will be in freshwater until they spawn between October and January in the upper reaches of the Thames.

What is the current thinking about stocking salmon in the Thames and its tributaries?

We no longer stock salmon in the Thames, but we continue to improve fish passage and influence water quality, enabling wild salmon entering the tideway to move upstream. Salmon returns have been poor in recent years but we are seeing a big increase in sea trout numbers in the Thames.

Is there a current stocking policy for trout?

We don’t stock trout in the Thames or any of its tributaries. But we do a lot to improve habitat, fish passage and water quality to enable wild brown trout to spawn naturally. The Wandle is an excellent example. We have good stocks of wild trout in rivers such as the Wey, Kennet, Tillingbourne, Chess, Upper Colne, Windrush and Cotswold streams and Lea tributaries.

There was a press release this year from the EA stating we’ve had record sea trout numbers in the Thames. What was this based on?

The records are collected by fish traps on some of the fish pass structures on the Thames initially put there to monitor returning salmon under the Salmon Scheme, they have been immensely useful in picking up other migrating salmonids. I believe we had over one hundred come through this year.

What time of year do the sea trout run up the Thames?

They will be in the estuary earlier in the year than salmon and spawn around October to December.

The TAC understands sea trout were spotted around the Hogsmill confluence with the Thames at Kingston and so work has been done to improve sea trout passage upstream. The EA appointed Land & Water, the engineering contractors, to notch out a channel in a Hogsmill weir to encourage them upstream to spawning grounds. This will, of course, also help other species.

‘Notching out’ a channel in a Hogsmill weir at Kingston to aid fish passage upstream

Tanya, anglers have heard of new eel byelaws. Please could you clarify the current law on fishing for eels on the Thames? When/where is it allowed and are anglers allowed to take any for the table or bait?

The new restrictions on fish taken by rod and line states that fishermen can no longer keep eels for any reason. It also sets out size and number of fish taken of other species under one set of byelaws.

The protection for eels has come in through different routes. The driving legislation has come in the form of a Statutory Instrument under the European Eel Byelaws which states there must be improvements in habitat and passage as well as a reduction of exploitation. Restrictions are also being placed on the commercial eel and elver fisheries and should be confirmed soon.

The Environment Agency has also written eel management plans for river basin districts across England and Wales to assess the current stock on the data available, and recommend further surveys and priority sites for works.

Are eel numbers still going down in the Thames?

European wide recruitment of elvers has been falling. This has not been obvious in the Thames fishermen’s catches, but monitoring of the fish populations has noted a reduction in larger eels in the upper freshwater Thames and tributaries.

I am not aware of any increases in populations elsewhere, but there is also a massive lack of data on eels as they were not always measured during routine surveys across the country (luckily they were counted in Thames) and they are also good at avoiding the electric fishing gear.

In the Thames, the fisheries teams are working hard to improve eel passage and habitat in schemes run by our colleagues in flood defense, planning applications and by our own small projects. For example in Kingston on the Hogsmill we have placed an eel pass on the side of a gauging weir that cannot be removed.

Hogsmill eel pass in Kingston. Elvers use the bristles to gain grip as they make their way up the eel pass, safely bypassing the weir

Other than the well publicised eel problems, are there any other species in the Thames that is in specific difficulty?

As a recovering system we are still not entirely sure what should be at which level. We are certain that fish like dace and flounder are using the Thames for a lot or all of their lifecycle but fish like salmon and lamprey are still struggling to complete their lifecycles due to water quality and migration barriers.

Are there any species in the Thames that your surveys show are in particular increasing abundance?

We have observed large number of smelt in our surveys this year, and that has been echoed by other monitoring projects in the estuary. Our surveys cannot identify a change in ‘abundance’ as they are simply a snapshot of the estuary, but it is encouraging to see a rise in smelt due to their sensitivity to water quality.

Smelt were in abundance this year in the Thames in freshwater up to Richmond. Each one netted was measured, recorded then returned

Tanya, thank you for involving the TAC in Thames events. You’ve invited us to fish surveys on the Thames and restockings on the Beverley Brook and Hogsmill tributaries. You also presented on some of the work your team does at our TAC meeting. Is there anything as a club we can do to help the Thames fisheries team?

It is useful to hear what anglers perceive as the most important thing to them for us to do which the TAC have been giving us a boost on since it was conceived last year. The feedback we get from TAC is invaluable to us. We’re hoping we can work together more in the future.

Also, anglers promptly reporting illegal fishing or pollution incidents on our emergency number 0800 80 70 60 will help us deal with incidents more effectively.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us Tanya. We’ll be sure to give you feedback from our members.

Steve Holmes – Thames Anglers' Conservancy

Please also see https://www.rivertac.org/site/?p=1238

Earlier this year, the Thames Anglers’ Conservancy (TAC) attended an EA fish survey on the Thames.

In conversation with a fisheries officer, a fellow angler, we learned how he’d developed one of the tributaries he looks after.  He had worked for years to improve the river.  He had installed eel passes, enhanced fish habitat, conducted fish surveys and stocked this particular Thames tributary every year with hundreds of dace, roach and chub.

Then one day his phone went.  The person on the other end told him of a pollution spill into his river.  When he heard about the subsequent fish deaths, habitat destruction and years of work ruined, he actually wept.  It was evident the passion he has for his job, the Thames and its tributaries.

These are the sort of people us anglers want working on the rivers, so the TAC asked to go behind the scenes to find out more about them.

The TAC spoke to Tanya Houston, one of the Thames fisheries officers.

Tanya, what are your responsibilities?

The fisheries team that I work in is responsible for maintaining and improving fisheries in South London and the Tidal Thames.  This includes working on habitat enhancements, improving access for anglers, dealing with enforcement and fish passage issues.

How many people in a regional fisheries team?

The South East Area of the Thames Region covers from Reading to Southend.  The two teams have thirteen members of staff, three of which are the Areas enforcement officers and two Technical Specialists.

What area does your team cover?

The team based at Frimley covers the freshwater Thames (to Teddington) and all southern tributaries from the Loddon to the Mole.

The South London Team covers from the Hogsmill to the Ravensbourne southern tributaries, the Marsh Dykes and the tidal Thames out to Southend.

What qualifications or expertise is a fisheries officer required to have?

This is difficult to answer; using my team we have a range of qualifications from a Masters in Aquatic Management, Diplomas in Fisheries Management, Degrees in Agriculture and relevant work experience.  Enforcement officers will often have previous experience in enforcement.

Please could you give examples of typical fish related work you do?

A good example of the work that we do would be Clapham Common Restoration.  A significant fish kill in 2007 due to blue-green algae highlighted the need for work to happen quickly.  We put some money towards a feasibility study in partnership with the London Borough of Lambeth and the Clapham Angling Preservation Society.

Due to the work and liaison we had with the London Borough, they came back to us the next year to put the preferred option into practice, again a contribution from us.  The project was managed by the borough and involved rescues of many fish including dozens of carp, profiling of the bed, fishing platform installations and margin planting. 

Clapham Common – before and after

At the time of writing, the project is in its final stages of phase 2.  In December, 800 juvenile tench, roach and crucians were stocked into the pond from our Calverton fish farm and the remaining carp are due to come back when we can be sure the icy period is over.

What type of work do you do on the main Thames river?

On the Thames itself, one of our jobs is to survey fish populations twice yearly at several points, including Richmond, Kew, Battersea, Greenwich and Thurrock by employing Seine and trawl nets.  We measure and record every fish netted, so we can take a snapshot of fish stocks, which helps assess the health of the river.

A dirty, cold and wet job but every fish is measured and recorded   

And what type of work do you do on the tributaries?

A good example of work on Thames tributaries is our improvements to fish passage and migration.  Our survey work on these rivers has shown that obstructions to fish migration – all species – can have a big impact on fish populations.  We’re currently involved in some great projects to provide improved passage for eels on many of our own weirs.  We are also using funds we secured from DEFRA to build fish passes on the Wandle and the Loddon.  

A weir ‘notched out’ to aid fish passage on the Wandle at Butterhill Mill. The Wandle has been well known over the years as a trout river, so it is essential man-made structures such as weirs don’t restrict trout passage upstream 

Are you able to give examples of any stockings you have done on the Thames or its tributaries over the last year or two?

We stock South London’s rivers every year as they are still recovering systems.  The idea is that eventually with habitat improvements we should be able to reduce this in the future and have a self sustainable population.  The Ravensbourne, Pool, Hogsmill, Beverley Brook and Wandle all get several hundred to a thousand fish from our Environment Agency fish farm in Calverton annually.

As examples that the TAC witnessed this year, the Hogsmill this year received 200 juvenile chub and 500 roach and the Beverley Brook 400 chub and 250 dace.

We are also always on the look out for any still waters that could accommodate crucian carp without risk of cross breeding, or still waters with restoration projects that need a helping hand.

That is great work you do. What are the things that give you most satisfaction in your job?

Angling participation days are always very rewarding, seeing fresh new anglers coming to have a go.  It has got to the point in South London that we have regulars that return every year!!!

Also completing restoration or access projects, the most satisfying are those where clubs find themselves leading projects forward when they first thought they couldn’t do it.

(From spending time with them out in the field, the TAC learned the fisheries team also gets much satisfaction from seeing the juvenile fish they’ve stocked with their own hands grow to a size where they can spawn and perpetuate stocks naturally).

So what are the biggest frustrations in your job?

Probably that we have so much to achieve in so little time!  We make good progress but there is still so much that still needs to be done.

It is also frustrating that the anglers don’t always see the work we do as a positive contribution from their rod licence and complain that we aren’t out on the river bank enough.

** The TAC, in line with many other Thames anglers, would like to see more enforcement officers employed to check licences.  Although they can call in backup from officers in Essex and Kent (Anglian and Southern regions), there are 7 full time fisheries enforcement officers covering north and south banks of the Thames Region. 

However, with limited resource, the fisheries team has had success in stopping illegal netting and long-lining operations.  Although they do check licences aswell, on balance, we think their time is well spent preventing poaching with nets and long-lines, as the potential for fish loss is far greater. 

The team on the tidal Thames has a specialised enforcement workload regulating commercial nets purely within the river itself (there will be other officers carrying out freshwater duties landside down to Southend).  The team also collaborates with the Port of London Authority, the Met Marine Police and the Sea Fisheries Authority to carry out joint enforcement work **

Tanya, is there an aspect of the job your team are particularly successful in?

This team has a particular strength in influencing planning applications and developers on access and fish passage issues.  We have found that in such an urban environment it is often the most constructive way to improve areas – second only to partnerships with local landowners like the London Boroughs.

With these partnerships we are able to get massive projects done by only contributing only a fraction of the budget from rod licences.  For example, the Clapham Common project we spoke about earlier was funded with £55,000 from Lambeth Council, £26,000 from us through rod licences, and £20,000 from a planning agreement from the Clapham Common South Tesco development.

You’re obviously improving fish habitat and increasing fish stocks. What can we do to help you?

We have got a good relationship with the TAC and we see it as a very valuable way to show anglers what we do with the rod licence, other than to check the fishermen have them.  This I think is very important as although we do promote this work in the press it seems to pass by many anglers.

Having club members aware of our actions means that they will see what it is they are contributing towards, and hopefully feel we are doing a good job.

Thanks Tanya.  We hope from this interview Thames anglers will feel the river is in good hands.  We also now have a better idea of the range of work you do and why you can’t always be on the bank checking licences.  

Now, if we may, we’d like to tap some of your knowledge about Thames fish!

See  'Fisheries team shares their knowledge of Thames fish'

Steve Holmes – Thames Anglers' Conservancy