The above “experiment” has been running for the last 44 years. The intention is to monitor the diversity of fish in the River Thames as it continues to be “cleaned up” with increasing controls on discharges and pollution. The improvement over that time has been dramatic and the river is now classed as the cleanest in Northern Europe.Each year eight teams (adults and schoolchildren) fish for four hours and the number and size of fish are carefully recorded as part of the experiment. Fiona and I were invited to the 2016 event which was held on Saturday 15th October. We had the opportunity to walk along the river bank near Gravesend in Kent and talk to the teams and try and determine which of the fishermen’s stories were true. One man claimed to have caught two Marlin and a Sailfish but had had to throw them back into the river!
The reality was a little less dramatic. With the temperature of the water being high for the time of year, many of the migratory fish were still out in the colder North Sea. Despite this over 180 fish were caught over the four hour period. The team from Essex won the overall “greatest total catch” cup and our own award (see photograph) for the greatest diversity of fish caught. The girls school easily beat the boys schools who did not manage to catch a single fish!Overall a great day and many thanks to the organizers for a well organized event and a tasty lunch.
Photographs show two fish catches and the presentation of the Water Conservators prize to Barry Cowell for the most diverse catch.
No comments:
Post a Comment