More than 3,000 fish have been rescued from a Cumbrian river after they became stranded by low water levels.
Fisheries officers from the Environment Agency’s Cumbria and Lancashire teams saved salmon parr, brown trout, eels, minnows and stone loach from the Upper River Derwent.
The officers, during a routine visit, found the fish stranded in small pools.
They rehomed the fish in Derwentwater where water levels remain higher than local rivers even after sustained periods of dry weather.
Sharon Kennedy, Environment manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Our teams work around the clock to respond to environmental incidents, including reports of fish in distress.
“During the summer months Environment Agency fish rescue operations tend to increase as the sunny weather brings not only lower river levels, but also algal blooms that reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen that fish depend on to survive.
“Each year we carry out many fish rescue operations, saving thousands of fish by using aeration equipment to restore oxygen levels or moving them to safe locations. We also provide angling clubs and councils with free advice on how to manage their waters effectively.”
Anyone who sees fish in distress should contact our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
