With a rare red extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office for Monday July 18 and Tuesday July 19, the Environment Agency is calling on anglers, fisheries owners and the public to help protect stocks from vulnerable fish.

Extreme weather conditions, including continuous hot temperatures and thunderstorms, can be very dangerous for fish and can cause a range of problems, especially for more sensitive species like salmon and pike. Hot, sunny weather typically triggers algal blooms, which can reduce dissolved oxygen levels in our waters, causing fish distress and, in some cases, death.

Over the past week, Environment Agency officers have helped protect thousands of fish in Worcestershire and Essex thanks to anglers, fishery owners and the public by reporting concerns to our line telephone assistance in the event of an incident on 0800 80 70 60 or by alerting the owner of the fishery or the fishing club.

Fish should never be moved to other waters by the public as they are unlikely to survive and could spread disease or invasive species by accident, which could harm fish and other wildlife in the area.

Heidi Stone, Head of Fisheries Partnerships at the Environment Agency, said:

Environment Agency teams are working hard to mitigate the impacts of recent high temperatures and are closely monitoring the protection situation for fish at risk.

Our goal is to respond as quickly as possible to reports of fish in distress. Help from the public goes a long way, which is why we’re providing free advice to everyone on how to protect fish in hot weather.

Last week in Worcestershire, the Environment Agency deployed several aeration pumps to an angling club’s fishery after dissolved oxygen levels fell to around 15 per cent. This rapid response saved thousands of vulnerable fish and averted major fish kills. At another fishery in Basildon, Essex, Environment Agency officers deployed aerators after 1,000 dead fish were reported at a fishery owned by the borough council. Dissolved oxygen levels have since recovered with prompt reporting and a quick response from EA Fishery Officers.

The Environment Agency’s incident response work includes deploying aeration or hydrogen peroxide equipment to restore dissolved oxygen levels, providing expert advice to fishing clubs and fishermen and, occasionally, as a last resort, the relocation of fish. All of this work is funded by income from fishing licenses – and provides a vital lifeline to fisheries when they need it most.

Many angling clubs and fisheries have effective practices to help manage and mitigate the impacts of continued hot temperatures on fishing, but a list of top ten tips is available to guide people on how to protect vital stocks and prevent the death of fish as far as possible.

Anglers can also help vulnerable fish stocks by minimizing the use of bait, taking care to play, land and release large or sensitive fish, such as pike, barbel, trout and salmon, as well as avoiding taking pictures of fish out of water to avoid further oxygen loss.

Anyone seeing fish in distress should contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60.

More information

Our work is funded by revenue from the Rod license. Every penny we receive is plowed back into funding vital work to protect and improve England’s fisheries, such as the enforcement of good laws; provide emergency response; ensuring healthy fish stocks in a good quality environment; and provide a sustainable future for angling.

Signs that a fish is in distress include a lethargic and/or unresponsive appearance, sometimes near shore, a tight shoal and obvious gasping at the surface, and signs of infection or fungus.

More information on how anglers can help fish in distress by:

• Take extra care when playing, landing and releasing the barb in hot weather
• Avoid fishing large fish or sensitive species if the water temperature exceeds 19°C in the middle of the morning. (Clubs may choose to update their social media accounts with daily updates)
• Minimize your use of ground bait. As it breaks down, it can further reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Fish that feed on ground bait may have a greater need for oxygen, so it takes longer for them to recover after being caught.
• Unhook the fish in the water if possible and only take them out of the water to unhook them if absolutely necessary (in the river hold them facing upstream to recover)
• Avoid taking pictures. When absolutely necessary, take pictures in the water – keeping a fish in the air, even for a few seconds, can greatly reduce its chances of surviving after capture and successfully spawning.