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Fisheries Officers called into action to save Burgess Hill fishery

Fisheries Officers acted swiftly to save a popular fishery near Burgess Hill in West Sussex when oxygen levels in the lake plummeted over a weekend.

On Sunday 24 May 2009 a report was received that thousands of fish were in distress and numerous fish of several species there had died. Investigations into the incident are ongoing and as there was no evidence of pollution it is thought that the recent warm weather was responsible for causing oxygen levels in the water to drop dramatically.

The Fisheries team deployed specialist re-oxygenation equipment to increase the oxygen levels in the fishery and this prompt action prevented a major fish kill. The lake is home to thousands of tench, roach, pike, rudd and carp and is a very popular venue with anglers.

Environment Officer, Louise Garlick said: 'As temperatures increase incidents such as this could become more common, so it is essential that fishery owners manage their fisheries in ways that minimise the risk of these events occurring.  The fishery owners were advised to keep their own oxygenating pumps running and to monitor the lake overnight. Thankfully no further fish have died and our Fisheries, Recreation & Biodiverstiy team will now carry out a further visit this week to check that all is still well and to give any advice on the management of the fishery.'

Members of the public who see fish in distress can report the incident to the Environment Agency’s 24 hour hotline on 0800 807060.