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Friday the 13th – lucky for some

For the barbel population on the River Thames, Friday 13th March was a lucky day indeed - as we spent it creating new spawning sites for them.

The work took place as part of the Upper Thames Barbel project, and involved us re-establishing some of the river’s natural features, which had been lost as a result of historical dredging. 15 tonnes of locally-sourced gravel were used to replenish the riverbed at Cricklade, Wiltshire, and create new breeding grounds for fish such as chub, dace and barbel.New gravel beds for spawing sites for barbels

The new gravel beds will create shallow, fast flowing areas that remain silt-free. A number of flow-loving fish species can then lay their eggs in the beds and the emerging fry will be able to shelter for several weeks in the gaps among the stones.  

Fisheries officer, Lizzie Rhymes, said: 'I am delighted we are able to complete this project. It will make a real difference to fish as well as the diversity of wildlife in the area.'

As part of the same project, 4,000 juvenile barbel have been released into the Thames, over the last two years, between Hannigton Bridge and Newbridge. The barbel have been marked with a distinctive blue dye so that the we can keep track of how the population is developing. Barbel can live up to 25 years and their presence indicates a high water quality river habitat.

Anglers are being asked to do their bit by reporting any catches of barbel which have the distinctive blue spots on the underneath of the fish. This will help us build a more complete picture of the species movements and survival rates.

Lizzie added: 'We plan to monitor these barbel during our annual fisheries monitoring programme. However, we are also asking all anglers fishing the River Thames to look out for these marks. If anyone is lucky enough to catch a barbel, and it is marked, we would like to hear about it.'

If you catch a barbel, please contact Chris Bell on 01491 828358 or by .