The Environment Agency is calling on anglers to help them keep track of 1,000 fish released into the river last year

The River Lea through Enfield and (inset) one of the barbel fish with blue dye

The Environment Agency is asking anglers on the River Lea to contact them if they catch a barbel with a blue “tattoo” mark on them.

Last November, fisheries staff from the agency released 1,000 juvenile barbel into the River Lea at Kings Weir and Fishers Green – a few miles north of Enfield – as part of a project to help restore historic populations of the fish.

The specimens were sourced from the Environment Agency’s National Coarse Fish Rearing Unit, funded by rod license income. These fish were then marked with blue dye so that they could be found again later. The hope is that they will have spread further downstream into Enfield and beyond.

In Enfield the ‘old’ River Lea, essentially its original course before the River Lee Navigation was built, is only generally accessible to anglers from the Enfield Island Village area, as it flows to the east of the reservoirs for most of its route further south. But the Environment Agency would like to hear from anyone who catches a marked barbel, and asks that they are photographed on both sides and their weight and length recorded before being returned to the river.

This will help to gather important information on the barbels’ survival, growth rates and how far the fish are moving up and downstream. The information gathered will show how successful the stocking is compared with natural breading within the river. The new juveniles will also help increase the natural stocks of barbel in the River Lea in the long term.

All 1,000 barbel that were released have a blue dye mark between the pectoral fins.

Environment Agency fisheries team leader Peter Gray said: “We’ve responded to concerns of anglers about declining fish stocks, including barbel, and this project will give us some good data to monitor barbel populations.

“The work will also help anglers, and ourselves, increase our knowledge of fish populations in the river, growth-rate and just how far up and downstream the barbel migrate. It will give us great information on how well they are thriving.”

Barbel are a popular sport fish among anglers. But in the last three decades years, Environment Agency electrofishing records suggest numbers of juvenile barbel have declined along the old course of the River Lea, which has been due to a number of different factors. The river now produces fewer, but far larger fish. Last year, a 22lb 1oz barbel was caught from Kings Weir Fishery, beating the UK barbel record by 15oz.

Anyone who catches a barbel from the River Lea with a blue mark should contact the Environment Agency:
Email [email protected]

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.