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The Effect of Cyprinid Introductions on Angler Success in the River Derwent, Derbyshire
Author(s) -
Fisher K. A. M.,
Broughton N. M.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2109.1984.tb00406.x
Subject(s) - stocking , fishing , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , standing crop , ecology , biomass (ecology)
In an attempt to increase fish standing crop and improve angler‐catch, stocking was undertaken in the middle reaches of the River Derwent in Derbyshire using four cyprinid species. Each fish was marked with a dyespot, and nearly 2000 fish were introduced before the 1980–81 fishing season began. Bankside observations and catch return sheets were used to collect information on the number of marked and unmarked fish taken by angling. The percentage of captured fish that were marked reached 50% during summer 1980, although this was lower during winter 1980–81. A relatively small proportion of the fish caught were taken in angling matches. Anglers reported that the fishing had improved from‘poor’to‘good', and catches by a single angler in one day exceeded 20 kg. It is thought that the success of the operation was due to the fact that the stock fish were obtained from local rivers, were of a large size (> 20 cm) and were introduced when the river was at normal level. The implications of the results on management options are considered, and it is suggested that the quality of sport demanded by anglers in rivers of this type may be most easily sustained by periodic stocking with suitable fish.