In preparation for the barbel spawning season, the Environment Agency has revitalised the gravel bed in the Upper Ouse.
Over the years, barbel populations in the upper reaches of the Great Ouse appear to have declined. It is believed a combination of silt and the way the gravel at the bottom of the river has compacted are causes.
Coarse fish such as barbel and chub need shallow, fast-flowing stretches of clean gravel in which to lay their eggs. After hatching, the fry live within the gravel beds as they develop before moving out into open water.
Following a request from Harrold and Carlton Angling Club to improve the river’s barbel fishery, the gravels were blasted using a high pressure water jet and a lance, so the water can be injected deep into the gravels to flush out silt and sediment.
Ecological Appraisal Officer Alex Malcolm said: ‘We hope that by cleaning the gravel we will increase the numbers of juvenile fish in the Upper Ouse. This will in turn, contribute to a sustainable fish population for years to come.’
