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Carp Deaths? Help us gather info


waterman1013

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ECHO has been getting a lot of reports of deaths of large carp at fisheries across the country. Some of these are due to KHV, which is being monitored now. Some are due to fish still holding spawn they did not shed during the spring and summer. Most are unexplained.

 

A single common thread through many of the waters affected is the colour of the water, a tea colour, just like peat water running off the moors.

 

This colour may be caused by a diatom, or an algal bloom, or by the stirring of the bottom strata during the recent floods, but not all the waters reporting kills have been flooded.

 

The pattern of deaths on many waters follows the pattern one would associate with a viral infection, although in most reports the fish are showing no signs of disease, parasite loading or any damage to gills.

 

SAA and ECHO are very concerned about this situation but much of what we are being told is hearsay.

 

We need to build a database of events and circumstances to even be able to project the size of the problem and to develop ideas of what may be the cause.

 

We need the nation’s anglers to report facts, seen with their own eyes.

 

If you have any information regarding carp deaths in your waters please email secretary@saauk.org, heading it Carp Deaths, with the following information; name of water, location, number of deaths, size and species of fish affected, colour of water, if the water was subject to flooding in the recent summer rains, the timescale over which the deaths occurred, what action the Environment Agency has taken to determine the cause, any explanation they might have given.

 

It may be that we can do nothing to prevent further deaths, but this information may allow those of us who are working on the problem to gain a better understanding of the cause and give our scientists some directions in which to conduct further research.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

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I'll move this to the main coarse section with a marker in the carp section. It will get more looks there and I imagine coarse anglers who notice dead carp would like to help out.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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A single common thread through many of the waters affected is the colour of the water, a tea colour, just like peat water running off the moors.

 

I'm not taking the mick...

 

Is this before of after milk? The Thames and Cherwell were a very strange colour for a while during and after the flooding. They were a dark colour almost black but not at all turbid. I don't live close enough to moors to know what colour peat watewr is!

 

Rich

Edited by Richard Capper
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I'm not taking the mick...

 

Is this before of after milk? The Thames and Cherwell were a very strange colour for a while during and after the flooding. They were a dark colour almost black but not at all turbid. I don't live close enough to moors to know what colour peat watewr is!

 

Rich

 

Peaty water is normally like watery black tea sort of colour, or at least any that I've seen has been.

 

I'm not however sure what connection there is perceived to be between water colour / algal blooms and a viral disease of fish :unsure: ?

 

And surely our recent weather patterns would tend to supress algae not encourage it ?

 

All that said I guess the gathering of data might help identify the cause of the problems and aid the understanding of what's causing said disease / mortalities.

 

Rob.

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I might be totally wrong, but, I have been expecting something like this to happen for a while now.

With the numbers of waters stocking them, (some of dubious origin) and the high density that's become the norm', any virus that catches hold will spread like wild fire, regardless of preventative measures.

If it is a virus, I hope that it is carp specific, and will not spread to any other fish.

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Gozzer

 

These deaths are nearly all in low density specimen waters. We are not talking pasties here but fish at 30, 40 and 50 pounds weight. Some of the waters affected have been prime carp waters for many years with no recent history of introductions, hence our concern as to cause. All the usual parameters don't seem to fit.

 

In some waters, species other than carp have been affected.

 

Richard

 

The water colour reflects the growth of either diatoms or red algae and is pre milk not post milk.

 

Mike

Join the SAA today for only £10.00 and help defend angling.

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Hi Mike, I didn't realise that, thanks.

 

Have the baits used on these fisheries been checked?

Another thing I have wondered about is the ingredients in some of the 'modern' baits, and the accumulative long term effects on the fish.

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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As all waters have been subject to the same weather, have you confirmed whether the colour change has only occurred in waters hit by fish deaths ?

If colour change without associated kills is common, you might be looking at a red herring here.

 

Could there be other factors like proximity to flooded rivers. I have heared that a lot of otters moved away from rivers due to this years floods and if they're in the lakes, they (or any other creature that has been displaced by the flooding) could be the source of the problem, either directly by harrassing fish or indirectly by introducing pathogens to the water.

Edited by Ken L

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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Interesting points, Ken. :thumbs:

 

For someone like me who runs a low stock water where no fish have been introduced for many years the situation is obviously very worrying. Normally I'm isolated from fish deaths, but in the weird climatic conditions that we've recently experienced anyone's vulnerable, even if the high stock density waters are most at risk.

 

So far we've not had any fish deaths at Wingham. However the fishing was slower than normal during the summer, especially during the very wet spells. This may be because the carp spawned in fits and starts over a long period.

 

It's just picked up recently, with the only 2 anglers fishing the Carp Lake last weekend both having a brace of fish, including a 30lber each. All the fish I'm pleased to say were in good condition.

 

However both my lakes remain coloured by an algal/planktonic bloom, although they were clear during the wet weather. These blooms are caused by an overabundance of certain organisms, and not always the same type. Nature normally sorts this out herself though as they usually get eaten!

 

The water levels at Wingham are extremely high, but this has been caused by the height of the water table rather than any flooding. It's interesting that there's a delayed action here as the water level has only very recently peaked despite a longish dry spell.

 

Thanks for the heads up, Mike. :thumbs:

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

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