River Thames fish found dead after Goring flood levels recede

Written by:
Hans Kruit, 24 January 2014

Thousands of trapped fish have been found dead on land near the River Thames after flood waters receded.

A mixture of perch, roach, dace, ruffe and minnow were found on Goring farmland in Oxfordshire on Thursday.

The Environment Agency (EA) said the unusual incident was due to the "severity and longevity" of the floods.

Fisheries officer Tom Sherwood said he urged the public to report any fish found in trapped areas.

When rivers burst their banks "fish find their way into reeds and ditches but there is no easy access back to the river," said Mr Sherwood.

The 30m (98ft) stretch of dead fish found in Goring is the first incident of its kind found in the West Thames area during the recent floods.

The area covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire.

Mr Sherwood said the incident would not affect fish levels in the Thames.

"As much as we don't like to see it, it's not going to cause a cataclysmic decline," he said.

source: BBC