Fish removed from pond after spate of deaths

Fish were removed from Common Pond in Hailsham after residents reported seeing them dead over the last few summers

A "substantial quantity" of fish have been removed from a pond in East Sussex after a number of other fish died due to low oxygen levels in the water.

Hailsham Town Council said summer heat, blue-green algae blooms and decaying food from people feeding water fowl have all contributed to low levels of oxygen in Common Pond.

The authority said a large number of fish from the pond have been rehomed at a nearby fishery, meaning there will be more oxygen in the water, allowing the ecosystem to recover.

Phil Hobden, the town council's pond warden, said there was no choice but to remove the fish from "the jewel in Hailsham's crown".

The council said the pond is "the jewel in Hailsham's crown"

"The reality is, unless we remove most of the fish from the pond, we will keep repeating the cycle of increased algae levels, rapid drop in oxygen levels in the water and more dead fish and waterfowl," he said.

"For this reason, we cannot allow such a large fish population to exist in the pond and have had to remove most of them from the pond.

“Though by no means as extreme as the summer in 2023, the warm weather in June and lack of any significant rainfall meant that we had to act sooner rather than later to prevent any further reduction in the quality of water levels caused by climate change.

"Keeping fish numbers low will ensure that the water quality remains satisfactory and the overall health of the pond is maintained.”

The council has not revealed the exact number of fish it removed or how many remain in the pond.