Fishing licences fund angling site improvements

Before and after: Algae covering the water at Goose Green (left) before aerators were installed (right). The cloudy algae-free water is due to carp feeding off the bottom

Dozens of fisheries across the South East are benefitting from £450,000 in funding created from the sale of rod licences.

An Environment Agency (EA) contribution of £224,787, which was matched by local businesses, allowed over 60 habitats to be upgraded, with enhanced angling spaces and a reduction in the impact of climate change.

Historic slurry run-off from an old tributary river meant algae would grow in the six ponds at Goose Green Fishing Lakes during warmer months of the year, starving the water of oxygen and killing fish stocks.

“The fish were all on the surface, gasping for air,” said Gale Holden, who is in her fifth year as club secretary at the fishery, in Ashington, West Sussex.

A £2,800 grant from the EA in July 2023 allowed Goose Green to stop using substandard round-the-clock petrol pumps for efficient night-time aerators.

Now the fish are thriving and anglers are enjoying bigger, better catches.

Park Mill is a Site of Specific Scientific Interest because of the fishery's rare plants

Park Mill Lake, in Shillinglee, which sits on the border of Surrey and Sussex, was given £12,790 under the scheme.

It was able to install aeration equipment, build hard-standing fishing platforms, rebuild pathways, put in natural habitats and repair its historic reservoir damn.

“It was a game-changer,” said Lee Hazel, chairman at of Haslemere Angling Club, which runs Park Mill.

"Without the money, we couldn't have afforded all the great things we've done here."

'Great idea'

The EA invested over £955,000 in 232 projects last year to improve fishing in local communities across England through the Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP).

Amir Fogel, the agency's regional team leader, said: “Anglers often ask us about how we spend the money raised from the sale of fishing licences.

"(FIP) is a prime example of the wide range of activities this income pays for to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries and boost the popularity of angling."

Ms Holden said she welcomed the investment funding.

“For fisheries it’s a great idea. The smaller ones in particular because they don’t have surplus cash,” she said.