A stretch of the River Soar that was badly affected by pollution will receive an early Christmas stocking of about 10,000 young fish on Friday, 27 November 2009. As soon as they arrive, the fish will be released into the river in the Birstall area of the River Soar, near the Watermead South Country Park .

The fish, which include roach, dace, chub and barbel will be transported that morning from our Calverton Fish Farm, near Nottingham, to the release site. These fish are 18 months old, and have been specially bred for stocking rivers.  They will help to re-populate a stretch of the river that was badly affected by pollution last summer.

Fisheries Officer Matt Buck says “These new fish are the beginning of a new era for the River Soar, where fish populations have been badly affected by pollution incidents. This re-stocking aims to reverse the damage done by pollution. These fish and their descendants will bring the river to life once more.

“The money that allows us to restock rivers like the Soar comes  from anglers who buy rod licences but we do try to recoup the cost from polluters in the long term wherever we can.

“Anglers and members of the public are vital to us in responding swiftly to pollution incidents to minimise the damage done to the environment and trace the offenders. We urge them to report any instances of pollution to us straight away by calling our free 24-hour Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”