Fish rescued from field after Whitchurch canal breach

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4 days ago

Caroline GallWest Midlands

BBC Fish can be seen in a bucket in a close-up shot of them after captured. They are quite far down the bucket and look like different species. BBC

The fish were transported back to the canal in special buckets

A rescue attempt is under way to return hundreds of stranded fish to a Shropshire canal following a major breach.

The fish washed into a neighbouring farmer's field after the breach on Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch in December, which left two narrowboats at the bottom of a trench and a third hanging over the edge.

The Canal & River Trust said the pool of water in the field had been gradually drained to about knee height to enable a fish rescue team to catch them.

The team are temporarily stunning the fish by passing a low‑voltage electric current through the water before lifting them into aerated buckets and transporting them back to the canal, the trust said.

A large brown glut of water can be seen in a field next to the breached canal. Trees surround it on one side and the canal on the other side.

The water in the field had been drained to the rescue can take place

"The breach has had a real impact on people living and working on the canal and nearby, and this rescue is one small but important step in putting things back together," John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager at the trust, said.

Two narrowboats sit in a water-less canal surrounded by mud and collapse banking. People in fluorescent jackets stand on the embankment by machinery with further machinery visible in the distance.

Three narrowboats became trapped when the hole appeared in the Llangollen Canal on 22 December

Rescuing the fish, including native species such as Roach, Perch, Gudgeon, Bream and Ruffe, was a priority and the team would be taking "the utmost care" when moving them, Ellis said.

"I'm expecting about 1,000 fish totalling around 200lbs to be rescued," he said.

"The fish appear to be in good health having temporarily been rehomed in a field of water for two months."

Two men wade in knee high water. They are pulling equipment behind them from their waist and in their hands.

The rescue team stunned the fish before relocating them

Work began to retrieve the narrowboats in January, and overall repairs to the area could take about nine months and cost more than £3m, the trust has said.

The investigation into how the breach occurred along with a plan for the repair is ongoing, the trust added.

John is smiling at the camera and wearing a white hard hat, and red and high-vis safety gear. He is stood outside with trees behind him. The sun is shining.

John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager at the trust, said he hoped about 1,000 fish would be captured and relocated

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Fish rescued from field after Whitchurch canal breach