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A hypothetical question…

Thanks Lawrence, that's really interesting to hear about the survival rate of the stocked immature barbel. Does anyone know how many barbel were stocked into the Bristol Avon originally. I seem to remember that the Angling Times were responsible for the stocking back in the 1960s?

What size would you say a mature fish is? I've seen them online for sale between 8 and 10 inchs.

Steve
 
I think its more about the sexual mix, and that can be done on size, the size that are normally stocked by the EA are very difficult to tell what sex they are, one thing is for sure though bigger barbel say 9 pound plus are invariably female, but that doesnt mean that anything smaller is male, the best way to get a good mix is the way the old NRA did it, that is take them from a donor river, say the Severn, Trent or Wye (the Teme was once the EA's favorite at one time, but times have changed and the Temes barbel have gone) and net the fish as they are preparing to spawn on the spawning sites, and the males get to the spawning areas long before the females, but that would be very labour intensive these days and the EA via Calverton find it easier to stock farmed fingerling barbel and despite the poor success rate of this, putting a bucket full of mini barbel into a river is also very tangible, good press and good PR for all concerned, though somewhat ineffective ....
 
Lol, what do you reckon to the Trent being the donor river for adult fish? They seem to be in plentiful supply there!! But to me it seems a bit unfair, as on many of those rivers that need them, they would be like lambs to the slaughter...
 
I put the Trent in there Shaun as river that could donate barbel for restocking, but you are right the reasons for restocking have to be analysed, because as you say they could be just become more victims of the reasons for the demise of the original barbel stock, but the original question was about creating a barbel fishery where barbel are not present...
 
Nick Coulthurst said:
Darwin's theory is only relevant to barbel adapting and surviving Neil when the genes of the survivors are passed on to their offspring. Unfortunately in many of our rivers, after the otters have removed the mature brood stock there are no offspring. Without further stockings by the EA, barbel would undoubtedly cease to exist in many of our rivers. Signal crayfish and over abstraction are the main problems and with no solution on the horizon I'm afraid the future looks bleak. Before otters, regular stockings masked the abysmal state of some of our rivers, now it is all too apparent.

Nick C
Click to expand...

Then of course as Lol has said fingerling stockings is only at best a PR stunt, the chance of a fingerling reaching maturity is slim in the extreme, as with all species, agreed, the only way a River such as the BA can get back to it's former self is with spawning, alas of course if there are not enough smaller males, and just the odd larger female, then the scenario is poor.
Not convinced the Otter should take the blame, you mention abstraction, and that has had a major effect on the BA headwaters around Sherston, it used to be a good area for all species, now it is on occasions merely a trickle, with no signs of any life.

Crayfish are they a huge problem on the Avon? I know the Thames was paved with them but didn't think the Avon suffered that much, but it must be 12 years since I fished the River.

The demise of the BA is sad, and for me it was where I first fell in love with Barbel, I just hope it is just a cycle , and that it will return to it's former self But remember the BA was hammered, the likes of Lacock especially so, I couldn't imagine that sort of angling pressure did the stocks any good whatsoever.

And then the floods of 2007, what damage that did we will never know, it certainly changed the Teme and the WA, it's a long healing process, and seven or eight years is nothing in the scheme of things.

No, I think it's wrong to lump all the blame on the Otter.
 
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