9:00am Thursday 4th February 2010
By Brian Gomm
THOUSANDS of fish became victims of the big freeze which hit an angling oasis.
Devastated fishermen teamed-up at the weekend to clear frozen carp, bream, tench, roach and perch from the Long Causeway pool off Old Hall Mill Lane, Atherleigh.
For generations the pool has attracted anglers of all ages to the tranquil setting in the shade of Atherton Wood but water bailiff John Orange, from Westleigh, fears it will take years to get over the tragedy.
"We first noticed the first dead fish under the ice a couple of weeks ago and on Saturday eight anglers who regularly fish there decided to remove the fish," said Mr Orange.
"One of the lads brought a dinghy and we broke the ice and used keep nets to scoop out the bodies. We netted about 1,500 including about 200 carp and bream - all over five pounds weight - and a 27lb ghost carp.
"The fish were frozen in the water but when they started to thaw the smell was incredible. We filled six wheelie bins with fish and reckon there could be as many again that have sunk to the bottom.
"We're disappointed that the Environment Agency, who collect our licence fees, have declined to help because it's classed as a private fishery. The water need netting or electro fishing to see what is still alive in there and the water also needs testing."
Fellow angling enthusiast Danny Ingrey, who helped with the clean-up operation, said: "It's a total disaster. We're going to do our best to remove more of the dead fish that are decomposing on the bottom which is deep mud."
Ian Wood, Fisheries officer for the Environment Agency said: "Fisheries officers did visit the site on January 23 to investigate the levels of oxygen present in the water.
"When a sheet of ice remains over the surface of water for more than a few days, the replenishment of oxygen from air to water is blocked, as a result the fish are starved of oxygen and perish.
"The fishery at Atherton is privately owned and stocked. The responsibility to remove the dead fish lies with the fishery owner and is not the role of the Environment Agency.
"We can offer advice to limit the possibility of incidents." Bailiff Mr Orange added: "It's a real shame because this was a challenging water to fish, a real community treasure with facilities for the disabled."
•Anyone wishing to help in the clean up operation can contact John on 07979 576675 or Danny on 07958 513474
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