Eagle and Mount Ponds on Clapham Common are Lambeth’s only fisheries and highly popular especially with children, young adults and BAME users. Lambeth Council’s Parks Team have been gradually changing the fisheries in both ponds to make them more appropriate and enjoyable to modern and younger anglers, and to put less stress on the ponds’ wildlife and ecology.
Silver fish
Last month the Environment Agency kindly donated 2,250 small ‘silver fish’ (1,000 roach and 1,250 bream) from their Calverton fish farm. At the end of the year, fish from the farm reach 18 months of age. They are sorted at Calverton, carefully packaged up and sent out to ponds all over the country to strengthen the population of different species of UK fish. All the fish were electronically counted, loaded and oxygenated by the fisheries techspecs at Calverton.
Three tanks
Lifting a net of fresh fish to Clapham ponds
On arrival at Clapham, the two species were mixed together, then divided equally into three separate tanks – 750 fish to each tank. Two tanks (66%) of the roach and bream went into the Mount and one (33% of the fish) to the Eagle pond.
Word from the Cabinet
Cllr Sonia Winifred, Cabinet Member for Equalities and Culture, said: “Lambeth’s Parks have a long and successful relationship with the Environment Agency. This latest partnership project improves both the diversity and resilience of our wildlife and the unique appeal of our ponds.”
Follow up
Later in 2020, the partnership between Lambeth Council and the Environment Agency plans to make further improvements to the Common’s ponds, especially for less able and younger users.
For more information
Read more about Calverton Fish Farm
