News / Environment
St George fish cull halted
Fish from a lake in St George Park which were destined to be killed in a bid to discourage angling have now been saved.
Bristol City Council had planned a cull to get rid of the fish using an overdose of anesthetic.
The fish will now be removed and relocated to other parts of Bristol by the Angling Trust, which stepped in to offer an alternative.
Once the fish have been taken away, repairs can be made to improve the lake in St George, the trust said.
John Cheyne, regional manager, said: “Common sense has prevailed and we are delighted that healthy fish will be saved.
“The lake is in need of work and there have been problems associated with angling in such a small and busy park. However, that is no reason to simply exterminate the healthy fish.”
St George Neighbourhood Partnership had approved the cull as anglers, some of whom ignored the permit scheme, were regularly injuring swans. Swan Rescue has been called to the lake 17 times since 2012.
The former boating lake was stocked with fish about 20 years ago and has been used as a fishing lake for many years.
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said only healthy fish would be relocated. “We know from the health check we commissioned that many of the fish are not healthy enough to be relocated.
“However, if a fish is healthy enough to be moved we will try to do so.” The relocation process will begin at the end of February.
A petition set up to stop the cull had reached more than 3,500 signatures by Wednesday.
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