Regent's Canal Fish To Be Shocked With Electric... In Order To Save Them

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 101 months ago
Regent's Canal Fish To Be Shocked With Electric... In Order To Save Them

Love London wildlife? There are just a couple of days left to buy tickets to our London Is...Wild event at Conway Hall this coming Monday (2 November). Come along to hear from experts including urban bat detective Kate Jones and Mathew Frith of London Wildlife Trust.

Photo: helenoftheways

Hundreds of fish on a one kilometre long stretch of Regent's Canal will be immobilised using an electrical current next week.

The stretch between Mile End Lock and Old Ford Lock is being drained as part of the Canal & River Trust's vital maintenance of England's waterways.

In order for the work to be carried out, the hundreds of fish living in the water will need to be relocated. Experts MEM Fisheries will use a harmless electrical current in the water to stun them, after which they will be scooped up and transferred to an unaffected stretch of canal nearby.

In addition to fish, it's hoped that endangered eels will be recovered and relocated.

As well as maintenance to the canal, the Trust is launching a three-month survey to uncover what lurks beneath the canals — it currently costs £1m each year to remove shopping trolleys, traffic cones, car tyres, bottles and plastic bags from canals.

Want to know more about electrofishing? Go to the special open day on 4 November to learn about the electrofishing process. It takes place between Mile End Lock and Old Ford Lock on the Regent's Canal 9.30am-3.30pm

Last Updated 29 October 2015