Recommencement of stocking of the Public Angling Estate - March 2025
Date published:
DAERA commenced the first stocking of the Public Angling Estate from the Department’s Movanagher Fish Farm since June 2023. Stocking was suspended at that time due to the identification of zebra mussels, an invasive species, at the fish farm. There are plans to further stock the Public Angling Estate during the Autumn and Winter period or early 2026.
DAERA and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute have been working to develop stocking protocols to ensure compliance with the Wildlife Order (NI) 1985. Results from recent sampling at Movanagher and the current low water temperature, typically below that for reproduction of zebra mussels, is allowing limited stocking of some Public Angling Estate waters, which would be part of the usual annual stocking programme.
The window for stocking the PAE from Movanagher has now closed as water temperatures have now reached 10 degrees Celsius. Around 29,500 (3+ years of age) brown trout have been stocked out in the past 4 weeks. The last stocking was carried out on Wednesday 26 March 2025. The Department is not able to confirm at this stage if further stocking of the PAE will be possible later in the year. Numbers stocked are below:
| Area | Amount |
| Moor Lough | 1500 |
| Ballykeel | 1000 |
| Brantry | 500 |
| Loughbrickland | 500 |
| Corry | 1000 |
| Castlewellan | 500 |
| Glencrewan | 1000 |
| Castlewellan | 1000 |
| Keenaghan | 500 |
| Meenameen | 1000 |
| Lough Brickland | 500 |
| Stoneyford | 1000 |
| Bellanaleck (Mill Lough) | 500 |
| Brantry | 500 |
| Cowey | 1000 |
| Bellanaleck (Mill Lough) | 500 |
| Marshallstown | 1000 |
| Middle South Woodburn | 2000 |
| Killylane | 2000 |
| Lough Braden | 2000 |
| Altnahinch | 2000 |
| Marshallstown | 2000 |
| Achork | 500 |
| Bellanaleck (Mill Lough) | 1500 |
| Altnahinch | 2000 |
| Killylane | 2000 |