Recommencement of stocking of the Public Angling Estate - March 2025
Date published:
DAERA will recommence 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.
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 this stocking is likely to be only 4-6 weeks.
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute will continue to assess water samples taken from Movanagher for the presence of live zebra mussel veligers and water temperatures to mitigate the risk of spread of zebra mussels to waters being stocked. Should water samples be found to contain live zebra mussel veligers (larva) and/or water temperatures increase to 10°C then all stocking will cease.
The waters stocked, with the number of fish and species stocked, will be provided on the DAERA website after stocking has been completed. DAERA is not able to confirm at this time if any further stocking of Public Angling Estate waters will take place later this year. DAERA continues to work with AFBI to develop a longer-term stocking protocol that will be compliant with the Wildlife Order (NI) 1985.