Electro Fishing The Ashby Canal / Zander Management

I followed an electro fishing team along the Ashby Canal and also had chance to have a chat with a CRT spokesperson. This is a very brief overview of what happens during an electro fishing sessions and also gives a little insight into why the Canal and River Trust are obliged to control the non native species which is the Zander.
The guys from MEM were very happy for me to talk to them and capture the video despite the usual torrent of abuse they receive. These guys are quite clearly doing a job and carrying out the work contacted to them by the CRT, the if they didn’t effectively do this then the contract would be given to another contractor. Indeed the same goes for the CRT, they have an extremely knowledgable fisheries team who are again only carrying out the work required by law.
So before you comment please have a think about what you write and also think about how any change can even be considered, I assure you that it’s not by hurling abuse at people. No Zander angler likes to see electro fishing take place which I myself fully understand, however please take the time to comment constructively.
It’s worth just noting the process here also, so obviously the boat has special onboard equipment which generates a current which is then passed through the electrodes and into the water. It is designed to carry three crew with two crew collecting and controlling the boom and the third steering. The boats have large tanks in which to store the Zander for the duration of the process, the tanks are also fully oxygenated for fish welfare.The current can be varied depending on the day is for different water conditions. Because this team is trying to remove any size of zander they have a setting which will target even the smallest of fish through to the largest. On the day I saw 2” - 3” roach and skimmers and I also saw large double figure carp. Now the larger the fish the more they are effected as the current shocks the spine of the fish. The current has very little effect if any to the smallest of fish and invertebrates making this the most effective and practical method of controlling the Zander.
So you will also see a second boat in the video which actually has 2 main roles. Firstly the person controlling the boat is actually a CRT operative who is able to monitor the process, he also collects any Zander which are missed by the front boat. It’s also more manoeuvrable and allows them to collect any Zander out of reach. This boat also carries a tank to store the fish and this tank is also oxygenated and from time to time if the rear boat spots a larger fish ie a bream or pike etc he may collect this fish and let it recover in the oxygenated tank, I witnessed this many times on the day and the fish all seemed to recover very quickly when on the tank. They are then netted out and returned to the canal usually just a few minutes later.
Once the guys have finished the designated stretch they returned to the trailers, removed the Zander which were stored in another oxygenated tank whilst they retaken for incineration. The equipment is loaded back up and away they go.
Later in the video I mentioned the latest joint statement issued in conjunction by Natural England, the EA and Canal & River Trust. This is now available to view on the CRT website and the link is here
canalrivertrus...

[@martimclen2574]

Hi. I have to admit I only bought my permit in Midlands because of Zeds!! I am really hooked on them😊 Don't understand why CRT and EA continue this stupid activity when it's not possible to get them out completely. They just damage other fish species too as electrofishing damage plenty of small aquatic creatures and it's just not visible to human eyes. Zeds will stay with us whether we like it or not. Main thing is that as soon they reach proper size then all fish populations are starting establish well and in good condition too. Look at other European waters- You can find great double specimens along with other fish (carp,bream, pike and rest of silver fish populations). Let the nature do it's job!!!

[@nickgoodenough4533]

I understand that legislation is in place instructing c&RT to remove them, and we poor anglers are committing a crime returning Zander. It’s about time the legislation was amended. They can electro fish every day for 10 years and there will still be Zander in the canal system. My club lakes have seem Gudgeon disappear over recent years and there are no Zander in them, so , there must be other reasons. Anglers need to petition to get a change in the legislation, Zander are here to stay.

[@johnwerrett8553]

Looking forward to watching the next video, maybe of MEM removing red signal crayfish which I also believe are an invasive species.

[@baikal627]

Why not carp as well there not native ?? I now zander are preds but carp eat fry so ?????

[@SRobinson1485]

They will never get rid of Zander their here to stay as they have been here for decades now

[@zandermaster3873]

The fact that is neglected is that the Zander was introduced in the UK by the Royals as a sport fish...now decades later...the EA and CRT are on a mission to get rid of the Zander.

[@mattgoodchild8215]

Yes forever zander

[@zandermaster3873]

62 zander...that's a shame... especially coz it's spawning time as well...

[@markriley6446]

Very interesting to see electrofishing in action. Surprised by the few fish getting stunned, there must be more fish than that. I do miss catching gudgeon and other micro species in the Coventry Canal but the Zander are here to stay now. Nature will find its own balance if left alone. Zander will eat each other if there was no bait fish left anyway.

[@SRobinson1485]

This is So Wrong spoiling the fishing on our canal

[@capefear3297]

Recreational electrofishing for catfish is legal in our state. The intention was to protect native species. E fishing has gone on for almost thirty years, and the catfish population has not diminished at all. It is deplored by most rod fisherman since catfishing is a popular sport. What I read about your Zander is that it is easy to filet, and delicious to eat. An asset more than a nuisance.

[@dominicburton950]

Zander have now being in the eco system for years .I do not believe they have a detrimental effect on silver fish stocks .If they did then they would starve wouldn't they and not exist in canals. YES I understand they are non native but going forward they are providing good sport for lure Anglers who also pay our licence fee .Clubs often blame zander on poor catch rates but is this true probably not .Its a misconception they are as detrimental to fisheries .There's folk out there who have you believe its true they blame zander for the poor fishing but truth is no one spent money on stocking canals or there upkeep in the last 25 years .No one blinks an eye at this but if the crt took shotguns to comorants there would be public outcry ! I think it just shows that zander are here thriving in the eco system havnt really caused a problem and money could be better spent on cleaning up the canals removing the shit that's in there caused by man not zander

[@stevelile4871]

Very true well said

[@thomasboyce4666]

Unbelievable

[@dominicburton950]

@@thomasboyce4666 what' are you referring to as unbelievable I'd would be intrested in your views or any experience of zander predation that is proven or substantiated with hard evidence as I am intrested in other anglers views on this subject

[@dominicburton950]

Hi Thomas the question is regarding your comment be really interested in your perspective Regards

[@jasonwoods3711]

I've just had to do a survey for canal and river trust as they say they are struggling to fund maintenance of the canals. Today 5 men on two boats electro fishing the Trent and Mersey canal at Fradley ! This pointless exercise costs how much ? To rid a species of fish from the canal that is a part of nature.... 'The mink' are the worst culprit for fish shortages !

[@BlackCountryPiker]

Oh no, sorry to see your waters getting done again David! Nice to see you being polite about it all but I’m sure if you were not you wouldn’t have had the same conversations.

[@thelunchtimefisherman4921]

The Ashby always gets done mate as we know unfortunately

[@theconsistentnoddy9851]

Clearly on their best behaviour IMO, probably purposely running on low current so very little coming up. With regards to the fish taking several minutes to recover, what this doesn’t show is what happens to them all once the gulls start to follow the boat.

[@my_carp_life3424]

So they will kill the zanda but won't do anything about the otters

[@littleowltelevision1418]

Look forward to another electro fishing video with voltage probes levels checked ????

[@piscatorialquagswagging]

The demise of match fishing on canals is nothing to do with Zander and everything about the commercial fishery. Still good sport to be had on canals with Zander present if you want a change from F1’s.

[@thomasboyce4666]

Wtf

[@gayeanglersonacid8107]

Having seen other footage of electrofishing activities (the one in Gloucester for example) it makes me wonder whether these guys were on their best behaviour as they knew they were being filmed and followed. Bit of PR exercise? I'm not doubting your footage but I wonder if this was a typical session. Others I have seen take all the fish they stun, everything not just the zander and the fish welfare is often poor.

[@thelunchtimefisherman4921]

That’s why I always attend when they electrofish Tusses Lure Division stretches.

[@peggy-qv6fv]

This pisses me off as I pay to fish this canal for the zander

[@tadhghayden8440]

One sander. Alive n well ...the one that got away......

[@mcfriter]

An excellent well balanced video. It was interesting to get the CRTs' input. It's a "Catch 22" with Zander in canals. There has to be scientific research as to whether Zander are detrimental to the natural aquatic balance (of canals). The period of research would take years (if not decades) to complete. Here's "The Catch"; if all electro fishing was stopped for the period of the research and the Zander were shown not to be detrimental to the environment all well and good but, what if the Zander were shown to have an effect? The damage would have been done. I may get a bit of negative feedback but I can understand why the SSSI and its' indigenous Flora and Flora need protection. This is not to say I'm pro electro fishing (as some canals which are not SSSIs are being electrofished), I can assure you all I'm very much anti electrofishing.

[@Nivekthewatcher.6372]

Loved my zander fishing on the cov canal until they electro fish it absolutely gutted biggest 12lb theyve done the whole length really not happy at all.

[@shaunyates8202]

It is great to see these removed. They have been a menace to our canals.

[@mattlenton2012]

God forbid......we all end up stuck with carp fishing in a hole in the ground.

[@littleowltelevision1418]

What isn't noted is that voltage on probes was possibly turned down / lowered . Electro fishing is very efficient on canals . Lack of fish not surfacing indicates probe voltage low . Canal river trust do not like controversial issues. As they new being filmed , possibly voltage lowered to not show many fish stunned . Maybe another video , next time go on boat with them an check voltage level of probe set higher as they would normally do when not being filmed ?..??.

[@Djcwozza]

I’m not sure they would spend a whole day electrofishing at the wrong voltage.

[@stevelile4871]

Waste of time and money with canals linking up they will soon be back. Probably more people lure fish canals now than pole anglers. Coukd perhaps understand the time and effort and costs if demand for canal fishing from match orientated clubs was there.

[@thelunchtimefisherman4921]

Lure anglers are still vastly outnumbered by match/pleasure anglers on canals actually. Far more match orientated clubs than lure clubs.

[@stevelile4871]

@@thelunchtimefisherman4921 Not where I live I'm a member lure canal anglers I only fish canals Bailff them and I would say its about 50/50. Most match pleasure anglers adore commercial fisheries look at the demise of the river angler most pegs on rivers now over grown. At the end of the day the bottom line is Zander are here to stay where you like them or not sort out issues that effect all types of angling in general first. Otters.... Mink.... Crayfish..... Cormorants.... Etc. Over the last 8_10years the growth of lure angling is on the rise tackle shops having dedicated sections for predator tackle even major angling companies have designated brands fox Rage etc years ago tackle shops had a few spinners or spoons if you was lucky the need is there. Fishing clubs and pleasure anglers generally dont want to sit on a canal to catching a few pounds walk hundreds of yards dodging the constant flow of bikes and boats crayfish they want to park behind there peg have breakfast brought to them catch 100lb pound of carp and park safely and that's great for them. Yes zander are an invasive species so are Muntjac deer not native but no culls are organised to control them because they look like bambi plus the public would be up in arms.

[@thelunchtimefisherman4921]

@@stevelile4871 you don’t have to convince me. I know the LACC waters well and it’s not a prolific match fishing stretch with the exception of a few areas. I also run Tusses Lure Division / Angling club and I’d say it’s around a 50/50 split also. However those are just about the only only 2 lure angling canal clubs in the country. Check with the CRT and we are vastly outnumbered by many clubs who donor wish to see Zander making it into their stretches.

[@stevelile4871]

@@thelunchtimefisherman4921 Yes I agree but most of the clubs that have canal stretches have many other venues for their members to fish not many clubs just rent a canal stretch clubs like Leamington BAA Stratford do have canal stretches but other venues to not many members take advantage of canals that's why canal stretches are so cheap to rent poor turn outs lack of interest plus no F1s.

[@trickyangling8338]

Yet not 1 Red signal crayfish was seen being removed another invasive species,so he was talking BS about SSSI site

[@deaganachomarunacathasaigh4344]

The most shocking thing about this is that all that zander, a good eating fish was incinerated. You'd think ye'd eat them. Very bad waste of food in my opinion

[@georgesfishingadventtures1619]

Only toke zander. Rubbish.. they are hardly going to show you the carp they sack up and try to sell on. Numerous local fisheries were called by sellers of large carp with no paperwork etc. .. right around the time they electro fished this canal and the time before that.

[@thelunchtimefisherman4921]

I was there from start to finish, nothing but Zander left that canal on that day.

[@scotthughes5281]

Take out carp too near me. These guys ruin canals. I've fished GUC when there are loads of zander and still loads of bream etc. They need to concentrate more on signal crayfish decimating waters

[@gaycha6589]

Zander is great to eat. thats the solution..

[@trevorwright5692]

They sell them to the fish markets .out of order .let them b

[@martinfretwell]

Why fish if immigrants are ok

[@northernlad52]

zander are not indigenous to the UK therefore they should be taken out. I remember when the Ashby canal being a fantastic canal to fish before Zander were illegally put into our waters. The idiots who put them into waters so they can catch them in the future are in my view beyond selfish.

[@baldieman64]

Carp are not native either and barbel are only native to a few east flowing rivers like the Trent. Shall we exterminate all the carp and remove all the barbel from the Severn, Avon and Wye? What about the rainbow trout that are the mainstay of reservoir fly fishing?

[@chrisjerrard7310]

Do your research

[@thomasboyce4666]

@@baldieman64 zander destroyed any canal they are in

[@baldieman64]

@@thomasboyce4666 Absolute BS. You actually still believe those silly scare stories from the Angler's Mail in the 1980s?

[@SavageFishingWithSeb]

pike....eels....perch are also predators and Hunt for silvers just saying !!!!zander are not the cause ... and plus every summer the canals are heaving with roach and bream ect... so its bullshit. to take the zander out its just wrong !!!!