Relief Channel Fisheries Monitoring 2017

The Relief Channel is a huge flood relief system in Norfolk, protecting the fens, it’s up to 4m deep and home to shoals of roach and bream. It’s a channel 16km long and up to 100m wide. So how do our fisheries officers go about trying to understand fish stocks within it?
Back in the day it was all down to miles of net, fishery officer muscle, time and whole lot of luck… for 2017 our fisheries monitoring techniques have moved on. We use a variety of methods to try to fully understand what’s going under the water, improving accuracy of our data, and reducing the luck element of our netting surveys. By using sonar imaging we can survey the whole channel, understand density (how many fish) and locations. We also use fish finder technology to get a more accurate feeling of fish distribution and even underwater shoaling and behaviour.
By combining all of these techniques we have increased our efficiency, have a much better understanding of fish populations, and even now have access to additional fish management options.
What does it does that mean for anglers? It means, like us, have better understanding of their fisheries and where best to cast their lines - in short everyone’s a winner!