Your Fisheries – River Thame

Questionnaire Results

Your Fisheries – River Thame Survey

‘Your Fisheries’ is an initiative developed by The Rivers Trust, the Environment Agency and Angling Trust. It is a web-based application that brings together evidence and knowledge from a range of different sources to help produce fisheries action plans. These plans are intended to represent a multi-partner perspective on the current status of fish populations and fishing opportunity in the catchment, the key factors affecting them and the actions required to maintain and/or deliver improvements.

The River Thame Conservation Trust are looking to produce a fisheries action plan for the River Thame catchment and to help us put together this plan we have encouraged people via a questionnaire to provide information and views on the following topics:

  1. The current status of fish populations
  2. Key factors affecting fish populations
  3. Actions to maintain or improve fish populations
  4. Monitoring
  5. Fishing Opportunity and fishing access

The following represents the findings from respondents’ answers to the recent questionnaire.

Next Steps

The responses collated through the questionnaire will now be used to help put together a fisheries action plan for the River Thame. This action plan will take into account views expressed about each of the eight questions in the questionnaire and along with other information such as electrofishing surveys, water quality data, habitat data, walkover surveys, existing reports etc will be used to provide a weight of evidence approach in developing a workable, realistic plan that will endeavour to deliver improvements to improve fish populations and fishing opportunity.

If you would like further information about the ‘Your Fisheries’ initiative please contact Tom Sherwood.

07765 898854

  1. How would you rate the current status of fish populations in the Upper ThameCatchment? (from source to where the Scotsgrove Brook enters the main river at Thame)

  • 58% of respondents rated the status of fish populations in the Upper Thame catchment as unknown. This was mainly attributable to the fact that they did not fish, or did not know this part of the catchment
  • There were no ratings of Excellent or good
  • Presently there is only one angling club (Prestwood AC) who control any fishing on the Upper Thame
  • Many reported catches declining over recent years
  1. How would you rate the current status of fish populations in the Lower Thame Catchment?(from Scotsgrove Brook to Thames Confluence)

  • The Lower Thame sees the most angling effort with large stretches of the river controlled by angling clubs
  • Many respondents claimed that catches had declined in recent years
  • Silver fish (i.e. roach, dace, small chub) abundant in the summer but ‘disappear’ in the winter
  • Large chub now no longer seem to be so prevalent as in recent years
  • One club did indicate match catches have improved since 2012
  • No smaller year classes of perch and chub present
  • Some reaches, little in the way of silver fish present only larger perch and chub
  1. Please indicate what are the main issues effecting fish populations in the River Thame catchment

  • Water quality was deemed as the biggest single factor effecting fish populations with sewage treatment works by far the main concern. Agricultural run-off and road run-off were also mentioned
  • Predation along with signal crayfish were also considered as significant issues.
  • Predation includes mentions of otters, mink or cormorants.
  • Habitat was seen as the fourth main issue with concerns over lack of fish refuges and siltation of spawning gravels
  • Lack of river maintenance was cited several times as being an issue effecting fish populations i.e. fallen trees not being removed
  1. What actions do you think would help maintain or improve fish populations in the River Thame Catchment?

  • The greatest number of responses indicated that habitat improvement work would improve fish populations in the River Thame catchment with a focus on creating fish refuges, spawning riffles and maintaining areas of cover
  • Controlling signal crayfish was also seen as a priority action
  • Improving water quality again focussed on improvements to sewage treatment works
  • River maintenance encapsulates those views that called for more tree clearance and removing obstructions from the channel
  1. Please highlight any additional monitoring you think needs to be undertaken in the River Thame Catchment to help improve understanding of fish populations and what may affect them.

  • Whilst there seemed to be a general recognition that water quality monitoring takes place there was some questioning about its frequency and strong response for more regular monitoring to take place
  • Of note was also the mention of a need for constant monitoring of water quality which could be provided by water quality monitoring stations
  1. How would you rate the current level of opportunity to access fishing in the River Thame Catchment?
  1. What do you see as the key factors which affect fishing opportunity and access to fishing in the River Thame Catchment?
  • A lack of car parking and inaccessible pegs / swims (bankside access) accounted for over 60% of responses
  • Fencing and barbed wire too close to the bank to allow access to the river was a common response
  • Long distances to walk accounted for 9% of responses and this was often accompanied by a comment about the ageing fishing population!
  • Poor fishing and clubs not renewing leases were combined as poor fishing was often mentioned as a reason as to why clubs did not renew their leases
  1. What actions do you think would improve fishing opportunity and access to fishing in the River Thame Catchment?
  • Reflecting the previous question about key factors, the majority of responses to improve fishing opportunity and access centred around improving car parking and bankside access
  • There was a sizeable response about improving fish populations i.e. at present fishing opportunity is poor as a direct result of there being poor fish populations
  • A number of respondents wanted to see more information about where you can actually go fishing on the River Thame