SIP Fees

[Member]

I've been getting a fair bit of feedback on restocking, but mainly on what goes into open streams. With regard to Bass some are being put into the water only a couple of cm long, and in my unscientific opinion that's far too small. It seems that some of the breeders supplying the fish are getting a little hungry. They should not go into the river until they have a fair chance of survival. ONe female Bass drops around 300,000eggs and there is obvious attrition at work. no restocker releases that many in one hit as far as I know so they have to be of a decent size. If the SIP payment increase addresses this, I have no problem.
JD

SIP funds do not go into stocking any rivers, apart from the escape of fish during water releases and overflows.  The SIP scheme is set up to provide a put and take fishery where the released fish do not breed, they are provided for recreational anglers to catch a feed of fish.  Stocking of rivers to regenerate fish populations should be looked at in a completely different way.