The Environment Agency has released 6,750 coarse fish into lakes, rivers and ponds across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. Bred at the Calverton Fish Farm near Nottingham, the mix includes barbel, dace, rudd, roach, bream, tench and crucians, with costs covered by anglers’ rod licence fees. Published on 6 January 2026, the Agency framed the stocking as targeted support for waters that need a boost. ([gov.uk](Link

The Agency says winter is the safest window for introductions. Cooler water reduces stress and predation, and the timing gives fish a head start before spring spawning. Restocking, they add, helps waters hit by disease, pollution, high temperatures and low flows, issues widely reported over recent summers. ([gov.uk](Link

This is people-powered conservation. Local volunteers, including members of Wimborne and District Angling Club, assisted with releases. “Anglers are better known for catching fish, but this restocking depends on rod licence income,” said the Environment Agency’s Jim Flory, thanking licence holders whose fees fund the programme. ([gov.uk](Link

Behind the scenes, rod licence sales underpin far more than one-off stockings. In 2024, Calverton produced 510,488 fish for release nationwide, with 357,149 going into rivers and the rest into stillwaters; 38,459 were stocked in the South West alone. That scale matters in catchments where natural recovery needs a nudge. ([gov.uk](Link

The pressures on rivers in England remain acute. Environment Agency data show water companies recorded 450,398 storm overflow discharges in 2024, with spills lasting 3.61 million hours in total; the Rivers Trust described the lack of improvement as unacceptable and called for faster action. Restocking can only succeed long term if pollution falls. ([gov.uk](Link

Hydrology is another stressor. The Agency placed its Wessex area (covering Bristol, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire) under prolonged dry weather status in July 2025 after months of low rainfall and high temperatures, before heavy rain moved conditions towards recovery in December. Low flows can strand fish and shrink habitat, so winter stockings help build resilience ahead of spring. ([gov.uk](Link

Zooming out, the State of Nature 2023 partnership reports a long-term slide in wildlife abundance: down 19% on average across the UK since 1970, and down 32% for species tracked in England. That is a stark signal for freshwater, where many species rely on clean, cool, connected rivers to thrive. ([nationaltrust.org.uk](Link

There are practical fixes underway alongside stockings. In Dorset, the Frome Headwaters project led by Dorset Wildlife Trust with support from Wessex Water and the Environment Agency is restoring chalk stream habitat. In Wiltshire, a Landscape Recovery project on the River Wylye will reconnect floodplain reaches. Wessex Water’s plan includes significant cuts to abstraction on the Hampshire Avon and large-scale smart metering to reduce demand. These are the changes that make stockings stick. ([dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk](Link

What you can do now if you live or fish in the West Country: hold a valid rod licence, join a local angling club or river trust for habitat days, and report pollution or fish in distress to the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60. The Agency advises that December and January remain the best months for restocking; the work is timed to set fish up for spring. ([gov.uk](Link