Volunteers from Wimborne and District Angling Club were out on the bank as the Environment Agency moved to top up local waters. The agency says its winter restocking across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire is close to complete, with close to 7,000 fish released and the update published this week. ([gov.uk](Link

This round is paid for by rod licence fees, which the agency uses specifically for fisheries work. As Environment Agency officer Jim Flory put it, “Anglers are better known for catching fish,” but those same licences put fish back and are “good for the environment.” ([gov.uk](Link

The detail shows where the fish have gone. The Bristol Avon receives 1,000 barbel; Edmondsham Lakes takes 1,750 fish; Lysander Lake at Dorchester 1,250; Crookwood Lake near Devizes 900; and the River Tone 400. Smaller drops reached Keynsham’s Century Ponds, Gall Pond at Tortworth, Players Golf Club in Chipping Sodbury, Mappowder and Pythouse Lakes. ([gov.uk](Link

Species include roach, bream, tench, crucians and dace, with rudd in the mix and a strong consignment of barbel for the Avon. Every fish came from the Environment Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm near Nottingham, which supplies restocking across England. ([gov.uk](Link

Why now? The agency says restocking often follows disease, pollution, hot spells and low flows. Cooler water makes December and January the best window, and it sets fisheries up nicely ahead of spring spawning. ([gov.uk](Link

One point to note: the press release headline figure states 6,750 fish, while the agency’s own background table lists 6,950 spread across ten named sites. Either way, it’s a sizable winter boost for local waters. ([gov.uk](Link

For local clubs, winter top-ups mean more bites for juniors and casual anglers and a steadier season for small businesses that rely on visiting fishers-from tackle shops to café counters. It’s the quiet, practical work that keeps rural venues ticking over through the colder months.

Although this story is from the West Country, readers up north will recognise the approach. Calverton’s fish support waters nationwide, and the same rod licence paid in Yorkshire, Cumbria or the North East underwrites these releases as much as anywhere else.

Anyone aged 13 or over needs a rod licence to fish rivers, canals and stillwaters in England. Renewing on time keeps the restocking programme funded and helps get more people back on the bank when the days lengthen.