FACTS 1. The barbel is found on many Coats Of Arms. The most famous modern day example is that belonging to Queen's College, Cambridge, which features two gold barbel, rising upwards. 2. In the 1700s and 1800s, barbel were highly-prized as food by the Jewish community in London. 3. In the 1500s, Queen Elizabeth was so worried about young Thames barbel being taken that she introduced a fine for doing so. 4. The barbel found in the River Severn, Bristol Avon and Welland, as well as their tributaries, originate from the Enbourne, a tiny Kennet tributary, and were stocked as part of Operation Barbel by the Angling Times in the 1950s. 5. Jack Harrigan, who gave his name to a swim on the Royalty and is on the pub sign for the Royalty Arms, briefly held the barbel record with a 13lb 2oz fish - even though he had caught one 5oz bigger. 6. J.W. Martin, known to all as the Trent Otter, spent a relatively short time fishing the Trent, and lived for much of his life in London, catching Thames barbel. 7. In the early 1800s, there were 400 full-time professional fishermen guiding on the Thames - the most prized fish were barbel and trout. 8. One of the Thames professionals was nicknamed Wormy Webb, as he kept worms in the bath at his Reading home. 9. The barbel record was held, for many years, by three 14lb 6oz fish - one from the Thames, and two from the Royalty. The captors were T. Wheeler, A. Tryon and F. W. K. Wallis. 10. The famous Wallis cast was actually invented before Wallis popularised it, probably half a century earlier by William Bailey of Nottingham. 11. A barbel match in the 1870s ended in such acrimony that it led to a libel case in the High Court - with a Judge Pollock presiding! 12. Thames and Trent barbel anglers in the past baited swims for a week with thousands of lobworms. 13. Davis Tackle in Christchurch was originally not a tackle shop but a junk shop- then a stationers, and the owners didn't know the river was so close until a customer suggested they stock a few rods and reels. 14. Isaac Walton claimed that barbel used their whiskers to grab hold of weed and snags when hooked. 15. The barbel has had many nicknames - including old whiskers, kittle-cattle, the river prince and mud vermin (the last one was coined by Charles Dickens Junior!) 16. The first barbel rod to be named as such was introduced by Hardy's in the 1890s. 17. A Thames barbel match in the 1800s was once won by a Frenchman using a broken umbrella for a rod and horse manure as groundbait. 18. Henry Coxon, barbel angler and reel inventor, was scorer for Notts County Cricket Club, and once took W.G. Grace barbel fishing on the Trent. 19. The Trent Barbel Slider Float was invented in the 1800s by 'Nottingham' George Holland, who claimed the idea came to him in a dream. 20. Between 1937 and the 1990s, the barbel record was broken at least five times by salmon anglers who caught them on spinners or livebait, sometimes foul-hooked, but not always….. Used with the kind consent Jon Berry from A Can of Worms (MEDLAR) GENERAL 1. The popularity of barbel has exploded over the last decade and continues to grow into what is now the most sought after river fish. 2. A total of 38 species of barbel have been recorded in Europe with only one (Barbus barbus) in the U.K. It is the U.K. species which requires clean, flowing, well oxygenated water with a gravel river bed to reproduce. 3. Barbel (Barbus barbus) are widespread in the river systems of our country and are easily accessible to the angler. Barbel are present in over 50 rivers in this country. There is no need for stillwater stocking of these river fish. 4. In 1896, and again during 1960's a few barbel were introduced to the Dorset Stour and the Hampshire Avon where they multiplied and thrived to produce a barbel mecca. In 1956 Angling Times introduced 509 barbel to the River Severn and we now have over one hundred miles of prime barbel fishing. A few barbel were also introduced to the River Wye, the Bristol Avon etc. and some northern rivers such as the Ribble, Dane and Weaver. They have thrived in all these rivers. CONSERVATION 5. It is the duty of all barbel anglers to protect this exciting and powerful river fish and its habitat. It is important, particularly in summer, to carefully return the fish after capture in a full recovered state. 6. The Environment Agency is their good practice guide to Freshwater Fisheries state that is dubious practice to deliberately stock barbel into habitats where they are expected to live on a catch-and-release basis while being very unlikely to be able to spawn successfully. 7. There is justifiable fear that stocking small barbel into commercial stillwater fisheries creates a demand leading the unscrupulous to take large barbel from the river to the detriment of the river anglers and the barbel themselves. 8. Fish farms which breed barbel and grow them on for stocking do this in semi still water but all require some method for increased oxygenation. 9. There is no published scientific information which recommends the stocking of barbel into stillwaters, or which claims barbel thrive and grow big in stillwater. 10. Barbel require conditions to spawn which cannot be found in stillwaters and naturally sustaining populations of barbel in stillwaters are not possible. 11. Barbel are less tolerant of high water temperatures and low oxygen levels that stillwater fish such as tench and carp. The lethal concentration of oxygen is almost twice as high for barbel that it is for tench. 12. More barbel have been stocked into stillwaters than all the rivers put together. These stillwater stockings are frequently repeated as the only impact they have is to increase the mortality rates of the stillwater fishery. 13. Barbel are great wanderers in rivers, often moving several kilometres in a matter of days in order to seek suitable conditions when changes in water temperature, flow rates etc. occur and also to suit their seasonal needs. Barbel cannot do this in the commercial stillwaters. 14. Commercial stillwaters do not provide the correct habitat for barbel to thrive not just the water quality is in question but the overhead cover is usually missing. 15. Copp & Bennetts (1996) reported a significant decrease in the abundance and size of barbel in a reach of the River Lee after the removal of some 30% of the bankside vegetation. 16. After removal of all the bankside vegetation and instream branches from a stretch of the River Teme all the barbel moved to other areas. Stillwater barbel have little choice - they have to stay, until they die, in conditions they would not normally tolerate. 17. Several case studies of the effects of impoundment of river sections containing natural barbel populations exist. In all cases, with the onset of stillwater flow conditions barbel populations declined appreciably. 18. Thousands of small barbel have entered Trimpley reservoir via an inlet from the River Severn yet Trimpley is not full of large barbel ! If only 10% of them had entered a suitable habitat there would have been a barbel explosion. 19. Barbel are stocked into commercial stillwaters without any thought for the fish themselves but for financial gain - greed ! 20. Barbel spend most of their lives on the river bed and in stillwaters they have a greater risk of parasites in these conditions. 21. The potential for recapture is far greater in stillwaters than it is in rivers and barbel will experience increased stress when frequently caught and more so at spawning time by being unable to spawn in stillwater conditions. Barbel frequently die after capture from stillwaters. 22. Continued exposure to poor water quality and lack of water flow will affect the survival of individual barbel - they will die and in commercial stillwaters they are frequently stolen from rivers and re-stocked into stillwaters. 23. There is always a significant decrease in the abundance and size of barbel in rivers after bankside vegetation is removed. The decrease is in direct proportion to the amount of clearance e.g. 100% bankside clearance relates to 100% of the barbel moving out of the area. Quite a dramatic effect of the Angling Clubs, the Anglers and the barbel. 24. Always use well balanced tackle. Accept the objective of landing barbel as quickly as possible, thereby causing minimum distress and exhaustion to the fish. A protracted fight does not fish or your swim no good at all and increases the chances of losing it. 25. Land and remove fish from the river by using a large knotless landing net, never attempt to 'beach' the fish as considerable damage can be caused to fins, eyes and scales. If possible unhook the fish while it is still in the net and in the water. If this is not an option place the fish (still in the net) on an unhooking mat - never on bar gravel, stones etc. use wet hands to handle the fish. 26. If the fish is not required for weighting, or photography it should be released when fully recovered. Do not retain barbel without good reason.

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