Fish rescued from field after canal breach

A rescue attempt is under way to return hundreds of stranded fish to a Shropshire canal following a major breach.

The fish washed into a neighbouring farmer's field after the breach on Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch in December, which left two narrowboats at the bottom of a trench and a third hanging over the edge.

The Canal & River Trust said the pool of water in the field had been gradually drained to about knee height to enable a fish rescue team to catch them.

The team are temporarily stunning the fish by passing a low‑voltage electric current through the water before lifting them into aerated buckets and transporting them back to the canal, the trust said.

"The breach has had a real impact on people living and working on the canal and nearby, and this rescue is one small but important step in putting things back together," John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager at the trust, said.

Rescuing the fish, including native species such as Roach, Perch, Gudgeon, Bream and Ruffe, was a priority and the team would be taking "the utmost care" when moving them, Ellis said.

"I'm expecting about 1,000 fish totalling around 200lbs to be rescued," he said.

"The fish appear to be in good health having temporarily been rehomed in a field of water for two months."

Work began to retrieve the narrowboats in January, and overall repairs to the area could take about nine months and cost more than £3m, the trust has said.

The investigation into how the breach occurred along with a plan for the repair is ongoing, the trust added.

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