3 days ago
Sleepless Newport anglers battle to save pond's fish stock
Fireman came to the rescue following an oxygen crash at Newport's Lliswerry Pond.
Local anglers had been left scrambling to save the beloved fishing spot - and the fish that call the pond home.
At around 3pm on Friday, the fire crew arrived and helped preserve a precious community resource that is deeply treasured in Newport.
The Malpas team discharged their powerful hoses into the pond, significantly boosting oxygen levels for the fish - something the anglers had been struggling to maintain for more than 30 hours.
Around 50 roach have already died, and while carp and other species appear stable for now, the situation still remains critical.
A victim of the oxygen crash at Lliswerry Pond. (Image: NQ) Ben Edmunds, chair of the angling club, was jolted into action early Thursday morning.
He said: 'I left Wednesday night and all was fine. Thursday morning, I got a call from an angler at 5am. He said the fish are gasping,'
Ben said oxygen levels had plummeted to a dangerously low 0.08 per cent. By late Thursday, volunteers had managed to raise it to 45 per cent, but the threat of an overnight crash loomed.
Oxygen levels naturally decrease rapidly at night.
The pond was immediately closed, and a planned family fishing day was cancelled.
'We've been pumping water in and out to oxygenate the pond since 6am Thursday,' Ben explained.
'Volunteers are manning the place around the clock., Ben added' By midday Friday, Ben had been on duty for over 30 hours, sleeping in his car between shifts.
'Overnight watch is crucial. Between 2am and 6am is the lowest hour for oxygen and the most dangerous time for the fish. It's essential we're running correctly, fully fuelled and pumping at maximum.'
Support came swiftly. 'I called NRW and their fishery development officer Richard Shepherd was straight on the case. He came with two pumps, Newport Angling Association brought another, and we had three running here,' Ben said.
The pond, formed from an old quarry, is naturally rich in fertiliser, which encourages algae blooms.
When these blooms die off, they deplete oxygen from the water, a problem worsened by the summer heat and lack of rainfall.
'We haven't had any decent rainfall since February and we're 20 inches down on where we should be,' Ben added.
'What we're dealing with is going to be happening a lot now.'
Leaseholder Leanne Tutton urged the public to back anglers. 'Support your local anglers. Anglers spot what's going wrong before anyone else. Your local angler is the canary in the coalmine and we need more of them. The environment needs more anglers.'
Lliswerry Pond has been a fixture of Newport's fishing scene for nearly 140 years.
Beyond angling, it's also used as an educational tool for children of all backgrounds. But for now, it's the anglers - sleep-deprived, determined, and deeply connected to the water - who are fighting to keep it alive.
