More fish in East Midlands rivers

Special report: The River Trent

Anglers in the East Midlands are benefiting from a thriving fish population, according to a new report by the Environment Agency.

In the region's biggest river - the Trent - pike, perch and roach are flourishing, while stocks of salmon are slowly building up.

And the River Lymm, in Lincolnshire, was named as one of the waterways richest in fish, containing 14 species.

The findings are in the agency's biggest survey of inland fishing.

Dafydd Evans, head of fisheries at the Environment Agency, said: "This report marks a key milestone in our monitoring and understanding of fish stocks in England and Wales."

Other findings included:

• Of the 45 sites recorded as high quality, two were on the River Soar.

• Grayling populations were healthy, with the highest individual river catch in 2001/2002 recorded on the Derwent.

• The agency said water quality in the Trent "improved markedly" in the 1990s and it was now becoming a "valuable fishery".