Gone fishing

Around 200 common carp have been removed from the Ornamental Pond on Southampton Common in a bid to restore wildlife to the lake.

Taking over the water by uprooting plants and disrupting the ecology for other species, the oversized fish have been hampering a joint project between the environment Agency and the city council to improve the environment.

A large population of the troublesome fish was first taken from the small lake two years ago and replaced with a mix of fast-growing pond species such as rudd, trench and crucian carp. But people have been putting carp back into the pond and the population has risen, threatening the success of the restoration project and endangering the water's new inhabitants.

Andy Thomas from the Environment Agency said: "Selfish people illegally stocking this water with carp are putting the whole restoration at risk."

To remove the large stock of carp from the pond, Environment Agency workers use electronic fishing methods. An electric current passes through the water, stunning the fish so they cannot move and can be caught in a net.

Workers collected around 200 common carp from the water, and also found about a dozen goldfish in the first phase to get rid of the large fish.

Maintained by the Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre, the pond is one of four small lakes on Southampton Common that has become a fishing hot spot.

The centre's land management ecologist Andy Welch said the lake is not suited to host common carp as the fish, which have been known to grow up to 60lbs, uproot vegetation and carries disease.

"The common carp is too big for this size lake and it really is cruel of people to put them, and any goldfish in there," he said.

"It is an offence to put fish into any waters without the necessary authority and anyone caught doing so will be liable to prosecution," he said.

The Environment Agency will return to the pond in the autumn to extract any more illegal fish as part of the ongoing restoration project.