Wensum Past Present and Future

This paper found its genesis in work undertaken by members of the Broads Angling Services Group (BASG) – Wensum Working Group to understand why there has been a marked decline in the River Wensum’s Roach population both in size and fish numbers. BASG’s initial intention was to conduct a BASG Roach Project influenced by the River Avon’s Roach Project to attempt to make improvements to the current situation. In conducting a review of a considerable body of the many papers and studies into the condition and challenges to the River Wensum’s ecology, biodiversity and water quality written in the past 10 to 15 years, it became very evident that an angling community of interest could not solve the issues at hand in isolation of the many other stakeholder and interest groups having authority, responsibility and enthusiasm to effect change for the better.

It was extremely obvious that there was a need for a concerted and sustained effort to reinvigorate the measures initiated by the River Wensum Restoration Strategy.

The Strategy was commissioned in 2009 by Natural England and overseen by a steering group convened by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency and the Water Management Alliance.

Click on the image below to open the document.