40th City of London Thames Fishery Research Experiment

2011 Fishmongers' Cup winner, Paul Longmuir

The annual City of London Thames Fishery Research Experiment will take place along the foreshore beside the Port Health Lower Thames Office, Denton, this Saturday 27 October.

The Deputy Mayor (Derek Sales) and Mayoress (Pam Sales) of Gravesham will be attending from Gravesham Council and presenting the award for the Individual Catch Trophy which is awarded to the angler with the highest individual score.

The overall objective of the experiment is to establish the environmental condition of the Thames through determining the number and size of fish species returning to the river. Judging is based on the greatest number and the most diverse variety of fish caught with all but the prime specimens being returned to the river. All information gathered is shared with the Thames Angling Preservation Society, Environment Agency and members of the river community.

The Lady Howard Trophy
Eight adult teams of anglers including a City of London Corporation Port Health and Environmental Services Committee Team and City of London Corporation Invitation Team will be competing for The Lady Howard Trophy which is awarded to the team with the highest score - calculated by awarding points for fish caught against an agreed scoring system. Other angling teams taking part include the Charles Stanley team, Essex County, Kent County, the PLA, a Public Services team and a Thamesiders team.

PLA Schools Trophy
The City of London School, the City of London School for Girls and Gravesend Grammar School will be competing for the PLA Schools Trophy.

Bio-diversity award
The Worshipful (Livery) Company of Water Conservators also donate a bio-diversity award for the catch which most demonstrates the continuing healthiness and improvement of the River Thames.

The Fishmongers’ Cup (individual)
The Fishmongers’ Cup will be presented by the judging panel for the largest and/or best fish.

John Tomlinson, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, said:

“The Thames Fishery Research Experiment is one of my favourite events of the year.  It’s a fun competition to take part in and at the end of the day we will have a better indication of the current health of the river.”

Competitors will fish between 9am and 1pm followed by lunch and a presentation ceremony attended by the Sheriffs of London, Alderman Sir David and Lady Howard, City of London Corporation Port Health Committee Members and invited guests.

A History of the Thames Fishery Research Experiment

The first Thames Fishery Research Experiment took place in February 1966 and was organised by the Thames Angling Preservation Society. There were over 500 participants and 578 fish were caught. The experiment was repeated in 1970 and the City of London became interested in 1971, with the first experiment arranged jointly in 1973. It became an annual event and is now in its 40th year.

At the 1966 experiment, stewards were instructed to register fish that were caught before returning them to the river. This practice has now been adopted at similar events all around the country. The Thames Angling Preservation Society also pioneered the zoning and points system used in the competition today. Judging is based on the greatest variety of fish caught and a scoring system is used which was originally devised by Dr Wheeler of the Natural History Museum. The system rates fish according to scarcity and significance in the context of a cleaner river.

The results of the 40 Fishing Experiments have demonstrated that the River Thames has recovered since the 1950s and 1960s when a person was placed in quarantine if they fell into the water!