Sport

Angling Notes: Giant carp survives the pollution in a Paris canal

Despite the rubbish, more than 4.5 tonnes of fish were discovered including a 20kg carp

Parisians inspecting the drained Saint-Martin canal and the lamentable dumping of many items in the facility, including 100 electric bicycles. Photograph: Coyau Wikimedia Commons

Derek Evans
Mon Dec 20 2021 - 00:00

Parisian authorities undertook the mammoth task of finding out just what exactly was lurking in the Saint-Martin canal which hadn’t been cleaned in 15 years.

As expected, among the discarded rubbish polluting the canal were many everyday objects, according to an article by Nam in greedy finance.com.

Before they could begin drainage and cleaning, the workers needed to create a temporary dam in order to section off the area. Once the water had been filtered through the impromptu dam, the drainage process began.

Workers ensured not all of the water was completely drained away, leaving some for a very specific and thoughtful reason: the Parisian waters contained some brave fish.

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This required entering the murky water to take care of the aquatic wildlife and catching the fish the old-fashioned way with hand-held long nets.

More than 4.5 tonnes of live fish were gathered and relocated to another environment. The different species were sorted and then released once a health analysis was carried out.

During the process, the fish were counted and researchers used health and weight readings to gauge the overall water quality in the canal. Amazingly, the workers found a carp weighing more than 20kg.

With the fish relocated to a safe place, the cleaning process began. Remember, this canal hadn’t been cleaned for several years. Draining it revealed the sad reality that many use the picturesque waterway as a dumping ground. .

Among the mud and moss, the team discovered a huge amount of discarded items including a shopping trolley, old furniture, an old office chair, a mattress, and several neglected tables. There were also hundreds of bicycles including almost 100 electric bicycles dumped in the canal.

This Parisian canal wasn’t just a nice place for a walk, but also sadly functioned as a rubbish dump.

Dublin is renowned for its own canals which have become a popular facility for both locals and tourists alike. The Grand and Royal canals are lined, in parts, with trees, sheltering them from the hustle and bustle of the city and making them a pleasant spot for quiet reflection or a stroll. However, as in Paris, keeping the city’s waterways clean is an ongoing tough job for local authorities.

Lough Lein Anglers’ Association agm cancelled for second year

For the second consecutive year, the annual general meeting of Lough Lein Anglers’ Association in Killarney was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid-19. However, club secretary, Corry O’Flaherty has provided a run-down of the limited events that did materialise.

Salmon fishing was reasonably good in spite of the very cold spring, he said. The Flesk river had an abundance of high water and some very good salmon of 6.3kg to 7.2kg were reported for the season.

Of the two good mid-summer floods on the Flesk, the first brought a good run of peel up to 2.7kg; however, the average weight dropped somewhat during the second flood to 1.3kg. After that, the good weather arrived and no more water.

Three trout outings were held during the year. Alfie Hughes took the honours at Clonee, Tim O’Sullivan was top rod on Lough Lein in September and Stephen Hanley swept the boards in the “local” competition, also on Lein, in a tough day’s fishing.

Congratulations were again extended to the club’s president, Michael J O’Connor, on reaching his 108th birthday. God bless him.

If you have an angling story to share, please send to me at angling@irishtimes.com

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