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River Douglas Never 'Smelt' Better!
Not too many years ago, the River Douglas
was renowned for nothing more glamorous than discarded junk and unclean
water. In more recent times, fishermen have reported catching many
different species of fish, including the once-elusive trout. However,
local amateur fisherman, Douglas Fillingham, has gone one step further
by successfully netting a Rainbow Smelt. The identity of the Smelt - a
member of the Salmon family - was verified by staff at the Wigan Angling
store.
Mr Fillingham was fishing
on the river close to Appley Bridge. He said of the catch: "
I had caught a small trout at the same spot about
three weeks earlier and when I caught this one I was a bit unsure as to
what it was so I took a picture of it. After having a good look at it I
thought that it was a salmon and my thoughts were confirmed by a man
from Wigan Angling who happened to be fishing close by."
Whether Smelt, an actual
salmon or a farmed trout, the catch confirms the water of the River
Douglas is in as good a condition as it has been for many years.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust's
Countryside Services Manager, Graham Workman, said the catch was great
news for the borough and a good indicator that more wildlife could be on
the way. He said: "During the 1600s the Douglas was well-known for its
salmon stocks. In fact local workers used to complain they were being
fed too much salmon it was so bountiful.
"Sadly the industrial revolution stopped all that but in recent years a
lot of work has been carried out to improve the state of the river." Mr
Workman added: "Both the Environment Agency and United Utilities have
done some tremendous work on the Douglas and it's now fair to say it's
in a better condition than we've seen for a couple of hundred years.
"We've had plenty of sightings of other species of animals not seen in
the borough for a long time such as kingfishers, grey wagtails and we
have a healthy population of water voles.
"I believe it's now only a matter of time until we see animals like
otters returning to our waterways and salmon in the rivers is a great
indicator for the future."
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