Residents in Sandown have issued an urgent plea for help to save carp and other fish living in Sandown’s Canoe Lake, as record-breaking sunshine has led to a significant drop in the water level.
With no notable rainfall in weeks and temperatures hitting over 35c over the past week, the water has quickly evaporated from the canoe lake next to Dinosaur Isle at Culver Parade. The lake is owned by the Isle of Wight Council in part but also owned by an unknown private party.
Local resident Matthew Sherwood filmed at the location over the weekend and documented how fish have been left in around 10cm of water. The situation has only worsened since with sandbanks forming. Mr Sherwood says he has been warning the authorities for over 2 years about the potential risk.
Unfortunately, it is illegal for anyone to remove the fish from the lake – even if it is to save their lives. If no action is taken then the lake will dry up and the fish will, sadly, perish.
Councillor Debbie Andre says ‘peace and calm’ has been restored to the Canoe Lake, but that certainly isn’t the view of local residents. Cllr Andre has also said that the fire service are unable to assist with pumping water into the lake as it would deplete the water resources at this time of a possible drought.
Cllr Andre adds:
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m listening to the experts rather than get caught up in a FB storm. I cannot condone any illegal behaviour with people taking actions that are not authorised and detrimental to our local ecosystem”.
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As of this morning (Monday) no action appears to have been taken to resolve the situation.
Can’t people just go down with buckets who live nearby?
Would only take a million or so buckets!
I’ll be doing a rain dance for the torrential rain forecast for the end of the week.
Really !!!!!!!!!!!
It would NOT ‘deplete’ the water levels IF the fire brigade took the water from the point just prior to it flowing into the SEA.
Christ hardly rocket science. As it only goes to fill the already overfull sea then anyway.
All water extracted from rivers should be taken at ‘that point’ where feasible, then rivers aren’t lowered.
Agree!
Can’t the IWC be prosecuted for causing unesesary suffering by RSPCA
Can’t the RSPCA get involved or Wildlife Trust or similar? What a sad situation those poor fish
Drought? it rained from October to March, Drought…really.
Surely the ‘unknown private party’ could be made known and approached. And allowing the fish to die in this cruel fashion, when they could so easily be rescued, because of some ridiculous legal loophole is totally unacceptable. To abandon the fish in this way, causing their demise, should be regarded as criminally negligent, and legal action should be taken jointly against the council and the other party.
What about the vile stench, think of the homeless who sit there drinking all day?
Mind I guess the fish by now are used to that so will just have to put up with that!
Does the “unknown party” have anything to do with Dinosaur Isle, by any chance?
This canoe lake is fed from the sea at high tide years ago I doubt the the wheel to open the valve would work now after all these years so that’s why it is now fresh water of a sorts it’s a shame to let these fish perish but as the council is part owner say no more
Yes, when we were kids we caught small flat fish there so it once was sea water. The owners should be forced to do something. How can you only own part of a canoe lake? As for Cllr Andre, she asked residents of Yaverland about the parking on estate roads during the summer as residents have complained for years about cars parking so that emergency vehicles or larger vehicles can’t pass. She never bothered to update residents and nothing has changed so she’s sloping shoulders on this issue as well.
Illegal to remove fish from the lake? Who actually would stop anyone? Nothing was done to stop illegal gatherings in Newport during the lockdown so if a home could be found for the fish and a method of catching and transporting them humanely sorted out then maybe it should be done.