During early 2014 the Association turned to the Environment Agency Local Fisheries Team to carry out a survey of No1 Pond at Bestwood to look at fish stocks and possible reasons for the poor returns suffered by some members when fishing this pond. Having looked at the samples of fish present in the pond and taken data samples of things such as water temperature it was found that some species had very low growth rates, this was very likely down to the cold conditions that prevail in Natural Spring fed waters. Fry survival rates have also contributed to the problem and again it was thought this may be caused by low water temperature along with very little marginal vegetation for spawning fish. A common factor in both of these problems was the amount of shade provided by the large amounts of trees and bushes that surround the pond. These trees not only prevent natural light getting to the shallower margins of the pond and preventing the growth of marginal reeds but also slow down the rise in water temperature due large amounts of the pond being in the shade. Members may have noticed that work is ongoing around No1 Pond to remove some of the out of control Willows and carry out work on some of the other trees. This work is being carried out in a properly managed way and is in line with the proposals set out in the Environment Agency Report. It is also hoped that an introduction of Carp around the 2lb mark will be made in the next few weeks to help boost sport. The Association would like to thank the Environment Agency for their invaluable help and also the hard working Bailiffs and Volunteers who are carrying out the work. If you have any comments or questions regarding the work or the survey please contact the Secretary