MAY I address some issues raised by Mr R D Halstead, of the Mitre Angling Club (Letters, July 23)?

Firstly, Witcherwell hatchery is indeed closing at the end of the current rearing reason. The Environment Agency has reappraised its migratory salmonid management strategies and identified too much reliance and too much expenditure on stocking.

It has identified that, on river systems such as the Ribble, the impact of land use and farming practices on the fish populations needs to be addressed urgently. This is what we intend to do.

The reason for this change is that stocking fry and parr into an environment in need of improvement can simply condemn the hatchery stock to death. Getting the habitat on our rivers right, or as near right as possible, must, therefore, be the highest priority. We cannot simply rely on stocking to mask the problem.

We know from stocking the Ribble and other rivers that, as a single management action, the stocking of fry and parr rarely works (not disputing that well-run smolt-ranching operations can and do work).

The habitat works of the Tweed Foundation and of fisheries managers on the River Bush are examples of the value-of-the-habitat approach.

The issue of genetic integrity still stands. Any stock reared by the Agency for restoration purposes or reared by any third party for introduction into the Ribble system will have to be progeny of Ribble parents.

The issue of anglers paying for restocking after fish kills is wrong. The Agency will continue to identify polluters and press for the polluter to pay for such restocking.

The subject of funding is close to my and other anglers' hearts. However, to continue with a stock management practice which is expensive, but not effective, is folly. We must work with owners, anglers and farmers to get the habitat right for the fish.

J SHATWELL, Fisheries, Recreation and Ecology Manager, The Environment Agency.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.