Introduction

Recognised in the early 1980’s as one of England’s finest barbel and chub fisheries, since then, the Costessey Point reach of the River Wensum has suffered from the affects of habitat damaging river-dredging works and over abstraction of water.

Following from this its once strong flows dwindled and slowed until gradually its polished gravels pools became covered in layers of silt sediment, which eventually led to the decline of its famous fish stocks and the demise of the fishery as the jewel in the crown of Norfolk’s rivers.

Twenty years later NACA start work on Costessey Point Project a highly ambitious river habitat restoration project designed to reverse the fortunes of the fishery.

The pictures displayed here offer you a snapshot of the work undertaken to take the this once vibrant fishery out of its neglected state and to get the river working in a way that will restore its ability to once again become a top class fishery. We have a long road ahead before that we can say we have succeeded, but the first steps have been taken and we will be continuing the work that is necessary to realise our dream!

Hopefully you will learn something of use from your visit to this page and perhaps be inspired to go away and do something similar if you have a river that is suffering from the same malaise that has affected the Wensum for so long.