Fish were removed from a pond yesterday after several summers of dead fish being found there.
Hailsham Town Council said an investigation had found low levels of dissolved oxygen in the Common Pond, caused by hot weather and thunderstorms.
This, along with decaying food left for the birds and an abundance of goose poo, has led to toxic algal bloom, which though natural, could kill any fish left in the pond.
Pond warden Phil Hobden said: “We’re aware that the Common Pond, often described as Hailsham’s jewel in the crown, is a valued open space for the community and popular with visitors
“But the reality is, unless we remove most of the fish from the pond, we will keep repeating the cycle of increased algae levels, rapid drop in oxygen levels in the water and more dead fish and waterfowl.
“For this reason, we cannot allow such a large fish population to exist in the pond and have had to remove most of them from the pond.
“Though by no means as extreme as the summer in 2023, the warm weather in June and lack of any significant rainfall meant that we had to act sooner rather than later to prevent any further reduction in the quality of water levels caused by climate change.
“By keeping fish numbers low, this will ensure that the water quality remains satisfactory, and the overall health of the pond is maintained.”
The Environment Agency granted a Section 30 licence to remove the fish, which have been moved to a nearby fishery and transported in aerated tanks by a specialist contractor, where they will be allowed to live out the rest of their natural lives.
An increase in the number of Canada Geese has also led to high levels of goose droppings on the footpath, and the risk of high e-coli in the pond itself.
The town council has been asking people not to feed the geese and ducks, and has put up signs around the pond.
Mr Hobden said: “As well as removing fish from the pond, another thing we are doing to help tackle the problems on site is asking people to not feed the birds and to keep our wildlife wild.
“We’re asking residents to help make the Common Pond site cleaner and safer by being responsible when it comes to feeding waterfowl at the site.
“We appreciate that feeding birds is a normal thing to do and people mean absolutely no harm by it. However, we kindly ask residents to not be tempted and to seriously think about the problems that it can cause to local wildlife and environmental quality.”
