ARAnglerRadar evidence & rules

Barbus barbus · England

Where barbel has been recorded

Environment Agency surveys have recorded barbel at 870 sites across 200 waters, between 1978 and 2026. These are monitoring records with dates. They do not establish what is present today, nor that you may fish for it.

Waters

Rivers with the most records

Ordered by how many surveyed sites on each water recorded it. Waters with their own page are linked.

  1. River Kennet22 siteslatest 25 Sept 2025
  2. Severn - Confl Vyrnwy to Bewdley (main river)22 siteslatest 19 Sept 2023
  3. Main Avon Sites (Wessex)21 siteslatest 8 Oct 2025
  4. Upper Thames (Thames)20 siteslatest 16 Oct 2025
  5. Lee (Hertfordshire and North London)19 siteslatest 9 Jun 2026
  6. River Swale (Yorkshire)19 siteslatest 13 Aug 2025
  7. Wye (East Midlands)18 siteslatest 6 Oct 2022
  8. River Tees (North East)17 siteslatest 11 Sept 2025
  9. River Teme17 siteslatest 11 Sept 2023
  10. Warwickshire Avon17 siteslatest 10 Jul 2014
  11. Great Ouse (Newport Pagnell to Bedford)15 siteslatest 23 Aug 2023
  12. River Trent (West Midlands)15 siteslatest 11 Sept 2025
  13. River Ure (Yorkshire)15 siteslatest 13 Aug 2025
  14. TWARP reaches of the Thames14 siteslatest 20 Jul 2025
  15. Derwent (East Midlands)13 siteslatest 29 Sept 2025
  16. Lugg13 siteslatest 13 Sept 2017
  17. River Dearne13 siteslatest 2 Jul 2026
  18. River Don13 siteslatest 12 Aug 2025
  19. River Wear (North East)13 siteslatest 12 Sept 2013
  20. Colne (Hertfordshire and North London)12 siteslatest 15 Jun 2026
  21. Middle Thames (Thames)12 siteslatest 12 Jul 2016
  22. Main river sites11 siteslatest 18 Sept 2025
  23. River Loddon11 siteslatest 1 May 2025
  24. Trent (East Midlands)11 siteslatest 19 Sept 2025
  25. Wandle11 siteslatest 7 Oct 2025
  26. Wensum (central)11 siteslatest 26 Sept 2013
  27. Ivel10 siteslatest 30 Apr 2025
  28. River Calder10 siteslatest 15 Aug 2024
  29. River Nidd (Yorkshire)10 siteslatest 17 Jul 2025
  30. River Wharfe (Yorkshire)10 siteslatest 20 Aug 2024
  31. Wensum (Barbel)10 siteslatest 23 Oct 2016
  32. Arborfield9 siteslatest 26 Jun 2012
  33. Mole - main river (Kent, South London and East Sussex)9 siteslatest 29 Jul 2025
  34. River Thame8 siteslatest 17 Sept 2025
  35. River Windrush8 siteslatest 16 Sept 2014
  36. Blackwater (Solent and South Downs)7 siteslatest 8 Apr 2025
  37. Idle7 siteslatest 13 Apr 2017
  38. River Tame7 siteslatest 14 Aug 2014
  39. River Alne7 siteslatest 22 Jun 2022
  40. River Arrow (West Midlands)7 siteslatest 4 Jun 2019
  41. River Derwent (Yorkshire)7 siteslatest 16 Jul 2018
  42. River Evenlode7 siteslatest 11 Jun 2024
  43. River Ouse (Yorkshire)7 siteslatest 6 Aug 2025
  44. River Rother (Yorkshire)7 siteslatest 28 Jul 2025
  45. River Stour Middle (East Anglia)7 siteslatest 3 Aug 2010
  46. Soar7 siteslatest 29 Jun 2022
  47. Bristol Avon main river6 siteslatest 3 Sept 2024
  48. Meden6 siteslatest 24 Sept 2025
  49. River Dane6 siteslatest 18 May 2023
  50. Avon Side Channels (Wessex)5 siteslatest 24 Sept 2014
  51. Colnebrook5 siteslatest 3 Jun 2025
  52. Erewash5 siteslatest 31 May 2019
  53. River Churnet5 siteslatest 13 Sept 2006
  54. River Dove (West Midlands)5 siteslatest 16 May 2019
  55. River Aire (Yorkshire)5 siteslatest 30 Sept 2013
  56. River Goyt5 siteslatest 17 Aug 2009
  57. River Skerne5 siteslatest 16 Sept 2022
  58. Romney - Old Windsor5 siteslatest 4 Sept 2018
  59. Wey Combined5 siteslatest 7 Jul 2023
  60. Bollin4 siteslatest 22 Jul 2025
  61. Flood Relief4 siteslatest 9 Jul 1992
  62. Great Ouse (Brackley to Newport Pagnell)4 siteslatest 17 Jun 2025
  63. Leen4 siteslatest 6 Jul 2011
  64. Lake Surveys4 siteslatest 6 Feb 2017
  65. Main River Marden4 siteslatest 19 May 2011
  66. Medway - main river4 siteslatest 16 Oct 2025
  67. Molesey - Teddington4 siteslatest 31 Jul 2025
  68. Ouse (Solent and South Downs)4 siteslatest 25 Jul 2024
  69. Oxford Watercourses4 siteslatest 18 Aug 2014
  70. River Chelt4 siteslatest 3 Sept 2015
  71. River Cherwell4 siteslatest 7 Jun 2023
  72. River Etherow4 siteslatest 9 May 2006
  73. River Stour (Worcestershire)4 siteslatest 6 Jun 2023
  74. Shepperton - Sunbury4 siteslatest 22 Jul 2024
  75. Woodhouse Washlands Project Sites4 siteslatest 6 Jul 2017
  76. Amber3 siteslatest 25 Jun 2014
  77. Above Wellingborough3 siteslatest 24 May 2005
  78. Avon (Hampshire)3 siteslatest 2 Oct 2025
  79. Crane (Hertfordshire and North London)3 siteslatest 27 Sept 2022
  80. Main Somerset Frome3 siteslatest 22 Sept 2025

Distribution

By ecology region

  • Thames197 sites
  • West Midlands166 sites
  • Yorkshire125 sites
  • East Anglia78 sites
  • East Midlands65 sites
  • Wessex59 sites
  • Hertfordshire and North London55 sites
  • North East35 sites
  • Kent, South London and East Sussex33 sites
  • Greater Manchester Merseyside and Cheshire24 sites
  • Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire14 sites
  • Solent and South Downs12 sites
  • Cumbria and Lancashire7 sites

Regions are the Environment Agency’s own ecology areas. Survey effort is not even across them, so a higher count can reflect more monitoring rather than more fish.

Provenance

Source and licence

  • SourceEnvironment Agency Ecology & Fish Data
  • LicenceOpen Government Licence v3.0
  • Source copy retrieved23 Jul 2026
  • Not assertedCurrent presence, abundance, access, permission or fishing quality
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