A comparison of late eighteenth century and present‐day fishery surveys on the River Witham, Lincolnshire, UK

A late‐eighteenth century manuscript recording the netted catches of fish in the lower River Witham, Lincolnshire, UK by Joseph Banks was analysed to provide the total weights and numbers of pike, Esox lucius L., perch, Perca fluviatilis L., eels, Anguilla anguilla (L.) and unsorted cyprinids. A number of records of less common fish, including burbot, Lota lota (L.), were reported. These results were compared with the results from present‐day surveys and the average weight of pike, perch and eels appears to have been greater in the eighteenth century.