Your one stop information centre for fishing
in Cumbria and the Lake District

Bassenthwaite Lake is home to an amazing variety of wildlife, including its world famous ospreys. But this National Nature Reserve is under threat. Water quality is poor and seriously affecting the wildlife and the fish stock - which includes the rare vendace. Much of the solution to the lakes problems may lie in more careful land management throughout the wider catchment - what goes onto the land eventually goes in to the lake.

The Bassenthwaite Lake Restoration Programme (BLRP) is taking action on the threats to the lake. We want the water in the lake to be as clean and clear as it was in the 1940s. It's going to take us about 20 years to do this by:

• Sorting out the water quality - by using better treatment plants on farms and sewage treatment works.

• Working together - by encouraging residents and businesses to care for the environment.

• Sharing information and telling people - to make sure people know what's happening.

• Digging deeper - by trying to discover more details about the lake and its surroundings.

• Learning - by exploring everything we can to protect and improve the lake in the future.

Click on the vendace to help you to find out more about the habitat of this unique place, the threats to Bassenthwaite Lake, the actions being taken to help protect it and how to enjoy the lake responsibly.