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Post by highplains on Feb 27, 2007 20:21:47 GMT -1
The Assembly elections are due to be held on the 3rd May this year, and the feeling is that the fight for political power in Wales will be tough. Anglers, local and visiting contribute millions to the Welsh economy and billions to the British economy. Angling is the most popular participation sport in the country and the Environment Agency and the Assembly are actively encouraging people to participate in the sport. Yet the EAW and, by implication, the Assembly, allow the fish in the rivers and estuaries of Wales to go relatively unprotected and they remain easy pickings for the thieves who we call poachers. The Irish drift nets are, we hope, being removed so next year should be a good year for migratory fish. These fish will be even easier pickings for the poachers unless action is taken to protect them. This may be our last real chance to allow nature to repopulate the salmon and sea trout waters of Wales. We must take concerted action now. I have recently written to Carwyn AM Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside asking for some assurance about increasing the level of policing on our waters and await his reply. When this is received I will let you know and we can formulate our plan of action to apply pressure to the potential Assembly Members to make some real promises and give some real assurances to which they can be held after the election. This is a real chance for us to really influence events and assist in preserving the fish stocks of Wales.
Together we will make a difference.
Highplains
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Post by Hoppy on Feb 27, 2007 23:24:48 GMT -1
I really do hope that Enforcement and other as important environmental issues are addressed by WAG and the EAW. It really is time to assert some pressure on those with authority to protect fish stocks for the future. It is also just as important to look to the future of angling, for future generations. I hope that in 4 or 5 years time i can take my lad to the Welsh rivers, and watch him delight in the sight of sea trout and salmon leaping at dusk, and more importantly have the priveledge to fish for them. All options must be considered, enforcement, avian predation, other water users, stocking, habitat restoration, abstraction et al. Perhaps the up and coming elections in Wales can be used as a spring board for the future of angling in Wales. I for one love the country, the people and its fishing - i just hope that those in power, realise that they have something special and it needs to be protected for future generations. I hope people can support this and make strides to get it into the agendas of political groups. Hoppy
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Post by clwydman on Feb 28, 2007 20:51:20 GMT -1
Surely it would not be to big a task for every angling club secretary to write to the current AM and also any prospective candidates stating the number of members and asking for their support in this matter. The long and short of it is that they will all say yes at this time. It is vital that we then put pressure on to ensure that this issue does enter the political arena far more. Key words like money into Wales through tourism etc are the ways in which to raise the profile. By the very fact that this post has been up for a couple of days and only has 2 comments added shows that even the people it matters most to i.e. anglers have still not recognised how fragile the future of migratory fish in our waters. I will again state that without a huge sea change in attitude and massive input from many quarters Salmon will definately be a thing of the past on my river the Clwyd and many others in Wales in a very short time. Every angler should be raising this with the door step politicians over the next few months
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Post by watermole on Feb 28, 2007 23:12:06 GMT -1
clwydman, it is not just the lovely rivers of Wales that are affected. For many years now I, like others, have been writing to various powers-that -be and generally making a nuisance of myself with different people in an attempt to galvanise some positive action regarding the diminishing stocks of migratory fish in my local rivers. They all come down the same route from the north and all must run the same gauntlet of nets before they even reach our coasts.
I have often marvelled at the general apathy of the great majority of anglers whose sport hangs by an increasingly thinner thread, yet whilst fish are still caught, albeit in lesser numbers, are dis-inclined even so much as to write a letter of protest to their elected representative in Halitosis Hall. To be fair though, there are some who work unceasingly to redress the balance and whose valiant efforts are largely taken for granted by the great majority. To them must go the unspoken thanks of the many. For a number of seasons I was once privileged to fish part of what was described by Augustus Grimble in about 1900 as "The finest small salmon river in England" (with due deference to Wales) and yet, even during its' rapid decline, was still being plundered for what it could give in remaining fish stocks, was polluted with sewage on a regular basis and had its' very water abstracted to sometimes proven illegal levels by the Appointed Bodies and guardians who were supposed to be protecting it! Catch and return was largely ignored and generally regarded as optional until not long before it became mandatory.. Yes, the inevitable decline produced much wringing of hands, wailing and gnashing of teeth, mostly by those whose livelihood was supported by the river, but when the matter was addressed at meetings, the result usually only amounted to so much hot air and resolve without substance. Sadly, this river is only a pale shadow of what it once was, and unlikely to return in our lifetime, if at all. You are absolutely right. Unless all fishers learn how to speak with one voice and sing from the same Hymn sheet, and SOON,a good many of our rivers will go into irreversible decline and it 's no good blaming global warming or making sweeping generalisations either.
It's up to us all to make a very loud, concerted effort for the future's sake and for ALL our waters, Welsh and West-Country alike if there is going to be anything left to pass on to the future generations.
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Post by clwydman on Mar 1, 2007 19:20:22 GMT -1
Absolutely Watermole. At the time of writing this note, this post had been read 94 times. 4 people with an opinion out of 94 then. What message does that tell Mr EA. spy who monitor these such sites to guage opinion I am sure? It tells them that despite the fantastic work in raising the profile of lack of bailiffs etc. undertaken by individuals, they do not have to worry about the majority of anglers because they do not care. It is beyond belief that more support for action to protect our waters is not forth coming...........................................................
Or maybe I am a little harsh. If I add a question now and ask anyone who reads this thread to post an answer, maybe then we will see the extent of support amongst us anglers.
The question being :- 'Once Highplains receives a response from Carwyn AM Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside would you as an individual be prepared to lobby your current AM our any of the prospective candidates in your area?'
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Post by highplains on Mar 7, 2007 19:28:10 GMT -1
It is with great reluctance that I comment on this thread prior to receiving a reply from Carwyn AM. However I attended a Federation meeting last night at which our chairman advised us of the following statistics regarding Irish rivers.
The current status is that 100 Irish rivers are closed to fishing, only 47 remain open!
If the same happens in Wales it will destroy many clubs and put massive pressure on the rivers that remain open.
The EAW can not be allowed to preside over the devastation of our rivers by failing to put sufficient resources into policing our rivers. When I pointed this out to one eminent angling representative he pointed out that we also need to look after water quality and other such duties as the EAW currently encourages: and quite rightly so. The point is this, we must pay attention to all aspects of fish protection - habitat enhancement, water quality protection, discharges, poisoning and pollutants etc. WE DO HAVE TO MAINTAIN A BALANCED APPROACH and neglecting the protection of our fish seems to me to be a most basic and fundamental failure. This is the legal responsibility of the EAW and they have an obligation to do it properly or appeal for the funding to do it properly if they feel they are being under funded. Let's face it we as anglers have made a big enough issue of it and the EAW are proud to boast of the value of anglers and angling to the Welsh economy.
Is apathy choice?
I will try to refrain from further comment on this matter until I hear from the Assembly.
Tight lines.
Highplains
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Post by buzzerman on Mar 7, 2007 19:46:32 GMT -1
i hope it dosnt reach here thats frightening imagine what thata doing to the tourist trade
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Post by Hoppy on Mar 7, 2007 21:44:16 GMT -1
i hope it dosnt reach here thats frightening imagine what thata doing to the tourist trade Bill that is the whole point of this - and what Allan is doing is perhaps the most important aspect of this! We must do something collectively to make a difference. If the Ireland scheme is a success, make no bones about it, rivers that are below conservation limits in the Uk, could be subject of closures - and its 5 yrs! Hoppy
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Post by DAZ on Mar 7, 2007 22:05:41 GMT -1
Why don't we stage some sort of rally then.You know,big banners and all that.I'm up for it. I don't know how much organizing it would take though Just a thought. DAZ.
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Post by Gwyniadun on Mar 7, 2007 22:16:04 GMT -1
Highplain's first and last post point out the reality of the situation and I am in total agreement with his views, also of the other posts on this thread. I have a file here an inch thick of correspondence between the S&TA North Wales Branch and the Welsh Assembly / Environment Agency dating back to the first concerns raised in November 2005 and they are still ongoing... do we need to change ploy with this then? or add pressure in another way?
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Post by rwgbridgend on Mar 18, 2007 9:06:37 GMT -1
Allan,
apologies for not contributing to the enforcement threads on the forum for a while. This is in part due to me being out on the river so much due to a continued lack of presence by EAW. Just last sunday we had 8 illegal anglers on the river. EAW failed to attend inciting that they do not respond to 'rod and line offences'. Being only able to raise 2 other club bailiffs i called the police. Many thanks to South Wales Police for attending this incident.
I dont know how much longer this can go on. I will once again contact our local AM Carwyn , but i fear that this issue will be drowned out with it being election time. I think that if the results of the review are not satisfactory, we should consider more drastic action with regards to this issue.
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Post by Hoppy on Mar 18, 2007 12:51:59 GMT -1
The last post must make people realise that the problem of poaching in its various forms is a massive issue.
Regardless of people fishing without licences, how can the EA not attend, when they can not know the full facts?
Perhaps these unlicenced anglers were targetting Salmon / Kelts etc, perhpas they were snatching, netting?
Who knows, one thing is certain here, with the EA not turning out, they wont find out.
Perhaps the intelligence led approach the EA rely on needs to have a look at how to get information. This was a wasted opportunity - and one that should have been looked at.
The EA will fail in their quest if they dont look at how to gather intelligence, and to be fair, being out on the river is the best way. They can not rely on anglers to provide all the intelligence and club bailiffs to provide all the information.
I wonder where the bailiffs were?
Hoppy
PS How many EA staff were at the Spring Fly Fair, or Go Fishing?
Time to get the your house in order before promoting a sport whose quarry is struggling! Have at look at the Teifi Catch Return for 2006 - If figures keep declining in this manner, then where will the anglers be going? I suggest they will be looking elsewhere. I know i would!
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Post by highplains on Mar 18, 2007 16:31:51 GMT -1
rwbridgend,
You owe me no apology, I wish I could be as active as you in actively protecting our waters!
The season has hardly started and already we have poachers showing themselves in numbers. Yet I suppose the EAW will still maintain there is no poaching problem! Their senior management are a disgrace to themselves and to Wales, they should be supporting us and appealing for more funding. Alternatively they could increase the 3% of their budget they allocate to fisheries. I hope the election is going to provide a good opportunity for us to put on some real pressure. I am currently awaiting a reply from Carwyn .
Thank you for all your work and for continuing to highlight the problem. Let us hope we can persuade the angling community to make a bit more of an issue of this matter. There are enough of us to make a real difference. There is no time for apathy!!!
All the best.
Highplains
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Post by Hoppy on Mar 20, 2007 23:00:56 GMT -1
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Post by highplains on Mar 21, 2007 19:21:25 GMT -1
Fellow anglers,
Having now received the response from Carwyn I intend to post my letter to him, which I have edited to remove some "private" details and to erase my own address and identity, the reasons for which are obvious, together with his reply.
Before doing this however I feel obliged to make some sort of declaration of intent and to let you all know that the requests I am making are made with the official blessing of the Federation of Clwyd Angling Clubs and my own club that is a member of that Federation.
I will make every endeavour to be 100% honest in all my postings and to present the facts as I see them. I feel the lack of protection afforded to the rivers of Wales by the Environment is a disgrace to them and a tragedy for Wales as well as a potential blight on a valuable asset to the Welsh economy.
This really is our chance to make a difference and I appeal to you to support this issue with gusto. If we fail to initiate change on this issue then we may soon witness the failure of Welsh fish runs and the collapse of many of the local angling clubs.
We need all the services provided by the EAW: water purification; habitat change and protection; pollution monitoring and so on, but we also need fish to flourish in these improved environments. Balance EAW balance and a sense of proportion: you sadly lack both.
Together we can make a difference.
Highplains
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Post by highplains on Mar 21, 2007 19:51:29 GMT -1
The letter to Carwy . It was delivered, by hand, to his constituency office and later by email under cover of a suitabel covering comment.
Carwyn AM Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside National Assembly for Wales Cardiff Bay Cardiff CF99 1NA
Dear Minister,
Re: The Appeal by the Anglers of Wales, Visiting and Local to the Assembly Government.
You will recall that you were presented with an Appeal on behalf of the anglers of Wales, visiting and local, by Mark Isherwood AM on the 19th June last year. I am the author of that appeal and have, along with many others, continued the campaign to have the waters of Wales properly policed by the Environment Agency Wales.
May I thank you on behalf of the anglers, for requesting that the Environment Agency Wales to undertake a review of its current enforcement activities in Wales, in your letter to them dated 28th June 2006. I am sure that you are aware that the review you requested is ongoing and that their report is due to be presented to your good self early in the next financial year.
However, the reason for the inadequate protection and policing of our rivers is that you, in your Environment Agency Remit Letter 2006/07 addressed to Sir John Harman Chairman Environment Agency, make no mention to this as requirement of the Agency. Further, by implication you all but deny the Agency the opportunity to carry out this work by stating in your letter that the items contained therein are to be used as the basis for benchmarking the performance of the Agency and thereby measuring its performance. Under these circumstances it is little wonder that they are failing to protect our rivers!
I do however believe that the Agency ought reasonably to have brought this apparent omission to the attention of yourself or to your advisors, given the value of our waters and the fish in them to the economy of Wales, as you yourself have pointed out on many occasions.
Will you please include the following in your next remit letter to the Agency
a) Introduce the production of an intelligence lead data base of the criminals involved in the illegal taking of fish, other than by rod and line, from the rivers and estuaries of Wales. Many of whom are already known to them, but the Agency lacks the resources to pursue.
b) Introduce performance targets for the apprehension of those taking fish illegally, other than by rod and line, based upon a percentage over and above those that were being apprehended prior to the drastic reduction in Agency enforcement staff back in 1992 .
c) Or any such similar activities to improve the policing of our waters.
Yours faithfully
Allan
Research Officer – Federation of Clwyd and Angling Associations
Denbigh and Clwyd Angling Club
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Post by highplains on Mar 21, 2007 19:58:04 GMT -1
The reply from the Minister
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Post by dancer on Mar 21, 2007 19:58:46 GMT -1
Hi Highplains I can only speak personally but your unstinting efforts in being a thorn in the side of the EA and Welsh Assembly are greatly appreciated.The downturn in fry numbers particularly of seatrout is obviously very worrying and whilst as Daz and others have said are not down to a single feature then if we just talk about it and not actually do anything then it will gradually get worse until we are all facing a total ban on the rivers until numbers increase.If the position is allowed to continue with the EA operating as at present then the future looks grim.The EA and The Assembly are our best bet for change in trying to influence across a wide range of problem areas including at sea,etc and it is time for us to try individually to get behind any initiatives launched.
To this end I applaud your tenacity Highplains and it is probably time for us to state our position firmly as he who shouts loudest usually gets most attention. To be fair I believe most Ea officials have the love of the river and the fish at heart and welcome our vociferous support and certainly the EA boys I fish with clearly love their vocation.This support is needed by them.So if it takes us all writing to our MEP or Member Of Parliament lets just do it but we needsome support in the direction this should take
Keep up the good work Dancer
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Post by highplains on Mar 21, 2007 20:12:44 GMT -1
You will note that the point of the letter to the Minister was to point out the fact that the whole basis of the appeal in the first place was incorrect.
It is not the Environment Agency that is to be called to account, rather the Assembly for failing to instruct the EAW to protect the rivers of Wales. The remit letter, sent to the Agency from the Assembly, states quite clearly that all the direction contained in the letter of remit are to be used by the Agency as the basis for the Agencies performance targets and indicators. This means that the performance of the EAW will be assessed by the Assembly on the basis of the Agencies ability to comply with the indicators set out in that letter.
The remit letter puts no obligation on the Agency to enforce policing of the waters of Wales. This means that the Agency will concentrate all its efforts on those items set out in the remit letter.
Any other matters the Agency does is regardless of the Assembly, not because of it.
I hope I have explained that OK?
Copies of the letter of remit are availablele on the EAW website or I can email you a copy if you PM me.
Please start to mail, email, telephone etc.. your local Assembly candidates and seek their assurance that they will. in future, instruct the Environment Agency Wales to police Welsh waters. The three items listed in my letter to the Minister, who, if he read the letter, failed to understand its implications.
Regards
Highplains
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Post by Hoppy on Mar 21, 2007 21:22:43 GMT -1
This is how I read it - 1. WAG and Carwyn publish the remit letter that sets out the performance indicator areas for the EAW. 2. In Carwyn response to the Federation letter - he states that 'it is not his practice to remind the EAW of its obligations'. - Unfortunately as Minister for the Environment it is his duty. 3. Look at the forum in the last week...taking kelts, People fishing without a licence (how can we be sure that this is the case, when it was recorded as Non EA business, for all they know, those illegally fishing the Ogmore could have taken hundreds of kelts/springers etc etc!!!) On other forums there is mention again of illegal fishing in the Dee estuary. And they say poaching is not a problem!!!! 4. Something must be done right away. Whilst poaching may not have been the reason for C&R on the Annan, the fact that a river that was once one of the best in the UK is now C&R is worrying. Add this to the situation in Ireland and you may see that Fishing for Migratory fish in the UK may be in for massive changes. Im sure that if compulsory C&R is bought to parts of Wales and the UK, then there will be implications. One could be anglers not fishing - then who would the EAW get their information / intelligence from - this will leave rivers even more exposed! Also consider your licence fee, surely we would not have to pay £66 pounds a year for C&R and we would be able fish with a coarse/trout licence around £40 cheaper! This would be a massive loss in revenue for the EAW. Also consider what could happen to local businesses who rely on angling tourism. Whilst some will continue to fish C&R a lot wont! On a final note, i have to pay tribute to Highplains for his Jack Russelness. He has been a Stalwart of this campaign, and has generated massive interest in this all over. He really has driven this forward. If anyone is interested in sending a letter to their AM prior to the Elections in Wales, please pm Highplains, who will provide a the basis for a letter! Hoppy
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