Fisheries Crime Watch on the River Conwy

[Hoppy]

A new initiative to combat fisheries crime will be launched today on the River Conwy catchment. The pilot scheme will involve a partnership between Environment Agency Wales Sustainable Fisheries Project Officers, Environmental Crime Officers and a number of other organisations and individuals with fishery interests within the Conwy Valley.

At a recent meeting in Betws y Coed, Agency staff unveiled proposals for setting up a river catchment-based Fisheries Crime Watch Scheme. This was presented to a selected invited audience, including members of the Conwy Valley Fisheries Association, other angling interests and fishery owners, Police Countryside Liaison Officers, Sea Fisheries Officer, the Marine Fisheries Agency, and the public. Those present gave the proposal their support and backing.

Ken Parry, Agency Sustainable Fisheries Project Officer said:

'The scheme will involve a selected group of 20 individual volunteers who will become observers, reporting on the information they gain from their connection with the river catchment. They will relay this information by means of a dedicated freephone system directly to the Environmental Crime Unit based in our offices in Bangor. This direct feed of information will allow us to target crime hotspots where and when they occur. Working together will aid communication and create a greater understanding of fisheries crime activity within the catchment, enabling a better use of resources to tackle any incident that may arise.'

Anyone who sees pollution, illegal tipping of waste, poaching, fish in distress or danger to the natural environment can contact the Agency's emergency hotline on 0800 80 70 60. The hotline operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, calls are free and will be treated in the strictest confidence.

[Hoppy]

From the CFF

The Conwy 'Fisheries Crime Watch' is especially interesting since it echoes our exclusive initiative with our CFF Bailiff Group we set up over 2 years ago, with 40 committed individuals from the Towy Taf and Teifi - but has never exactly motivated EAW very much. Indeed, our various attempts at reporting incidents and extracting responses can result at best in the simulation of the extraction of blood out of stones - and at worst - Zilch. We trust our colleagues on the Conwy have better luck

[kwilliams]

I comment on this project as an observation on the unstated admission on the Abject failure of the EA 's 0800 complaint system in Wales for failing to take its stakeholders and complainants reports seriously at face value when in receipt of poaching complaints.
The failure of the 0800 system is well know within and managers will not admit to the failure of this system whatsoever.
Having been a former WWA, NRA and EA bailiff on this river system for many years, I was, despite the constant pleading for information with clubs and anglers alike I was unable to drum up support from local angling clubs to act more speedily when poaching offences too place.
Indeed I recall some cases of poaching, especially netting went unreported for days or even weeks when patrolling an often "off the cuff" remark was made that a net had been pulled out the river by "So and So" or by the informant himself, often proud of the fact that he's done such an helpful but unknowingly obstructive act rather than allow bailiffs the opportunity to deal with the matter and apprehend the offenders red handed.
Many times a removed net was never to be recovered to safe authority possession.
If this project is to ever work, then the anglers in this location will have to really work for a result otherwise make no mistake they are being adminstratively spotlighted as " The Test Bench" for a reporting system principality wide and should it fail. then the EA will have at it's disposal the means to lay any blame of failure elsewhere no doubt taking the moral high ground and apportion blame elsewhere for a failure.
I wonder why there haven't been any high profile prosecution cases on this river over the last 10 years, in fact I'd ask why there haven't been many low category cases either and it begs the question in my mind as to what level of protection and recognition this river deserves given by the Officer responsible for patrolling this river.
I find it incredulous that the Sea Fisheries officers of the North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee and Marine Fisheries Agency were present, as these organisations have never brough a prosecution of netting anywhere in the estuary at any time to my knowledge, so how does their presence enhance this project in which the most frequent poaching issues on the river exist from Dolgarrog upstream to Romam Bridge.

Offences of drift netting at Night in the area between the Conwy Bar to Degany area are reknowned and yet ignored, whilst netting upstream pf Conwy bridge goes unchecked despite the fact that netting is totally banned in this area by EA Byelaw.

The amount of poaching upstream of Conwy Falls is a totally unknown factor despite intelligence which gives strength to the fact that it occurs.

I would wish this project well but I for one won't hold my breath for the next 10 years

K Williams
Former EA Wales Special Enforcement Officer.

[clwydman]

forgive me for sounding cynical, but is this a new initiative or is this how bailiffs used to work? Sounds more like EA spin to me, we should not be praising individual 'initiatives' we should demanding whole scale improvement, why the Conwy? why not the Dovey? the Clwyd?, the Dee?
One river initiatives are a waste of time, we need whole scale change!

[Gwyniadun]

Well said Clwydman!

Gwyniadun

[wnion]

Isn't it a case of anglers and the general public doing the Environment Agencies work for them though ?

[clwydman]

I can tell alittle tale here of the most frightening man I ever met. He was known as Mogs, Bailiff in the Pembrokeshire area, Crashed through a hedge at about 2 in the morning whilst I was sea trout fishing on the river Cleddau. Both myself aged 18 and well able to look after myself and my Father nearly sh** ourselves. 'Sorry boys he stated, thought you were f****** poachers'. Chatted to him for a while after and he really was a nice bloke, but poaching on his rivers he took as a personal insult. Speaking to the local landowner the next day he told us of a knock at the door one November evening. There was Mogs ' I know if I look in your freezer now I may find the odd salmon, Don't be greedy and phone me if you see any strangers on the river' This conversation was repeated at every farmhouse with land on the river. The result was- yes the odd fish was taken by farmers lads etc but any strange cars etc. were immediately reported to 'Mogs' he really was good at his job but need the 'eyes and ears' of the local community. We need to work with the EA not expect them to do it all themselves!
Don't get me wrong I fully agree the current situation is a joke, gross under funding has resulted in the situation we are in now, but don't forget 10 years ago or maybe a little more, every angling club had there own bailiffs on the water. These too are gone due to the fear of litegation etc. Come on now continue to lobby for greater funding from the EA but also lobby for greater support and help from every angler and every club in the country!
The bailiffs we have now I am sure are as devoted to the job as Mogs was, there are just too few of them to make a difference, we must ensure we support the bailiffs whilst lobbying the greater powers to fund a greater bailiff presence on our rivers.

Just off to buy a licience now!!! ( joke honest)

[highplains]

Clwydman,

Well said!!

Regards.

Highplains