Post by Hoppy on Jul 4, 2007 17:46:23 GMT -1
From Carmarthen Journal 4th July as published
ANGLERS MUST FIGHT BACK
10:00 - 04 July 2007
As an angler, like many others, I have sat back and listened to the rubbish spoken by canoeists and the Welsh Canoeing Association for many years.
However, I think it is about time anglers started to stand up for themselves and fought to protect their sport and rights.
It is nonsense for the Welsh Canoeing Association to say "the general public have no right to access inland waters in England and Wales" (Carmarthen Journal, June 20).
They have the same right as any person in England and Wales, whether they are an angler or not.
Land and fishing rights regularly come on to the open market and are bought and sold - anyone has the right to purchase or rent them.
Anglers have, for generations, come together to form clubs, paid
subscriptions, raised funds and used this money to purchase and rent land and fishing rights to secure their sport for the future.
Furthermore, many individuals and syndicates have spent thousands of pounds securing exclusive access rights to fishing.
As an angler, to gain access to these inland waters, which are effectively private property, I first have to pay the Government a licence fee via the Environment Agency and then pay the relevant owner of the property a permit for entitling me to fish for a given period of time.
I accept this as part of life because I wouldn't expect to enter a football ground or swimming pool, for example, without paying.
What canoeists want is free and unfiltered access to inland waters, without contributing anything financially, or otherwise, to their upkeep, which many people have struggled to pay for and looked after for years.
If, for the last 40 years, the Welsh Canoeing Association had recruited members willing to pay, they would be in a position to stop whingeing and compete with the rest of us to secure access rights to rivers as they become available, instead of expecting something for nothing.
Come on, anglers, I urge you to stand up for your sport, write to your councillors and AMs expressing your concerns, and refuse to support anyone in power who does not support you.
Wayne Heard Templeton, Narberth
ANGLERS MUST FIGHT BACK
10:00 - 04 July 2007
As an angler, like many others, I have sat back and listened to the rubbish spoken by canoeists and the Welsh Canoeing Association for many years.
However, I think it is about time anglers started to stand up for themselves and fought to protect their sport and rights.
It is nonsense for the Welsh Canoeing Association to say "the general public have no right to access inland waters in England and Wales" (Carmarthen Journal, June 20).
They have the same right as any person in England and Wales, whether they are an angler or not.
Land and fishing rights regularly come on to the open market and are bought and sold - anyone has the right to purchase or rent them.
Anglers have, for generations, come together to form clubs, paid
subscriptions, raised funds and used this money to purchase and rent land and fishing rights to secure their sport for the future.
Furthermore, many individuals and syndicates have spent thousands of pounds securing exclusive access rights to fishing.
As an angler, to gain access to these inland waters, which are effectively private property, I first have to pay the Government a licence fee via the Environment Agency and then pay the relevant owner of the property a permit for entitling me to fish for a given period of time.
I accept this as part of life because I wouldn't expect to enter a football ground or swimming pool, for example, without paying.
What canoeists want is free and unfiltered access to inland waters, without contributing anything financially, or otherwise, to their upkeep, which many people have struggled to pay for and looked after for years.
If, for the last 40 years, the Welsh Canoeing Association had recruited members willing to pay, they would be in a position to stop whingeing and compete with the rest of us to secure access rights to rivers as they become available, instead of expecting something for nothing.
Come on, anglers, I urge you to stand up for your sport, write to your councillors and AMs expressing your concerns, and refuse to support anyone in power who does not support you.
Wayne Heard Templeton, Narberth
