Mark Isherwood A.M. advises the Campaign team that puplic consultation regarding access to the countryside is to start in December 2013. See the Forum for his full comments.
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The post below must have seemed a bit dramatic to say the least: well it was supposed to attract your attention because we face a serious “issue” with the Welsh Government, who are, we believe, intent upon legislation which will potentially open up the whole of the Welsh countryside to unrestricted “freedom to roam”, including all waters: rivers and lakes. This will of course exclude anglers who will be restricted as they are currently. We have now added a new forum to the web site, so old users will have to register again. The forum requires users to prove that they are human by asking you to copy details from the screen to a registration box. This should prevent access by hackers. You will recall we were getting thousands of applications for membership daily which made managing the forum impossible. We are opening the forum as the centre for discussion between all interested parties, but will not permit inappropriate posting, so please refrain from personal insults, bad language or the like. This is a free country where freedom of speech is quite acceptable. Freedom to abuse or insult is not.
We are pleased to announce that we are now back in action, however, the new forum is not quite ready, so we are delaying a really important campaign which is about to start. Our fishing is at risk! Seriously we believe the Welsh Government is determined to bring in legislation which will allow free access to all Welsh water: rivers and lakes. The details of our reactions and our future intentions will be announced here and soon. SO PLEASE WATCH THIS SPACE. This really a very serious matter with real implications for our fishing.
Anglers may ONLY apply for the season extension by registering on this website or by supplying their name, address and license number via the contact point for each river (as described on the registration page) to register on their behalf and by the appropriate closing date.
Click link below to see poster. I don’t know about you, but I am becoming increasingly concerned about the plethora of telephone contacts we need to keep track of to enable us to report incidents effecting either the poaching on our rivers or pollution poisoning them. Well, here is yet another: Sewage pollution! Is the responsibility of Dwr Cymru,Welsh Water, and they are keen to set up a self reporting system to earn themselves ‘brownie points’ by reporting all their spillages or polluting incidents direct to Natural Resource Wales. If you report sewage pollution to them they have a set of performance targets to meet, which means they will send somebody out to investigate: and quickly. We are hoping to be able to provide a direct link on the site soon, so watch this spot. The number, as above, is 0800 085 3968 Below is a copy of the itinerary for the North Wales Local Fisheries Advisory Group Conference held this year at Trawsfynidd visitors Centre. As you can see, at the request of the LFAG, the whole thing was based around training and how to get youngsters involved in angling for the morning session whilst the afternoon was devoted to poaching, enforcement and environmental crime. There was also a rather nice buffet lunch for all that attended, which unhappily was probably about half those that attended last year. I have no idea why, I thought the event was well publicised well worth effort of getting there.You missed a good day.
The speakers all acquitted themselves well, the police were represented by Constable Eryl Lloyd and Sgt Rob Taylor, Eryl having been seconded to the EAW (as was) for several years and Sergeant Rob Taylor being the Environmental Crime supervising officer for those under his charge based in North and Central Wales. We were all pleased to hear him announce that two additional police officers have been added to the Bangor team as part of the Enforcement Team. Whilst I have the greatest of respect for our Police Force, without them we would really be in a sorry mess, I am concerned that poaching and other illegal fisheries activity may be about to be classified as Environmental Crime, which it surely is, and be classified and pursued in the same way, at the expense of losing the Bailiffs team or there being swallowed by the general Environmental Crime Unit. If it happens we have nobody to blame but ourselves.
The campaign in partnership with the EAW (now Natural Resources Wales) has been hosting a REPORT AN INCIDENT tab for some years now it allows anglers to confirm having dialled the 0800 80 70 60 number to record what they reported. It also allows angler to report any illegal fisheries activity when they:
The Welsh Assembly Government has given us the opportunity to establish objectively, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, exactly what the level of poaching and illegal fisheries is. If you were to ask me, on the evidence you have provided, how much poaching is going on I would have to say very little. I suspect that is not the case, but suspicion is no good: we need documentary evidence, records of reports and the like. They have not been forthcoming.
The opportunity must not be lost, we have this year to provide the evidence Over to you!!
Cynhadledd Pysgodfeydd Gogledd Cymru 2013 North Wales Fisheries Conference
What a mouthful! This is your opportunity to let the Welsh Government know how you think they should be communicating with anglers about all matters relating to our sport as well as seeking your views about the way our rivers water quality is to be improved. Not a complete description but I hope enough to get your interest. To connect to the Welsh Government web site page from which you can download the document: which is remarkably short and concise, just click HERE Well, that’s another year past and how they fly. This note is just to say thank you to those who continue to support the work of the Campaign with there time as well as their practical support. Following the launch of the volunteer’s Bailiff Handbook in December of last year we have received a number of requests for copies of the book which can be edited and tailored to other river systems, and have been pleased to supply them: so if you or your club would like a copy, just drop us an email.
You will remember, or perhaps not, that we have been working with and under the direction of the Environment Agency Wales and carrying out some environmental improvements to the small tributaries of the upper river Clwyd. This followed a survey which was carried out of a small stream called the Dwr Ial, once a major spawning tributary of the system, where we discovered that, due to changing farming practices, the vegetation and bushes had so overgrown the water that light was unable to penetrate the canopy, leaving the water void of either in stream aquatic life or even the simplest of weed growth. However the last half mile of the stream, just before it entered the River Clwyd was relatively open with nicely dappled sunlight being let through the canopy and as if by magic, the scene was transformed to a miniature chalk stream with healthy blooms of Ranunculus, tiny fish darting hither and thither and the stream running gin clear: a total transformation! The Clwyd and Conwy Rivers Trust have funded the fencing, provision of cattle drinks and crossing points along about one and a half miles of the stream and more is planned. We will now maintain the banking and see that dappled light is permitted to penetrate the canopy and thus allow life to blossom in the water below. The work is not hard, nor is it tedious, rather very rewarding. We have news that an electro fishing survey of the stream found fish life in the water a little after a year after the work was carried out. We are in currently planing this years trip to carry out further work. All volunteers will be made most welcome, The point is this: these tributaries are not generally visited by anglers, are not let to owned by angling clubs, they are in the ownership of sometimes numerous landowners, most of whom are far to busy working their land to make a living to give a thought to the quality of aquatic life in these little tributaries, yet these are the breeding grounds of the salmon, sea trout and brown trout, it is to these little waters that they come to make their redds and mate. Without these streams we can not expect to maintain fish stocks and a healthy ecosystem. These important waters remain, for the most part, forgotten and neglected. We are appealing to you all to take up the challenge of seeking out these little streams and working, with the permission of the landowners, to let some light into these waters, where they are overgrown and neglected. We believe, as anglers, we owe it to the fish. Contact the Environment Agency Wales for some guidance: they will be pleased to hear from you. We at the Campaign Team wish you all a happy, health and prosperous New Year with many tight lines. We have received the following statement today 7th December, from Mark Isherwood A.M. following his presiding over the launch of the new Bailiff Handbook We are pleased to thank him for his continued support and for the time and effort he has put into helping us over the years. Thank you. The Handbook launch, which took place last Friday at Brookhouse Mill, hosted by the Denbigh and Clwyd Angling Club, one of the founder member clubs with the formalities being in hands of Mr Mark Isherwood AM, a long standing supporter of the Campaign and to whom we are most grateful. The Handbook Cover
Mr Mark Isherwood presenting the first copy of the Handbook to Mr Ian Roberts on behalf of the Campaign.
Some of those present
If any clubs wish to have a copy of the Handbook as a word document, which they can edit for their own river, email 1highplains@gmail.com and we will be pleased to forward you a copy. Click the following link to view the consultation documents. You will be offered the opportunity to contribute and make suggestions as to how we can work together to meet the water framework targets. Which essentially means how we can improve our fisheries as well as other issues. Please take a look and ask your club representatives to respond and why not have a go yourself? Click here Friday 23rd November, Brookhouse Mill Denbigh 7:30pm Mark Isherwood AM, accompanied by members of the Environment Agency will officially launch the Campaign Bailiff Handbook. It is specific to the River Clwyd system but if you would like a copy to use as the basis of preparing a similar handbook for your river system, email admin@cpwf.co.uk and we will send you a word or pdf version which you can edit. The handbook is a joint effort with the Environment Agency Wales, the Police Environmental Crime Unit and the Campaign Team. All those interested in joining the Clwyd system River Watch Scheme will be most welcome. The system is based upon pro actively keeping a look out NOT confronting poachers: that’s the Environment Agency’s job. Use this link to obtain an app for your phone that enables you to report the location of invasive weed: Himalayan Balsam etc. click here It’s easy to use and feeds in to a national data base at Bristol University. |
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Here at the campaign team, we are happy to announce, the continuation of the Season Extension Trials for the Rivers Clwyd and Seiont for 2013.
