The following details the proposed changes and is a must read for all game anglers. Your feedback is essential!

Following comments received we have been asked to remind you of the following:
• Crayfish – no crayfish, of any species, whether alive or dead, and whether whole or in part, may be used as bait for
salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels;
• Livebaits – livebait may only be used in the water from which it was taken and only during the same period of
fishing;
• Fish roe – no fish roe, from whatever source, may be used when fishing for salmon, trout or freshwater fish.

The following email was delivered to my computer today. It never ceases to amaze me just how much there is to learn, so it with gratitude that I received little gems like this. This paper really is worth a read and is well worth consideration in the current stocking policy and fisheries management debate. Please take a little time to read it, I promise you it will be well worth the effort.

Please remember we welcome all contributions. Thank you.

This important report on Sockeye salmon applies equally to our salmon and sea trout – and serves to confirm that they are best protected and maintained by preserving the river and its wild stocks in their natural state. Tampering with the river (Brianne), channel engineering, stock manipulations are all counter productive and will lead to a long term loss of resilience in the face of global warming.

Continue reading Management of our fisheries: Nature knows best!!

The following article, taken from the Monnow Fisheries Association web site speaks for itself and has to provoke some thought! An example to us all and one that perhaps we should take on board?

Go to the links tab to visit their web site………………..Click here to make a donation to the Monow team.

BALA

TUESDAY 22^nd APRIL 2010

I was pleased to be invited to this all day conference and intended to put a note on this page about it the following day, which was last Wednesday. Why then, you ask, has it taken me so long to put pen to paper? To be honest, I think had I done as planned my comments would have been so euphoric as to have created the impression that the Campaign had been under some sort of undue influence from the Environment Agency Wales, who were the conference organisers and who brought out all their “big guns” in support of the occasion.

The reason for my delight was simple: the change in outlook and attitude the conference reflected on the part of the Agency and the Local Fisheries Advisory Groups.

The Agency had all their fisheries staff present, including Andy Schofield who had travelled up from Cardiff.

The Local Fisheries Advisory Group had given over one of their meeting dates to facilitate the whole event.

Usually conferences on any subject can be a bit of a pain or at best have one or two interminable long and boring sessions when staying awake is a real challenge; Credit where it is due the whole day way a pleasure as well as being enlightening and providing a good opportunity to network. ( I hate that word – sorry). There were displays, stands and demonstrations which were informative as well educational as well as addresses by the Clwyd and Conwy Rivers Trust and The Welsh River Dee Trust, both of which were informative and nicely put together.

The opening address by Andy Schofield Fisheries Strategy and Policy Manager for the Environment Agency Wales gave a very upbeat address, albeit that the message included a warning of; “less funding, less service and potentially more cuts”. I also noted that the number of bailiffs looking after our fisheries in North Wales in now down from eight to six and one of those is on “cockle duties”, so the need for the Campaign is greater than ever.

I am sure the details of the conference will be published elsewhere and if they are I will add them to the site later.

The point of this note is to pass on my delight in what seems to be a major change in attitude on the part of both the Agency and the Local Fisheries advisory Groups. The Agency has, in the past been less than communicative and the LFAG’s have been almost secretive: not intentionally, I’m sure but I never really heard much of or from them and they are after all our representatives. So Conference seems to mark the beginning of a new era in which genuine communications seems to be starting. What we learned from the communication may not all be good news but where it was bad it was presented honestly and openly and that has to be a good thing. I am hopeful that some of us that attended will get together to write with some feedback to suggest some changes that may be made in the future but I have to say, and without reluctance.

Thank you and well done to the Environment Agency Fisheries Staff, who organised the day, and thank you to the LFAG’s for agreeing to let us join you for the day.

The face of the new licences for this year and the prices.

No we are not advertsising on behalf of the Environment Agency Wales, we are reminding you that your licence fee contributes to the cost of protecting our fisheries. So please purchase yours and help protect our fisheries