Campaign For The Protection Of Welsh Fisheries

[Highplains]

Thursday 4th September 2004

FOR THE URGENT ATTENTION OF ALL ANGLERS

Copy of email from Andy Schofield one of the top fisheries managers with the Environment Agency Wales. (I apologies to Andy for not including his correct title, I will obtain it and edit this note to include it later.)

Please read this document carefully print it out and please pass it on to your club secretaries and ask them to either:

1. Post comments on the forum.
2. Email their comments to me: highplains@fsmail.net
3. Send comments to admin@cpwf.co.uk
4. Reply via Contact on http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

It is really important that you take the opportunity to comment this is an opportunity to HAVE YOUR SAY.

Your individual comments will also be most welcome. I will collate responses and send them, together with our response to Andy Schofield at the Environment Agency Wales.

As usual I post this comment from Andy without any comment at this stage.

Regards.

Highplains

MESSAGE STARTS

Hi Allan,

As you are aware I met up with Mark Isherwood, AM at the Royal Welsh Show
and had a constructive chat about the Review and how we might resolve
some of the issues between ourselves and the campaigners. One of the
ideas that Mark and I discussed was to make use of an 'independent'
body/person to assess the scale of illegal activity as this is one of
the main areas of difference between us. Clearly, if the Agency
appointed someone without consulting yourselves it would probably be
regarded as being biased, and vice versa, so coming up with suggestions
as to who might be able to provide this would be a good start. My
thoughts at present are :

(1) Ask if one of the police forces or another enforcement Agency would
do this for us. Poaching is high on the list of Wildlife Crime
priorities for the Police.

(2) There is a 'pool' of retired high ranking police officers with
various areas of specialism who could be contracted to do some of the
work.

(3) We ask the National Wildlife Crime Unit based in Berwick to become
involved.

(4) The Jill Dando Institute in London may be able to help although
their role is more about criminal profiling.

Clearly, there will be costs associated with the above options and that
might be a factor in determining which option is selected. It won't be
an easy task for whoever is selected - even a House of Commons Committee
concluded that the scale of wildife crime was virtually unknown and
without suitable measures how could resources be allocated (see
attached).

The new strategy that I will soon be presenting to WAG is based on some
of the Jill Dando Institutes recommended approaches to crime reduction,
mirrored by some police forces and builds upon the successful Pride In
our Communities Campaign currently being implemented throughout Wales.

I have included a set of measures within the Strategy that if we started
to use might provide a more transparent picture of what is happening.
Once these have been given the OK internally and then by the Minister,
we should be in a position to circulate more widely.

If you or your fellow campaigners have any thoughts as to who else might
be considered please get in touch.

Regards,

Andy
MESSAGE ENDS

[Highplains]

I am delighted to be able to announce that the Campaign has the official support of Baroness Golding. Her support is greatly welcomed as she just happens to be the secretary of the House of Lords Angling Group.


We still need you to sign up to officially support the Campaign. Please gather the names and locations of your family and friends who are willing to offer support, pass them on to me and I will add them to the list.

Many thanks.

Highplains

[Highplains]

I am posting this copy of a flier as a reminder to all anglers to ensure that they complete and return their catch returns accurately.

The EA use the catch returns as a means of calculating the number of fish in our rivers and thereby assess they "viability" of the stock. If you understate your return then the result will NOT be more stocking, it could well result in the closure of your river.

There is up do 30% difference between the catch returns made to clubs and those made to the EA. Under reporting your catch is madness.

One consequence may be the following and it could be your water!!!!!




Highplains

http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

[Highplains]

It will be a big help to the Campaign if members will post comments on the EAW proposal, as posted under the Campaign for the Protection of Welsh Fisheries thread, so that we can respond in a meaningful way.

I appeal to all anglers to pass on details of the Campaign website:

http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

It is important that we spread the message. The season is closing fast so we must use the coming break to make our case and improve on the numbers.

It is your Campaign, run by anglers, for anglers to fight for the protection of our fisheries.


Come and join us - it matters.

Highplains

[Highplains]

This is a copy of an item from the Angling Times. The EAW know about this and the fact that it has been going on but what has been done about it?

That's right, you guessed.

[IMG][/IMG]

This is why the Campaign must succeed!!

Highplains
http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

[Highplains]

Unfortunately we do not have a new broom that is likely to sweep clean. Same old same old tosh. Please read this and try to remain calm. "Intelligence lead enforcement......catch red handed" I leave you to make up your own minds. Then go to

http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

and sign up to support the Campaign - it costs nothing but a few seconds of your time[IMG][/IMG]

[Highplains]

CAMPAIGN FOR THE PROTECTION OF WELSH FISHERIES

On behalf of the Campaign may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a happy New Year, good health, happiness and tight lines for the coming year.

And a big thank you for your continued support throughout the past year for which we are very grateful. We hope to be able to exert even more pressure on the politicians next year and to persuade them that they have to adequately fund the protection of our fisheries.

[Highplains]

Please take a minute to listen to this news item. Let's hope they can keep to the point and not get side tracked by vested interest.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today...00/7827868.stm

I will contact the Trust to see if they are willing to join in our Campaign or if we can tie up in some way.

It is time the sleeping giant that is the angling community woke up and stood up for itself!!

Highplains

http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

[Highplains]

Mark Isherwood A.M chasing teh Minister for a response

[Aled]

At Last!
IMMEDIATE BAN ON SALES OF ROD-CAUGHT SALMON AND SEATROUT: OBLIGATORY TAGGING OF COMMERCIALLY CAUGHT FISH

S&TA hails breakthrough in salmon conservation



Anglers will no longer be able to sell salmon or sea trout caught on rod and line, and all commercially caught fish will have to be tagged by netsmen to make them legally saleable. The new Environment Agency byelaw for England and Wales becomes active on January 31st.


This legislation brings England and Wales in line with Scottish law, which banned the sale of rod caught salmon and sea trout in 2007. However, the carcass tagging of commercially caught fish is a step further than Scotland, and mirrors the successful initiative run for several years in Ireland.


Paul Knight, Chief Executive of the Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA), said; “This is the culmination of many years of lobbying by S&TA and colleagues, and is great news for salmon conservation and the enforcement of anti-poaching laws. Most anglers act responsibly by keeping the odd fish for the pot – the majority of rod caught salmon are now released alive back into the water – but a minority have always sold their fish for profit and, as a result, have had a significant impact on some local river stocks, jeopardising management and conservation measures by fishery managers. It will now be very much harder to so sell fish ‘under the counter’, because hotels, restaurants and fishmongers will be prosecuted if the salmon and sea trout in their possession is not properly tagged.”

Knight adds; “The EA and Defra should be congratulated for taking this action, which has been possible as a byelaw under the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. It is a welcome step towards more efficient enforcement of illegally caught salmon and sea trout, as effort can now be put into monitoring markets rather than having to spend so much time catching poachers in the act of taking fish – a notoriously difficult and resource sapping exercise.”

The ban of the sale of rod caught fish and carcass tagging were major recommendations following the review of fisheries legislation by the Warren Committee in 2000. The Review Group’s work was shadowed by the Moran Committee, a coalition of leading English and Welsh fisheries and angling organisations chaired by Lord Moran, Chairman of S&TA at the time. S&TA took a lead role in giving evidence to the Warren Committee over salmon and sea trout issues, and has since kept up pressure for action on these vital issues.

S&TA Chairman, James Carr, says, “This is an excellent example of why S&TA received charitable status for its fisheries, environmental and educational work. We have lobbied for anglers to be banned from selling salmon and sea trout in the greater interest of salmon conservation, and the vast majority of fellow anglers agree with our stance. We can still enjoy our sport while contributing hugely to the social, economic and environmental benefits derived by communities from angling and fisheries management - angling truly working for the public benefit”.

ENDS

Cheers Aled

[Highplains]

This is indeed a step in the right direction. It does however raise an interesting point. Who is going to enforce this?

We need more enforcement officers. if they are going to have to police this as well one wonders?

Highplains


http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

[Highplains]

I have just updated the Campaign web site with the 2009 Welsh Fishing Bye Laws. Easy guide in both English and Welsh and the full document.

Any queries regarding Bye Laws in Wales please refer queries to the Campaign web site for an easy to find reference.

http://www.cpwf.co.uk/

Tight lines for 2009

Highplains

[Highplains]

Reply from Minister following Mark Isherwoods request.

[Highplains]

Just a note to let you know that the Camapign web site has been updated and includes some useful references.

The EAW bye laws are there - full version as wellas the anglers easier verion

Copies of consultation papers

Current initiatives

Communications to and from the EAW and WAG

A simple sign up form

Please have a look and pass the link onto your contacts and ask them to have a look. Please remember this is our Campaign and it can only succeed as long as we work at it; so if you have any issues, campaigns or gripes that you would like publishing on the site just let me know and |I will do my best.

Thanks for your continued support.

Highplains

[Highplains]