Pike baits exempt from new ban on taking river fish

Killing coarse fish caught from Britain's rivers could soon become illegal.

But exemptions look set to be put in place to ensure pike anglers can continue using limited numbers below a certain size for bait.

Environment Agency officials will next week launch a major public consultation exercise over proposed byelaw changes.

Anglers and other interested parties have until September 14 to make their views known.

"Within the angling community there is a wide range of opinion about whether anglers should be allowed to take the coarse fish they catch," an EA source said.

"There has been mounting concern that coarse fish removal by rod and line is damaging stocks and fisheries.

"We know that some coarse fish are taken to eat and there is evidence that specimen fish are taken for illegal stocking in other waters."

While there have been calls for a ban on the use of coarse baits - frequently following allegations fish are being taken wholesale to supply the bait trade - the EA is on record stating it does not take the claims seriously.

A section of the report accompanying the consultation paper has this to say on the issue of using coarse fish for bait:

"Anglers fishing for pike and other predators have traditionally used small fish
for live or dead bait. It is a legitimate and effective method of fishing and
there is a strong argument that is should be allowed to continue. There is an
equally strong case that the number and size of fish taken for bait should be
limited so it does not damage fisheries. Note that we are not considering the
ethics of live-baiting in this consultation."

PAC president Tim Kelly said: "Everyone wants the problem of fish theft dealt with. On the face of it they're going about it in a reasonable way by acknowleging the ownership of fish stocks and making an obvious exemption for using fish for live and dead bait.

"I see it as an opportunity for us to go in there and state our case. It's also an opportunity to move forward and look at making certified fish available for use as bait, like triploid trout."

EA fisheries policy manager Adrian Taylor added: “We have some existing local byelaws that limit the removal of coarse fish, but these are inconsistent. We are proposing to introduce new byelaws that will apply across England and Wales to limit fish removal, protecting coarse fish and the fisheries they support.

"With a change to our byelaw-making powers expected in the autumn, we are consulting with the angling world now, so we can introduce the new measures as soon as possible in 2010.
“In developing our proposals, we need to balance the need to protect fish stocks with the rights of fisheries owners and managers to decide how their fisheries should be managed. In particular, we need to consider the differences between river and stillwater fisheries.

“We need the views of the angling community to help us strike the right balance.“

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Click here to read the report on proposed byelaw changes. It includes a section you can print off and post to the EA.

From Monday, June 29, you will be able to take part in the consultation online. Click here for a link to the page where you can do that.

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If you've received this via e-mail, please forward it on to any other pike anglers you're in touch with, to give them the opportunity to respond.

New EA fisheries boss is pike angler

Pictured with a pike, the Environment Agency has revealed its new head of fisheries.

Mathew Crocker is a keen angler who has worked for the Environment Agency since it was formed took over from Dafydd Evans this week.

More here.

Meanwhile, another EA official has revealed his "secret" method of catching pike - sparking a thinly-veiled attack on livebaiting from a regional press angling correspondent.

More on that one here.

PAC in new bid to tackle fish theft

A Crimestoppers-style telephone line is being launched for anglers to report information about fish thefts.

Environment Agency fisheries officers have teamed up with the Pike Anglers Club and King's Lynn Angling Association to trial an initiative in East Anglia.
They hope intelligence they receive will help them target patrols in areas where they will be most effective and start making inroads into the problem.
EA enforcement officer Richard Ingham said: "Incidents requiring an immediate response should be reported using the incident hotline 0800 80 70 60, this additional number is for anyone to provide information direct to fisheries enforcement officers.
"The information received will be used as intelligence to allow for targeted operations and patrols to be conducted."
Anglers are being urged to carry a pen and paper with them to note down details of incidents including times and descriptions of anglers behaving suspiciously and their vehicles, including registration numbers.
Both clubs will be promoting the number to their members and urging them to use it. Many PAC members enjoy fishing in the Fens, while visiting predator anglers bring vital revenue to clubs and businesses in the area.
PAC chairman Colin Goodge said: "This is a way all anglers can be the eyes and ears of the Environment Agency and ensure that the information goes directly to the people who can make use of it.
"We urge anyone to report details of fish being removed to help the EA build up a better picture of where it's going on and who's doing it."
The move comes after both PAC members and bailiffs from the 800-strong King's Lynn Angling Association (KLAA) witnessed a number of incidents of fish being killed and taken from waters including the Great Ouse and Relief Channel this season.
KLAA secretary Ashley Brown said: "We need anglers to be out eyes on the bank. Please report anything, no matter how trivial you may think it is, when it happens not a day or week later so we can target the problem areas.
"The long-term future of KLAA fisheries needs protecting , so we can all enjoy the rivers and drains for years to come."
The number to call with any information is 01480 483023. While the line covers East Anglia for now, a similar initiative may be rolled out nationwide if it proves successful.
Please include as much information as you can in your message and a contact number so an officer can call you back.

Extra rod for lad nets angler £100 fine

A Yorkshire angler who set an extra rod up to teach a friend's 11-year-old son to fish was fined £100 after being prosecuted by the Environment Agency, the York Press reports today.

Click here for more.

EA launches online boat owners survey

Environment Agency navigation chiefs are launching an online survey to find out boat owners' priorities when it comes to spending cash on our waterways.

The EA is the navigation authority for the non-tidal Thames, the rivers Wye and Medway and six East Anglian waterway systems including the Great Ouse and Nene catchments .

"In August we are running an online survey to gain views on how our navigable waterways are used and what boaters consider and what boaters consider as the priorities for operations and services," says a letter to boat owners from National Navigation Manager Stuart Taylor.

"These responses will help inform and be fed into a national funding strategy. To help inform our decisions, we want to hear yyour views on what we do, what you value and what you may feel we do too much of."

Survey results, which will be gathered anonymously by an independent survey company, will be presented to the board of the EA in November and published afterwards.

Alien crays are latest threat to our rivers

Conservationists fear a foreign crayfish could devastate Britain's rivers if it is allowed to escape into the wild.

American crayfish, Chinese crabs and French fish already rub shoulders with native species in our rivers.

Now a hybrid species called a marble crayfish is becoming popular within the aquarium trade. And unlike most other species the marble - or promcambarus - does not need a mate to breed.

Adults can produce up to 270 eggs every eight weeks all year round, with maturity being reached 25-35 weeks after hatching, so only one individual animal would need to be released to establish a population.

Cefas - the Lowestoft-based Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science - said it had become aware of an increase in the numbers of alien crayfish for sale in aquatic outlets and garden centres.

It believes marbled crayfish first appeared in the aquarium trade in Germany and Austria in the mid-1990s.

“Wild populations of this species have already been confirmed in Germany and possibly Holland,” a spokesman said.

“Therefore this species would become established in British waters if released.

“It is imperative that this species is stopped from spreading into the wild.”

The Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT) also fears it could carry the so-called crayfish plague, a disease which kills off our native white-clawed crayfish. It is meeting next month to discuss the problem.

Its director Mike Heylin said: “We still don't know what the impacts of signal crayfish are or how to manage it because the research just isn't being done.

“Another species like this would take a lot of fish eggs at spawning time and also dig up weed in lakes.”

Cefas said anyone who had bought marbled crayfish, or who may have information concerning the source of this species in the UK, should call the Fish Health Inspectorate at Cefas on 01305 206673 or e-mail Fish.Health.Inspectorate@Cefas.co.uk .

Click here for more and a picture of one.

We'd boost flood prevention, says Tory MP

A Conservative government would refocus the Environment Agency to spend more on flood defences and less on consultants, a Tory MP said.

During a live webchat hosted by the Eastern Daily Press, South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon was asked the following:

"A shortfall in funding for coastal defences has rendered the Upper Thurne and its broads vulnerable to salt incursion. If the system becomes saline, it's diversity will be lost forever.

"Thousands of wading birds including some of our rarest species have lost their eggs or chicks on Welney Washes. What steps will you take to begin addressing the affects of climate change on our rivers and their wildlife..?"

Mr Bacon responded:

"Spend more of the Environment Agency's budget on actual flood defences and protecting against coastal erosion. We took evidence from the chief executive of the Environment Agency the day before yesterday and it was not a happy experience.

"They have poor information, they don't necessarily spend the most money in the areas of highest risk, and they waste millions commissioning endless studies from consultants and "developing plans" rather than delivering improved flood defences.

"On top of this, in light of climate change, there is a case for increasing the resources devoted to flood defence but it is essential to spend the existing money wisely and the Environment Agency, which has already seen a substantial increase in cash in recent years, is not doing this."

The Thurne system is arguably one of Britain's most historically-important pike fisheries. It is under real threat from rising sea levels, after the EA's announcement that a £6m budget shotfall left it unable to continue to repair flood defences on the North-east Norfolk coastline.

Privately, EA fisheries staff fear a major fish kill is imminent when flood water standing on Welney Washes is released into the neighbouring Delph - another important pike fishery under threat from climate change and siltation in the tidal Ouse.

Otters are making a comeback, says EA

Otter populations are the healthiest they've been in nearly a century and the animals are continuing to expand across England and Wales, a new study says.

Scientists from the Environment Agency carried out post mortems on almost 1000 otters between 1992 and 2003.

Results show that the banning of pesticides like dieldrin and aldrin have played a major role in their recovery.

Conservation Officer Lyn Jenkins, who managed the study, said: "This was a very potent insecticide, used extensively by farmers, as it remained active for a long time after they applied it. But we now know it can take up to 25 years for 95% of dieldrin in soil to disappear.

"This persistence, and the fact that it passes from animal to animal through the food chain, was the reason it was eventually banned. It had a devastating impact on animals.

"By interfering with vitamin A levels, it caused reproductive abnormalities and other conditions. Previous research has strongly linked its use to declines in predators such as peregrine falcon, kestrel, sparrowhawk and heron.

"Otter numbers dropped significantly during the late 1950s when dieldrin and aldrin first came into use, especially in the south and east, and it seems otters in this country are only just recovering from the effects."

Jenkins said although post mortems revealed a decline in levels of dieldrin in otters over time, this was the first time a link had been made between OC levels in otters and the effects of these chemicals on their physiology.

The study also found that road accidents are the biggest killer of otters. While the animals can live for up to 12 years, the average lifespan is four.

"Otters lived on all rivers in the UK in the 1920s," Jenkins added. "Now otter populations have begun to grow and expand again following the decline in numbers between the 1950s and 1980s.

"It's also promising that a otter was found on the River Thames last year - not far from Tower Bridge - and it was the first wild otter to be seen in central London for more than a 100 years.

"We rely on volunteers to help us collate this information. Without the volunteers who report dead otters to us, we wouldn't be able to undertake this work to increase our knowledge about otter populations in England and Wales."

Anyone who finds a dead otter it should be reported to the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.

Boat patrol nets close season anglers

Environment Agency enforcement officers carried out a boat patrol along the River Tees in a bid to catch anglers illegally fishing during the coarse fish close season.

The River Tees has become a highly valued coarse fishery since the Tees barrage was erected 12 years ago, but the Environment Agency had received complaints that anglers were fishing illegally on the river, between the Tees Barrage and Yarm.

Officers found eight of the eleven people checked on this stretch of river were fishing illegally on Tuesday June 5th and they will now be reported for prosecution. This included people fishing without rod licences and those using maggots in the close season for coarse fish.

One suspected offender tried to escape from enforcement officers and was captured and arrested until his identity could be verified.

Environment Agency fisheries officer David Bamford said: "It is important to enforce the coarse fish closed season as fish need to be allowed to spawn successfully without being targeted by anglers.

"Fish become vulnerable to handling damage at spawning time and can fall victim to disease if handled."

Vigilante anglers target poachers

As the Environment Agency trumpets so-called crackdowns which have netted casual pleasure anglers without rod licences over the Bank Holiday weekend, a different picture emerges from South Wales.

Anglers there are mounting their own patrols, claiming the EA has done nothing to target poaching gangs.

Story here.

"Serial offender" banned from the bank

An illegal angler with a string of rod licence offences has been banned from fishing for two and a half years.

Khan Marshall, 21, was fined £200 for leaving a rod unattended and a further £200 for fishing with three rods but only holding a single licence when he appeared before Woking Magistrates on February 9.

He was also ordered to pay the maximum £70 costs to the Environment Agency for both cases.

In a rare move Marhsall, of Staines, Middx, was banned by the court from holding a rod licence for the next two and a half years after JPs heard he had previous convictions dating back to 2002.

Marshall left a rod unattended at Twynersh Fishing Complex in Chertsey, Surrey, on July 10, the court was told.

A month later, EA bailiffs found him at the same fishery, using three rods but with only a single rod licence.

After the hearing, fisheries enforcement officer Graham Haynes, said: "Mr Marshall has a long history of flouting the laws of fishing in this country.

"From his first warning letter in 2002 he has appeared before magistrates three times for failing to hold a £24 rod licence and giving false names and addresses to officers, racking up a total of £650 in fines and costs.

"It is very rare for an angler to be banned from holding a rod licence, but this extreme measure was taken because of Mr Marshall’s persistent offending.

"If he is caught fishing within those two and a half years he can not only expect his equipment to be confiscated but he will also find himself with another day in court."

Changes to Section 30 announced

A fisheries watchdog today welcomed moves to streamline the Section 30 procedure for those applying for permission to move live fish.

NAFAC - the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives - said the move made it easier to apply.

From April 2007, Angling Clubs will be able to apply on-line 24 hours a day for Section 30 consents to introduce fish and Section 25 Consents to use an unlicenced instrument to catch fish.

As well as being able to track the progress of consents, clubs will be also able to access former applications and overtype them with simple changes like dates and numbers of fish saving much time and administration.

Repeat consents will also be much quicker with request being turned around within one day, direct from the central Fish Movement Authorisation Team, rather than Regional Offices as at present.

The current system is generally acknowledged to be somewhat discredited and evaded, with some suppliers moving fish illegally, because of the delays and bureaucracy often involved. It is anticipated that on-line applications will reduce this.

The new system is being implemented after discussion with the Fish Welfare Group under the auspices of FACT (Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust) on which NAFAC is represented along with the fish supply trade and other angling and fisheries bodies.

Chairman of NAFAC, Martin Read commented, “This result demonstrates what can be achieved by Fisheries and Angling organisations working together on behalf of anglers, angling, and fisheries throughout the country. I hope the improved system will reduce current bureaucracy and subsequent illegal movements so that the benefits of the consent system can start to truly protect our fish and fisheries”.

Illegal eel nets seized and netter nabbed

Illegal eel nets seized have been seized from a Hampshire nature reserve. Anglersnet has the story, click here.

In a seperate incident, AN is also reporting a court case in which an illegal netsman was fined £600 and ordered to pay £475 costs. Click here for this story.

Pike and other coarse fish can be caught in fyke nets, while otters can drown in nets set without special guards which stop them swimming in after the fish they contain.

Eels are also a much-loved summer quarry of many predator anglers, a fish which appears to be getting rarer and rarer.

Grass network being set up to spy on pikers

The EA is setting up a network of informants prepared to pass on the number plates of anglers seen arriving at and leaving waters in Norfolk with livebait buckets, it was claimed today.