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.

Tip of the day for July 13, 2007

Broadland boat angler Andy frost says: "Boat anglers who rely on petrol outboards should ALWAYS carry a few tools with you, most importantly a spanner that removes your recoil starter, and a length of spare starter cord.

"It is then possible to manually start your motor should the rope or spring fail."

Tip of the day for July 9, 2007

Drifting's the way to lure fish from a boat on large waters, writes dave Lumb. It's certainly a way to cover some water.

"And it creates far less disturbance than does trolling - even using an electric outboard," he says. "If the wind gets too strong and the drift becomes too fast, you can always put a drogue out to slow the boat down. Casting lures ahead of a slowly drifting boat catches a lot of pike."

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