NEWS
Angling Summit
The Angling Trust represented you at the Angling Summit in London on 25th January. We raised a wide range of issues with the Minister and his officials from the marine and freshwater sections in Defra: commercial bass fishing; monitoring sea anglers' catches; Environment Agency delivery and the Big Society agenda; hydropower and fish passage; Water Framework Directive; Invasive Non Native Species and Cormorant predation. Read about the points we raised HERE. We're now working with Defra on the agenda for the next summit in March.

Defra's Data Deficit
Defra has asked the Angling Trust to comment on a proposed project to collect data on recreational sea anglers' catches. Defra is required to collect this data to conform to EU requirements and needs anglers to provide information. We have raised concerns with Defra that the data collected could be used to restrict and regulate recreational sea angling activity and we highlighted the historic failure of the department to deliver anything for Recreational Sea Angling (RSA). We have asked the Minister to provide a statement clarifying the intentions of the data collection proposals and detailing how any data collected from recreational sea anglers would be used.

Have a Cormo Rant!
Following the Minister's announcement of a Defra review into cormorant licensing, we need as much information as possible from the angling world to present as evidence for a change to policy and practice. We will soon have a survey on our web site where you can let off steam to us about the impact of cormorants and any problems you have faced getting a licence to control the birds. We will also include information about other methods for protecting fisheries from predators and we'll let you know more about this in the weeks ahead. This survey will replace our cormorants@anglingtrust.net email address as the means to report your experience of cormorants and their impact on your fishing. Thank you to all those who have emailed and written to us so far. Click HERE to print out our cormorant campaign poster, produced in partnership with the Angling Times.

Take us to your Leader...
We have in the past fortnight had meetings with the Chief Executives of British Waterways and the Environment Agency. We explained how furious we are with the way their organisations have been licensing, permitting and even promoting hydropower installations which will cause huge damage to coarse and game fish stocks, river flows and angling access. We - and leading scientific experts - believe that the Environment Agency's Good Practice Guidelines are unfit for purpose. We have called for the guidelines to be torn up and rewritten. The Agency has at last promised an open, transparent review of them. We will be making robust representation on behalf of anglers and fisheries throughout the land.

Turbine or no turbine? Let the courts decide...
Meanwhile our legal arm, Fish Legal, has appointed fisheries experts to quantify the damage to our members' fishing on the River Trent from hydropower so that we can mount a legal challenge to try to stop proposed installations which would prevent our members accessing their fishing rights above and below the weir pool on their stretch of the river and would reduce the normal flow over the weir to a trickle.

Water Companies - Come Clean!
Our lawyers at Fish Legal continue to do battle in the tribunals and courts to get Water Companies classified as public bodies, which would give them a duty to release information to us about pollution and abstraction which might be damaging our fishing. We have raised the issue with the European Commission and the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee and have received some welcome support from Europe. This work is expensive and time-consuming, but really important for the future of our freshwater and coastal waters. We will keep you informed.

High Speed Threat to Angling
We have written to Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon MP to alert him to the potential impact of the proposed high speed railway line on fisheries between London and Birmingham. The new line will shatter the tranquillity of more than 40 fisheries including Savay and Korda Lakes, which are historic large carp and tench venues. We will be urging the Minister to minimise disruption to angling. Our legal arm Fish Legal will support its members in negotiations for compensation and mitigation. Click HERE for more information.

Otter Fencing Funding
Guidance on Environment Agency funding for fencing to prevent or reduce predation by otters on fish stocks is now available from our website HERE.

One more step towards unification...
The Confederation of English Fly Fishers, the England Ladies Fly Fishers Association and the England Youth Fly Fishers Association have wound up their organisations and have merged into the Angling Trust. This will bring hundreds of new individual and club members to the Trust. We will be seeking more sponsorship for Team England Fly Fishing and we will promote and develop new fly fishing competitions. Read more HERE and keep an eye out for information about how to take part in future updates.

Felt? Just Say No!
Following recent research into the potential for felt soles on waders to carry fish parasites, seeds of invasive weeds and other horrors from one water to another, we are encouraging our members to phase out felt soles unless they fish at one location all the time. Some bugs can live for several weeks and even months in felt, which is also very resistant to disinfectants. Manufacturers are bringing in new materials which are much easier to clean between fishing trips and offer good grip. For more details of the dangers of felt, please click HERE. Thanks to Fred French as ever for circulating this information from the Eden Rivers Trust.

Sponsor Team England Angling
The Angling Trust is seeking sponsors for some of our international teams. This summer, teams from all three disciplines will be representing England in the World Angling Games at various locations in Italy. We would love to hear from any company or individual who might be interested in sponsoring our teams. It is a great honour for anglers to represent their country, and the teams work very hard to bring back the medals each year. Please give them your support. Contact Sandra Drew, our Competitions Manager on 0115 9061 301 or sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net.

Carpin' On
Come and meet us at Carpin' On, 5th and 6th March 2011 - Five Lakes Hotel, Essex CM9 8HX. The UK's huge annual carp fishing show, covering all aspects of carp angling and bringing all the biggest brands in carp fishing under one roof. See www.carpinon.co.uk.

White Acres Bait Tech and Dynamite Baits Festivals
White Acres, one of the UK's Premier Fisheries near Newquay in Cornwall, is all geared up to reopen its lakes for the 2011 season and starts the year off with two of its prestigious angling festivals, the Bait Tech Festival, running week commencing 26th March and the Dynamite Baits Festival, taking place on week commencing 2nd April. Both festivals have proved very popular so far and with just a few places remaining you need to act quickly to grab a piece of the action! Book now to secure your festival place. A group of three sharing can book from as little as £206 each. For full details and T&Cs or to book your festival place call the Fisheries Team on 0844 879 4268. More info HERE

MEMBER BENEFITS
Angling Direct: Loads of our members have already taken advantage of the huge discounts available at www.anglingdirect.co.uk. Go online NOW and save up to 20% RRP. Remember to use the code on page 3 of your printed newsletter when you checkout to apply your member discount. If you need a reminder of your discount code just email a request to admin@anglingtrust.net with your name and membership number.