The Environment Agency (EA) has admitted that it has failed to follow its own procedures when investigating pollution incidents which cause fish kills. Fish Legal has criticised the EA about its pollution response several times over the past few years, but the Environment Agency had previously refused to accept this criticism. Fish Legal has now been able to use the EA’s own data, obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) enquiry, to back up its complaint. The EA then commissioned an internal audit in response, which confirmed Fish Legal’s findings that there were serious issues that needed addressing.

The EA audit and Fish Legal’s analysis exposed poor or non-existent record keeping, and a failure to monitor performance in responding to pollution incidents as part of the EA’s fisheries function. It found that fish kill assessment reports and post-pollution fish stock surveys were lacking or inconsistently provided. Response times to pollution incidents similarly appeared poor, and expert fishery staff were often not sent out to investigate fish kill incidents.

Fish Legal concluded in its letter to the EA Head of Fisheries that – among other factors – structural and internal management issues caused this poor performance, with insufficient focus on fisheries team involvement when incidents were being reported. Operational instructions were also not being complied with by Environment Management Team staff, who decide on the nature of the initial response to reports of pollution incidents.

This is important because the quality of regulatory response depends on accurate information being obtained early on through appropriate and timely action. The failings exposed by Fish Legal and the internal audit mean that enforcement action against polluters can be severely hindered (or not occur at all), because of failures in reacting to pollution events and/or keeping accurate and complete records of consequent investigations. Furthermore, Fish Legal has at times not been provided with the information it needs when fighting civil claims against polluters on behalf of its member clubs and fishery owners, because the Agency simply does not have it.

The EA’s internal audit accepted that action was required to address Fish Legal’s criticisms. The Audit recommended further action by Environment Agency Directors in several areas:

1. Internal record-keeping
2. Accuracy of information recorded
3. Involvement of fisheries staff following fish-kills
4. Compliance with its own internal procedures
5. Contacting angling clubs and fishery owners to record amenity impacts of pollution

The EA took approximately 6 months to respond to Fish Legal’s FOI request, and even then it was unable to confirm that the information it had supplied was entirely accurate or complete. It took a further 9 months for the audit findings to be presented to Fish Legal, apparently because EA senior management was unwilling to reveal its findings outside the organisation. Fish Legal welcomes the Head of Fisheries’ efforts towards greater transparency, and also his personal commitment to work with Fish Legal and the Angling Trust to improve performance and build confidence in this area.

The Environment Agency is now drawing up a plan to implement the audit recommendations on which Fish Legal and the England Fisheries Group will be consulted. However, at the heart of this problem is too few fisheries staff, conflicting internal priorities and under-funding, all of which will be made worse by imminent government spending cuts.

Fish Legal and the Angling Trust remain concerned that the Environment Agency is in danger of failing in its statutory duty to maintain, improve and develop fisheries unless matters improve, and they are calling for:

1. The Government to cancel its planned funding cuts, which will lead to the loss of approximately 1,500 EA staff.
2. An increase in fisheries staff undertaking a more prominent and consistent role in pollution investigations.
3. More of the costs of investigations to be recovered from polluters who are prosecuted. Often these are not fully recovered and are met by the government and revenue from anglers’ rod licences.
4. Structural reform within the Agency to address the fundamental problems with the chain of command, which puts fisheries staff under the control of Area Managers, rather than the Head of Fisheries.
5. Immediate action to improve record-keeping, and the accuracy of records kept.

Penelope Gane, Trainee Legal Executive at Fish Legal, who currently leads the investigation said:

“We are pleased that the Environment Agency has at last agreed that it has not been responding to pollution incidents correctly. Whilst we appreciate that it is not possible for a fisheries officer to attend every pollution incident, we certainly do not expect them to be kept in the dark if there is a fish kill on their patch. We will be watching very closely to check that the Agency collects and records information about the effects of pollution in future so that polluters are held fully accountable for their actions and so Fish Legal can claim adequate civil damages on behalf of its affected member clubs, riparian owners and fisheries.”

William Rundle, Head Solicitor at Fish Legal said:

“This audit confirms that Fish Legal was correct in claiming over many years that fish kill investigations have regularly not been properly carried out. One of the major surprises coming out of this investigation was that in some cases the regulator was simply unable to tell us what it had done or why it hadn’t acted in a particular way following a fish kill incident. This needs to change. The EA needs to sharpen-up in its protection of fisheries. EA fisheries staff do an excellent job under very difficult conditions, but we need more of them and for them to be much better resourced."

He added:

"If the EA were better at recovering the costs of investigations from polluters then this could mean more money for better incident responses, and a greater willingness of managers to spend resources in this area.”

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal said:

“Our legal team has done a huge amount of work to expose these failures and to get the Agency to accept that change is needed. We are very grateful for the support of tens of thousands of anglers who have generously paid subscriptions and donations to Fish Legal and the Angling Trust, without which we would not have been able to win this important battle for the benefit of fish and fishing. We will be pressing for fundamental change to the way the organisation operates in future on the back of this investigation, which has been upheld by the Agency’s own internal audit.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

The Angling Trust has today written to Prime Minister David Cameron and Environment and Fisheries Minister George Eustice to seek assurances that the grants announced last week for flood-hit businesses will also be made available to angling clubs, fisheries and tackle shops which have lost significant revenue as a result of persistent high water levels.

The Angling Trust has had reports from its members that several fishing tackle shops, angling clubs and commercial fisheries in areas affected by the persistent flooding caused by this year’s exceptional rainfall are facing financial ruin because fishing has been largely impossible in many areas.  Angling is a major employer, particularly in rural areas, and supports nearly 40,000 jobs nationwide.  Tackle shops, clubs and fisheries are all vital parts of the angling infrastructure. 

The Angling Trust is working closely with the Environment Agency and officials in Defra to advance a National Angling Strategy, launched by Richard Benyon last year, which aims to increase the economic, social and environmental benefits to society from angling.  This strategy relies upon tackle shops, angling clubs and fisheries staying in business to be successful.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “Angling is an important part of the rural and national economy and a major employer.  We hope that the government will recognise this contribution and that the exceptional weather conditions we have endured this year have had a significant impact on angling businesses.  As soon as we have further details about the availability of grants, we will send them to our member clubs, fisheries and tackle shops.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Being warm, dry and comfortable is of upmost importance when angling, just like when taking part in any outdoor sport or activity. We were delighted therefore to be asked to review a jacket from Night Gear ... the Webtex Breatha-tex SoftShell Jacket.

Product Description

Breatha-tex material is a durable hi-tech fabric that is designed to be completely waterproof and windproof yet remain capable of breathing. The membrane of the fabric evaporates any sweat to the outside moderating your body temparature to keep you dry and comfortable.

Made using waterproof tactical softshell material, the Webtex Breatha-tex SoftShell Jacket boasts the following features:

• Soft shell outer lining and a warm micro fleece inner lining
• Storm proof zips with removable Web-tex pullers
• Two zipped side pockets and one zipped chest pocket
• Adjustable cuffs and draw string waist
  
• Velcro patches on each arm complete with 1 subdued Union Jack patch

Review:

The manufacturers of the Webtex Breatha-tex SoftShell Jacket claim it is completely waterproof and windproof. With the stormy weather we have had this winter in the UK, it wasn't hard to find suitable weather to really put it through its paces.

The first thing to mention is that the jacket is really lightweight and comfortable to wear. It's easy to move around in and not at all bulky and awkward like other outdoor jackets. Despite this, it is also really durable and quite clearly well made. It kept me warm and dry on two recent fishing trips and when I've worn it as more of a casual jacket. As we've not had any really cold weather lately, I cannot vouch for how well it will perform in the coldest of conditions but when I have worn it, its kept me really warm and dry.

Finally, the jacket looks good enough to wear not just when angling, but for everyday casual wear. Very stylish. Its really quite affordable too when compared with other similar jackets. The Web-Tex Tactical Soft Shell Jacket features all the same high-tec specifications but with an affordable price tag.

I can't really fault this jacket at all. It's a great all round jacket that is waterproof, windproof and breathable, lightweight but very warm. I love it and won't be taking it off anytime soon.

Score:

Prices and where to buy:

The Webtex Breatha-tex SoftShell Jacket is available to buy online at www.nightgear.co.uk

Price:
ONLY £49.80 (RRP: £59.95 SAVE:£10.15)

Available sizes:
S (42''), M (44''), L (46''), XL (48''), XXL (50'')

Available colours:
Black, Olive Green, Sand

Kilnsey Park Estate are pleased to let you know that from today - 14th February - the Cafe, Shop and Trail at Kilnsey Park reopens after our short winter break, and they have some fun in store for the half term holiday!

There'll be a warm welcome awaiting you, with a fresh new look in the shop and cafe. We've even created a cosy new sofa area, so there's a comfy space for you to unwind and enjoy our new menu. Be one of our first ten customers and you can even enjoy a free hot drink! 

Family fun fishing is open as usual throughout the half term holiday (and beyond), and to celebrate our reopening, it's Blue Fish Week. Catch one of these special, colourful trout and win a prize! Plus there'll be free hot chocolate with every fun fishing ticket and some sweet treats in the cafe. 

Other developments for the new season include the launch of our new customer loyalty card and a family season ticket, which means families can visit as many times as they want throughout the year, for just the price of two admissions.

The nature trail is showing the first signs of spring. The birds are singing and the goats, alpacas and pigs are enjoying being back in their trail homes, ready to meet our visitors. We're busy putting the finishing touches to a new ecommerce website, which we hope will be ready by Easter, so soon you'll be able to book tickets and purchase our delicious shop products online.

And don't forget, the countdown to the Tour De France Grand Depart has started, and there's just four and a half months until the world's greatest cycling event passes through Kilnsey Park Estate and we host Velofest - we're getting excited already!

There's a host of special events in the diary for 2014, so we hope you'll join us for some family fun in the Yorkshire Dales this season.

Source: Kilnsey Park Estate Fly Fishery and Trout Farm

The Angling Trust is following up on the publication of a major report on dredging by the Chartered Institution for Water and Environmental Management (note 1) this week by calling on the government to focus on land management, rather than dredging rivers and building yet more flood defences. Research clearly shows that changes in land use reduce run-off and increase infiltration, which reduces the height of flood peaks, and reduces the amount of sediment washing into rivers.

One recent study by the highly respected Centre for Ecology and Hydrology demonstrates that that planting forests can increase the rate that water soaks into the ground by more than 1000% (see note 2).  Another study by Newcastle University found that construction of low cost, artificial ponds could capture so much water in a catchment in the North East that the flood peak in a town downstream could be reduced by 30% (see note 3). 

These techniques are much more effective, cheaper and more sustainable than dredging and flood defences.  What’s more, they allow water to fill up aquifers which keep rivers flowing during the summer months and have numerous environmental benefits because they reduce the quantity of silt, pesticides, slurry, fertilisers and urban pollution being washed into rivers and at the same time create valuable wildlife habitats.

Calls for dredging have come from the farming lobby, but a 2009 Defra report in support of its Soil Strategy for England found that agriculture is responsible for 75% of the sediment in rivers (note 4).  A Countryside Council for Wales report in 2009 (see note 5) found that 14 tonnes of sediment a year per hectare were being washed off an agricultural catchment in Wales, leading to a quadrupling in the rate that sediment is being deposited in Llangorse lake since the 1970s.  An Environment Agency report in 2010 found that large scale changes in agricultural land management, especially in the uplands have the potential to decrease river flows in the River Calder by 25% (see note 6).  Tackling run-off from farmland would therefore not only reduce flooding, but it would reduce the amount of silt getting into rivers in the first place.

As long ago as 2006, several environmental and angling organisations drew up a Blueprint for Water setting out a wide range of actions that government should take to take an integrated approach to sustainable water management.  In spite of repeated reminders over the past 8 years, which have included severe droughts and highly damaging floods, little action has been taken.  We hope that the current floods will finally get the government to implement the Blueprint which included measures to reduce the speed and quantity of water running off agricultural land and urban areas. 

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said:
“For too many years farmers have been encouraged to focus on production at the expense of their own soils.  Crops like potatoes and maize can have disastrous consequences when grown in the wrong place, because they lead to rapid run-off of water and soil.  In towns, far too many developments are being built without sustainable urban drainage systems in them.  As a result, people’s homes and businesses are being flooded and our rivers are being polluted with torrents of sediment and other pollutants.  Widespread dredging of rivers would have made little or no difference to the impact of this year’s floods, but integrated catchment management might well have saved thousands of people from a heap of misery.  We need to deal with the causes of flooding, rather than the effects.”

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

Following he recent nettings, Bury Hill Fisheries have now completed this years stocking and fish movements, which included stocking a number of big roach to 2lb into Bonds and Milton, plenty of bream into the Old Lake, a few very pretty carp into Bonds and 60 or so zander which included a stunnning 17lb 4oz fish (see pic below).

Bonds Lake

The aim of draining and netting Bonds Lake was to remove many of the smaller silver fish, which had been bred and grown on in the lake and the odd zander leaving more room for the carp and quality roach to grow on. Following the netting, Bonds now holds over 500 carp, which average 7lb and which includes approximately 50 stunning additions from Milton Lake that are rarely caught fish. We also left around 200 quality roach in Bonds, 50 to 60 of which are around the 1lb 8oz to 3lb mark. These are stunning fish which given the right conditions will now grow even larger. 

Milton Lake

Netting revealed the stock levels in Milton to be particularly healthy with over 1 ton of crucian (circa 1500 fish) and 900 to 1000 quality tench.

Again the aim of netting was to remove the small fry, some of the smaller bream, and all the carp and zander. This would then leave us with a considerable stocking (over 1000lbs) of good-sized catchable roach ranging from 8oz to 2lb 8oz, which includes a large number of roach between 1lb 8oz and 2lb 8oz and plenty of crucians and tench.

Following the netting of Temple, we also stocked a reasonable number rudd into Milton Lake that had grown on in Temple, these ranged in size from 5oz - 1lb.

Old Lake

We didn't do any netting work on the old lake itself, however we did stock it with fish from all three of the other lakes, which included approximately 1/2 a ton of small bream (1lb 8oz - 2lb 8oz) from Temple, Bonds and Milton. Also any Zander that we found in any of the other lakes were stocked into the old lake, this was around 60-70 fish, which included around a dozen doubles including a HUGE 17lb 3oz fish.

Source: Bury Hill Fisheries

The UK’s biggest river competition just got bigger as The Angling Trust is delighted to announce the 20 qualifying venues for this year’s RiverFest competition.

The qualifiers will begin earlier than 2013 with the first match taking place on the River Calder, Mirfield on Sunday 22nd June.  The qualifiers will then continue on a weekly basis through to the last qualifier for 2014 on Saturday 1st November on the River Nene, March.  Three anglers from each qualifier will progress to the grand final on the Wye in Hereford on 15th & 16th November 2014.

Angling Trust’s RiverFest enters its second year and once again will carry the biggest ever individual prize for a river match, a whopping £12,000 going to the winner of the grand final, an increase of £2,000 on the  2013 first prize.

Angling Trust Ambassador, Dave Harrell, the man behind the original concept of the competition said, “We have worked closely with different clubs and associations and introduced eight new venues to the list for this year.  We have also planned things so that there is only one qualifier for each of the first 20 weekends of the season.  This will give anglers the chance to plan their matches more easily, and also give clubs and associations the opportunity to run practice opens in the lead up to the qualifying matches.”

Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions Manager stated “We were absolutely delighted with how RiverFest was received by match anglers in its first year and it is an excellent addition to the calendar.  Building on that success was very important and in addition to eight new venues, we are delighted to be able to increase the total prize money on offer for RiverFest 2014 to £29,000, with the winner taking home a very impressive £12,000.  The prize money is subject to sell outs during the qualifiers and retaining the level of sponsorship from 2013.  We received overwhelming support from clubs and associations offering their venues for this year’s qualifiers and we would like to thank everyone who has come forward offering their support.”

The format for the competition will be the same as last year and entry forms to apply for the qualifying matches will be available from the Angling Trust, and a coupon will be available in the two weekly angling publications, Angling Times and Angler’s Mail from Tuesday 18th March.  Further details will also be available on the Angling Trust website.
 

Dates and venues for Angling Trust RiverFest qualifiers 2014

1. Sunday 22nd June - River Calder at Mirfield.
2. Saturday 28th June – River Swale at Morton.
3. Saturday 5th July – River Severn at Lower Lode.
4. Sunday 13th July –Bristol Avon at Newbridge.
5. Saturday 19th July – River Trent at Newark Dyke.
6. Sunday 27th July – River Trent at South Clifton, North Clifton, Laughterton.
7. Saturday 2nd August - River Weaver at Northwich.
8. Sunday 10th August – River Soar at Sutton Bonnington.
9. Sunday 17th August – River Yare at Beauchamp Arms.
10. Saturday 23rd August - River Tees at Bowesfield, Yarm.
11. Saturday 30th August - River Don at Sprotborough.
12. Sunday 7th September – Great Ouse at Littleport.
13. Sunday 14th September – River Wye at Breinton, Bartonsham, Eign.
14. Saturday 20th September - River Severn at Bridgnorth.
15. Sunday 28th September River Trent at Burton.
16. Saturday 4th October – River Thames at Oxford.
17. Saturday 11th October – River Severn at Worcester, Upton.
18. Saturday 18th October - Warwickshire Avon at Evesham.
19. Saturday 25th October – Yorkshire Ouse at Hunters Lodge, Linton-on-Ouse.
20. Saturday 1st November – River Nene at March.

GRAND FINAL 15/16 November – River Wye at Hereford

The Angling Trust and Dave Harrell would like to offer their appreciation and thanks to the clubs and associations who came forward to propose their venue for a qualifier in 2014, those venues which have not been selected in 2014 will be considered for selection in future years.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing News

With all of the Top Mouth Gudgeon now gone from the FLE Fishery and the canals open once again it has been really nice to have our regular match anglers back fishing at FLE. We have also seen many new faces coming and seeing just how good the fishing is here and we have a feeling that 2014 is going to be an amazing year!

Due to all the fish having been hand picked and put back into the canals after their time in the Top Lake we now have 4 canals stocked just how we want them.

On Saturday we had 22 anglers visit FLE and book canals 2, 3 and 4.  It was nice to see one of our Team FLE members back on the box after taking a break for the summer from match fishing and in true style he came back and did the team proud!  This is the first year that FLE has put together a match team to compliment our successful Carp Team and there is a real buzz around the place at the moment.

Another angler to mention is the ever dominant Pete ‘Kingfisher’ Newman.  Once again he showed his class in a strong field of anglers and showed why he is the ‘Kingfisher’.

One last mention has to go to the father and son combo of the Mayers.  Both came second in their section and since we have opened both have shown that they know how to bank a carp or two from FLE.

If you would like to book a canal for your match group the cost is £50 per canal and all bookings need to be made via the FLE website.

Winning tactics:

Most anglers chose to fish fairly similar tactics and those that did best fished long pole to the far bank.  Bait for most was maggot which in the winter is a hard bait to beat and by searching the swim by lifting and dropping the bait it allowed anglers to find the pockets of fish held up in the far bank.

Remember fish light and don’t feed much in the winter, the fish slow right down and do not need to consume as much as they do in the summer months, feed to much at the start of the day and you could shoot yourself in the foot!

 

Source: FLE Fishery

The biggest and best free fishing event in the UK is here again. This year Glasgow Angling Centre have an action packed 3 days to help you become a better angler and to increase your enjoyment of the sport. They'll also have some of the biggest names in fishing to help and advise you on any aspect of tackle or technique, as well as offering fantastic deals on all the major tackle brands and product ranges. So if you are looking for rods, reels, clothing, luggage and loads more at fantastic prices, you don't want to miss the Open Weekend.

Here is a list of just some of the things you can see and do during the Open Weekend:

• Loads of help and advice to help you become a better angler
• Meet the biggest names in fishing, including: Matt Hayes, Ian Gordon, Mike Thrussell, Hywel Morgan, Jan Porter and many more.
• Huge discounts on all the biggest brands: Hardy, Greys, Daiwa, Savage Gear, Simms, Patagonia and Shakespeare to name just a few.
• Free casting instruction, fly tying demos, fishing advice, presentations and loads more
• Casting Competition with fantastic prizes on offer
• Learn and improve your Lure fishing with our exclusive lure tank
• Learn all about outboard engines, motors and related services, courtesy of Clyde Outboard Services
• Free Parking
• On-site Food & Refreshments
• Cafe Area
• Customer Toilets
• Casting Pool to try rods and to see demos of new and exciting rods for 2014
• Grab one of your favourite fishing magazines for Free

So if you are as passionate about fishing and want to have a memorable day out, you're in for a treat!! You really don't want to miss all the action - or the bargains - so come along and see for yourself why this event keeps attracting record crowds year after year.

When and Where

28th February, 1st March, 2nd March 2014

Unit 1 The Point Retail Park, 29 Saracen Street, Glasgow, G22 5HT
Tel: +44 (0) 871 716 1670*

Glasgow Angling Centre Open Weekend | More information

The 2013-2014 Larford Winter League series concluded on Sunday 26th January and, with that, two teams of four secured their invitation to fish one of the sport's most prestigious Team Championship events - the Mega 'Match This' Team Championship Final.

The six round series was fiercely contested right the way through with four different teams topping the league throughout the campaign. In fact, going into the final round of the competition, there was just a single point between the top three teams!

With all still to play for in the final round, the pressure was really on MFS Green Army, Ted Carters Southport and team Garbolino. With near impossible conditions on the day hampering everyone's best efforts, it was anyone's guess as to who would walk away having done enough.

However, it was the in-form MFS Green Army side that came through on the day thanks to section wins from Martin Churchill and Andy Kinder, backed up by a second in section from Matt Blackmore. Joining MFS Green Army in the Final are Ted Carter's Southport Captained by Chris Gorrell, who finished runner-up overall trailing MFS by eight points.

For the full match report, please visit the Larford Lakes website.

The 2014 "Match This Team Championship" final will take place on Sunday 31st August.

 

Source: Larford Lakes