Rob Moore

Fishing: I started fishing at a very young age when getting line tangles was my only problem (and always sorted out by my Dad). As a youth, I was obsessed with freshwater angling: for tench and barbel in the summer, and chub in the winter. I grew up within walking distance of some great lake fishing at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield. With a drivers' licence at 17 I could fish the Middle River Severn, Trent, Warks Avon, Teme and River Mease. I took a long gap from fishing when my children were growing up and I lived in SW England where the type of fishing opportunities had no appeal. Since moving to South Wales I now have the River Wye within an hours drive and the River Severn at Bewdley is under 1.5 hours away. I am a member of Hereford and District Angling Association. My best barbel is 12 lb 2 oz and catching it is now firmly embedded in my memory. Mostly though I blank.

Career: I am a water quality specialist (environmental water quality). I was national policy advisor for water quality in the water industry regulation team at the Environment Agency. I also worked closely with the European Commission's water topic team and Defra on implementing European Directives for water quality. I am a former pollution control office from the National Rivers Authority and managed the Upper Trent, River Dove and River Mease. I left the Agency in 2008 because after nearly 20 years' working at the EA I could no longer understand how it all worked (I suggest you read Catch 22 to understand my point!). I am now a consultant and work for APEM Ltd, a great company (and many of us are fishermen). There is a great deal of positive work happening to protect rivers and inshore coastal waters. Most people either don't know about it or choose to ignore it because the answers are not simple.