Our Rivers

[Jon Berry]

http://www.ourrivers.org.uk/about-us/

Saw a link to this on Caught By The River and thought it may interest some on here. It may have been posted before - apologies if so.
Kindest,

Jon

 

[Darryl Davis]

Jon
I got the email a week ago from them.
For those who want to know more go to the site but the main point of the recent activity is this:

This summer the Government will publish its White Paper on Water. This is an important opportunity to safeguard the health of our rivers and protect freshwater wildlife for the future. And we’re calling on our supporters to take action to help protect our rivers.
Defra has already outlined what it intends to include in its Water White Paper – which you can see here – however we believe the Government must include two key commitments in order to protect our rivers. These are to:

1. Set out a clear timetable to restore the flow of our rivers and end unsustainable levels of abstraction, with action in the 2015-2020 water company planning period.

2. Enhance river water quality by requiring water companies to focus investment for improving drinking water at the source of the problem by working with farmers and land owners, unless there are exceptional circumstances. Alongside this, the government should set out clear plans and timescales to ensure impacts from farming on our rivers are reduced, through more targeted voluntary and regulatory initiatives.

 

[Joe Fletcher]

Having watched the film . It was stated that their is 95% decline in the eel population . At this time of the year the Elver fishing season is well under way on the Lower Severn . So would it make sense to call for a ban on Elver fishing to try and let the eel population recover .
Would it be possible to still net elvers and reintroduce them to other rivers .
Eels were once the staple diet of Otters .So is there a link between Otters turning there attension to other fish due to the decline of the eel population We all know that Barbel numbers are declining due to the increase in Otters .
So would a ban on Elver fishing make sense

 

[Ray Walton]

A total ban on 'all' commercial eel fishing would make more sense. The remaining eel year classes left in the rivers could be the last, possibly more or less than 10 years until they become extinct, if they are not allowed to return to the Sargasso to breed. Even if they do, the young are commercially exploited even more so than the adults.

 

[Dean Aston]

A total ban on 'all' commercial eel fishing would make more sense. The remaining eel year classes left in the rivers could be the last, possibly more or less than 10 years until they become extinct, if they are not allowed to return to the Sargasso to breed. Even if they do, the young are commercially exploited even more so than the adults.

Well said Ray as a member of the N.A.C the decline of the eel is very real one and we need to act now. The N.A.C have and are doing a lot of work to save the eel

 

[Will Smith]

Ridiculous that the young of an endangered species can be used in this way. Finally got round to joining the NAC this month for that reason.

www.nationalanguillaclub.co.uk