Patrolling for poachers

[Alex Gowney]

Alex I have been listening to it for about 50 years now. Always an excuse Very little action from the AAC Apathetic Angling Club. Of the hundreds of moans about "I saw a poacher and no one has done anything about it" posts on here, how many actually phoned the EA and asked for the all important incident number?

I take your point Kevin but your post assumes nobody ever does anything. I do wonder though, as you may, how many anglers actually carry the EA number in their mobiles? And that is essential, not just for incidents of poaching but for pollution etc.

 

[Duncan Dimbleby]

We can't expect the EA to protect our waterways 24/7. They do a very good job but as we well know that they simply don't have the funding, resources and man power to carry on this battle on their own.
It is an issue that won't go away and has the potential to get a lot worse over the next few years. Fishing clubs have to take some responsibility to ' manage ' their waters if they are experiencing problems. As individuals we can all do our bit also, even if its just phoning the police or reporting incidents to the EA. If incidents aren't continually reported then a problem won't be identified.

Two years ago we had a problem in my area. A well known stretch of the Thames was suffering badly from bbq's, fires, trees being cut for said fires, illegal fishing practises, no licences, fish thefts etc etc.

Once the problem had been identified then a joint operation was put in place involving bailiffs from the controlling fishing club, EA fishery enforcement officers, Police officers and local council officers.
The stretch in question now suffers very few incidents compared to before.

The point I'm trying to make is that if you've got a problem then don't simply do nothing other than moan. Deal with it, it might take a bit of organising but get the EA, Police and council on board and you'll be surprised what can be achieved. Maybe we are lucky in my area that we have an open minded group of people who are willing to work together for the benefit of the environment.

Duncan.

 

[Martin James]

I recently recorded an interview with Dilp Sarkar MBE on the Angling Trust bailiff scheme, which will be broadcast on Saturday 2nd November at 0600 hrs. It can be heard for 7 days via the listen again system on BBC Radio Lancashire. It highlights the good work that the Angling Trust does and why we should all be member. On my stretch of the River Ribble I have 6 bailiffs who are either serving or ex-army personal. They are excellent. In return they get free fishing. Remember the taking of fish is A Section 1 of the Theft Act, Last winter while watching a salmon pool, I spotted two cars pull up on the opposite bank, I called the police for assistance. Soon I had 4 police cars, then later a police dog team. After some 3 hours we found out they were not salmon thieves, but scrap metal thieves the police had been after for some time. When we are patrolling our waters it’s not just the theft of fish but all rural crime that we can help with. I feel every angling club in the country should give 2 membership cards to their local police station for any officer to use. Its great PR

 

[David Gauntlett]

Your last suggestion there is a great idea Martin...if the police have an interest in the venue, they are going to protect it far more enthusiastically. They did just that on a couple of my local club waters...it works really well.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Andrew Burt]

I cannot believe there are anglers who believe the EA do a good job. Since the inception of the EA our rivers have got worse year on year. All they are interested in is their cushy jobs while they self publicise. Root cause of the main problem is the way sewage is treated. The pH of the water balanced with salts and then the whole lot filtered to remove all sediment. That sediment is the bottom end of the food chain. So comes the first spin look how clean the water is it is so clear. Clear maybe, fit for life? Fit for purpose? No. Then comes the old release a few salmon fry while the TV are there. Recently their studies have showed what the anglers that fish small rivers have been telling them, there are no small fish at the top ends. The answer is to build expenesive fish passes around weirs. Common sense tells you the weirs have been there a long time and therefore it is highly unlickely the cause. Couldn't be the waterway clearance to 'relieve' flooding? Or no weed growth or Bankside cover for the fish? How about buying elvers for stocking because they can't be sold and they were being dumped in ditches? How about limiting what is caught? The list goes on. Sorry to seem negative I just remember how it was and it's gone

 

[Chris Hill]

The posts by Duncan Dimbleby and Martin James are spot on and tell you and your club everything you need to know about dealing with poachers effectively. Forget the EA; get the police involved because poaching IS theft. Our club adopted the same strategy and poaching was eliminated inside 6 months