Just a point Tony, whilst I too am a supporter of the CA (critically as I am not totally keen on organisations mainly representing the Country Side Landowners Association, a far from progressive organisation), they key work behind the scenes on the canoeing issue was done by (and continues in England) the various River Trusts.
The River Trusts are voluntary organisations that are made up of all sorts of people (including canoeists) often with very different objectives, but all sharing a common love of Rivers.
Around the country they are taking over much of the work of the EA (and hopefully this will continue).
Many anglers are involved both as individuals and through local clubs.
On the Teme for instance all the local angling clubs with beats on the river, work closely with the Severn Rivers Trust on practical measure to improve the river, it was the local angling clubs who set up the Teme trust and the Severn Rivers Trust in the first place.
Many clubs are presently directly benefiting from this, as is the Teme itself.
The main reason I stick with the BS is that through its R&C fund and the activities of Pete Reading and others, the BS is the major national organisation of course anglers involved in practical work with the river trusts.
The Wild Trout Trust has a very similar relationship for those of us who also fish for fish with an extra fin.
All is not doom and gloom. Those interested in practical work, rather than political campaigning and posturing (including a few in the BS!), can get directly involved in the conservation work of River Trusts and their local angling clubs. Leave the political posturing to the angling politicians with their columns and blogs.
There is far more that unites River users than the things that divide them. I took a group from English Nature (future conservation officers) around Bransford on the Teme the other week. They didn't have the faintest idea about all or rather sad internal disagreements and had never heard of any of the celebrity anglers (maybe John Wilson and Chris Yates), but were impressed with the conservation work being done by a group of anglers, it gave them a very different opinion of angling from what they arrived with.
I have also sent them a bit upstream to a stretch of water managed by a local club and a private bit managed by Dave Mason, to see what can be done for conservation when anglers do it for themselves rather than relying on state organisations.
Witness the work of the Roach Project down on the Hampshire Avon, two anglers got this of the ground and double handedly are saving an important fish for future generation as well as improving the river for all.
The Trout in the Town project from the WTT which has saved a river in the middle of Sheffield allowing keen anglers to catch wild brown trout on their dinner breaks from a stuffy office (a greater contribution to the mental health of the nation than the work of hundreds of psychiatrists!...I could go on, I am sure you all know of small local initiatives...they all add up and do more than all the big organisation can achieve by top down politics.
I don't really care what the organisation is called, who which particular personality may dominate it as long as that organisation does the stuff for conservation on the rivers. The BS R&C cash and the enthusiasm of the R&C chairman has always impressed me and continues to do so...the rest just washes over me..
