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Giant Hogweed

Yep biggest threat to river fishing IMHO, not only does it cause a public health risk, at its worst it becomes the only bank side plant growing. In the winter the root void is the size of a large football, meaning large scale bank erosion leading to silting of gravel spawning beds.

It's all over the Upper Severn and when I contacted the Welsh E.A, NRW and Keep Wales Tidy, no interest or funding to deal with the issue.

I know that the Severn Rivers Trust obtained some funding for spraying; however it's nowhere near enough to deal with it.

And generally speaking, it always amazes me how few anglers notice anything other than their rod tip. I talk to anglers on the bank re invasive species and most look at me like I'm stupid :)
 
I believe spraying is the only real way to deal with it. Just thinking about it the only other means of control would be physically to remove it by digging pulling cutting or strimming which is either impractical or potentially hazardous. Or burning it, hardly practical.

It is rampant and has been for many years on the river Bollin in Cheshire
 
As with Jap Knotweed, the most effective method method of control is to stem inject with a suitable glyphosate product (roundup biactive, clinic ace, gallup etc). Spraying is quicker and cheaper, but inevitably it also comes into contact with other vegetation and creates a patch of bare ground for a few months with can be susceptible to invasion from other unwanted plants such as himalyan balsam etc.

Unfortunately reliable stem injectors aren't cheap, more of a contractors tool: Stem Injection Systems:
 
There was a post on Facebook regarding an anglers daughter getting the sap on her. Poor girl had horrendous burns on her hands. A real problem and some stretches on the Tees are becoming unfishable. River Tees Trust and local clubs are conducting a spraying program but this is a long term project.
It seems to be everywhere now, fields and woods at the back of my house are wick with the stuff.
 
Hack it down, carefully with a glove on before it sets its seed, then at least it won't proliferate. The seed is viable for 10 years I believe so it is a patience job, but this approach seemed to help on a bit of Nidd which I frequent.
Yorkshire Wildlife have a lady who is dealing with non native invasive species in our part of the world and was requesting it to be reported to her ( I believe her name was Henderson)
info@ywt.org.uk. 01904659570
 
Giant hogweed is a monocarpic species - meaning it only sets seed once in its lifespan. Nearly all of the seeds germinate the following year, with approximately only 1% (around 200 seeds) being able to persist for more than 3 years in the soil seed bank.

In my experience cutting isn't that effective and quite labour intensive. If you cut before it seeds then, as far as long-term control is concerned, all you have done is delay seeding until the following season as it will always regrow - often more vigorously. Cutting after seeding serves only to remove the dead/dying vegetation.

If it is to be cut then I'd strongly recommend wearing full PPE (especially if strimming) - and make sure you wash down your tools throughly before handling then again as the poisonous sap can get everywhere.
 
At the end of the day, if you treat it with respect and care, you will be fine. I'm regularly fishing the river tees and often climbing past and through jungles of the stuff, and fishing a foot or two away from one. Just be mindful it is there, and you wont have a problem. It's got to the point on the River Tees where its so plentiful that you just accept it as a danger and live with it - the good thing is that people avoid fishing near it, and they make the best, most udnerfished swims!
 
Featured on my local BBC North West News this evening, claimed that the landowner can be issued with an ASBO if it becomes out of control.
 
Gavin Hoe-Richardson said:
Featured on my local BBC North West News this evening, claimed that the landowner can be issued with an ASBO if it becomes out of control.
Click to expand...

An ASBO and a fine of £2500 can be issued if it's in a residential area - so it doesn't apply to most river banks.

Up until 1st Jan 2015 under the Cross Compliance (the rules and conditions that farmers and landowners must follow to claim their subsidy payments) any claiment not controlling invasive alien plants on their land could be issued with payment reductions. But for some reason the Govt decided this rule should be dropped from Cross Compliance...
 
Re clubs dealing with their hogweed problem, I've just had a quote from Reaseheath College, to get two bailiffs trained and certified with PA1, PA6 and PA6A (all needed for spraying near water) and the cost is just over £600 each (plus each person needs to find 3 days for training). Then consider you have to buy spraying kit and glyphosate.

In short a lot of clubs wont be prepared to spend this kind of money (many wont even have the money and/or volunteer base).
 
The application of herbicides adjacent to water qualification is actually PA6AW. I should know I've just taken my 3 year refresher.

I treat a considerable amount of giant hogweed in the Wey valley and suggest that treating it before the seed head has chance to form May/ June with a glyphosate herbicide will be effective once you get on top of any seed bank that has already been deposited.
 
Mic Foot said:
The application of herbicides adjacent to water qualification is actually PA6AW. I should know I've just taken my 3 year refresher.

I treat a considerable amount of giant hogweed in the Wey valley and suggest that treating it before the seed head has chance to form May/ June with a glyphosate herbicide will be effective once you get on top of any seed bank that has already been deposited.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that Mic, but in layman's terms, what, ( if anything ) can us un-educated mere mortal anglers do ?
 
Mere mortals....there is a temptation to hack it down, but the problem here is that in overgrown pegs/swims another angler may come along and wade through the undergrowth, unaware that the plant is now in his path. Nasty stuff, so leave it to the experts. I've a photo of one that grew to just under 15 ft last year and if you've ever read 'Day of the Triffids'...

The problem has to be addressed in a managed way, because if one club are treating all the plants either by spraying or stem injection, they'll have to do it every year if the club upstream are doing nothing! On rivers this is going to take quite a bit of coordination and good-will.
 
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