Stuie

View in browser | Latest sea angling news from the Angling Trust SEA NEWS December 2021 Angling Trust throws its support behind the Sea Angling Diary project The Angling Trust is joining Defra, the Welsh Government, Cefas and Substance in calling for sea anglers in England and Wales to sign up to the Sea Angling Diary project. Now is the chance for anglers to sign up – whether you fish in the sea every week or just once or twice a year. Don't delay, make your catch count today! READ MORE CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SEA ANGLING DIARY FORUM Waves of Change: Anglers Against Litter strengthens in sea angling The Angling Trust has received funding to install 50 Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS) bins at sea fishing marks across England as part of its flagship Anglers Against Litter campaign. The campaign to date has supported thousands of anglers across the country to reduce litter. READ MORE Angling Trust challenges Natural England's views on bait gathering In June, concerns were raised with the Angling Trust that recreational sea anglers (RSA) on the Isle of Sheppey were being banned from bait digging on a SSSI following a reassessment by Natural England. This led to warning signs being erected and police warning anglers they could be prosecuted if the digging continued. Challenges were made to Natural England and following legal advice in early autumn they stated: ‘While we aim to regulate commercial bait digging through the SSSI consenting process, we are now clear that an individual collecting for personal use would not require consent because they are not a notified SSSI owner or occupier themselves, and as they have a public right to fish, they do not require the SSSI landowner permission’. This was great news, and it was obvious to us that their concerns centred on illegal commercial activity. We have had similar concerns raised that could impact on RSA elsewhere, such as on the River Adur in Sussex. We have now agreed regular meetings with Natural England to identify issues early and to work to minimise these, particularly where they could impact on RSA locally and nationally and we hope this process will impact positively over the coming years. VIRTUAL SEA ANGLING FORUMS PROJECT ANGEL SHARK: WALES Jake Davies from Project Angel Shark: Wales delivers an exciting presentation about research on the criticall endangered angel shark in Wales and how anglers can play their part in furthering our understanding of this species. WATCH NOW AN EVENING WITH NW IFCA Completing our series of Virtual Sea Angling Forums with the IFCAs we are joined by North Western IFCA who provide an overview of their recreational sea angling work and answer your questions on their operations. WATCH NOW Angling Trust response to proposal to add Porbeagle Shark and Common Blue Skate to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act A proposal has been made for the porbeagle shark and the common blue skate to be added to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) under the JNCC 7th Quinquennial Review (QQR7). On the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, the porbeagle shark is listed as critically endangered in Europe and the common blue skate is listed as critically endangered globally. The origin of this proposal is currently unknown. The Angling Trust will be responding in collaboration with Shark Hub UK to this consultation. All available evidence will be considered when compiling the response to ensure that the best possible outcome is reached to ensure that angling for this species can continue with the right measures to protect the welfare of the fish. READ MORE Two record fish make British sea angling history Two sea fish, accepted by the British Record Fish Committee, have made British angling history. The two-banded sea bream - one caught from a boat out of Padstow, Cornwall and the other from the shore on the Channel Island of Sark - are the first of their species to be landed by anglers in British waters. READ MORE How to cast: beach fishing tips for newcomers Jimmy Willis and Graham Mabey from the Get Fishing Team look at how to do a basic beach fishing cast with a fixed spool reel. They also have a quick look at the reel and find out what the drag does. No.1 site for Welsh anglers Fishing In Wales is the no.1 website for Welsh sea, coarse and game angling. Where, when, how and what to fish for in Wales – we have it covered! Take a look for yourself 10% off at GO Outdoors and Fishing Republic Leisure and tackle retailers GO Outdoors and Fishing Republic have become our latest Retail Associate members. To celebrate the partnership, GO Outdoors and Fishing Republic are offering members a 10% discount on their huge range of items. Login to your Members Dashboard to obtain your code for online purchases and show your valid membership card for purchases in store. CLICK HERE FOR MEMBERS DISCOUNTS NOT A MEMBER? JOIN THE ANGLING TRUST TODAY! Take a Friend Fishing this festive season If you are a freshwater angler too, now’s your chance to use your fishing licence to get a FREE one-day licence and introduce a friend or family member to a different kind of fishing. Apply here – you’ll need your fishing licence handy plus a few details about your friend, including their email address. This Take a Friend Fishing runs from 17th December to 2nd January so although you can’t fish for salmon or trout in rivers or brown trout in unenclosed stillwaters, this time of year offers a great chance to get out after pike, perch, chub, grayling and other species. Simply check your local freshwater fishing byelaws before you go – they explain what kind of fishing is allowed this time of year. The Angling Trust We are a not for profit organisation, representing anglers, fighting for fish, fishing and the environment. We are recognised by the Government as the National Governing Body for angling in England and partner with Visit Wales and Natural Resources Wales to promote Fishing in Wales. We are a member-based organisation made up of anglers of all disciplines providing a united front to represent, grow and protect our sport. By becoming a member of the Angling Trust you are helping to protect the waterways you fish in and the fish which live within them, ensuring their health and protection for future generations. Click here for more information about membership Angling Trust Limited is a company limited by guarantee, company number 05320350 Angling Trust & Fish Legal, Eastwood House, Rainbow Street, Leominster, HR6 8DQ Telephone: 01568 620447

Good luck all those going out- stay safe

Birthday greetings Mike - enjoy your day.

Thanks Max for the invite to join you on your vessel - I was impressed by your seamanship - especially when offering to assist my call of nature. I really enjoyed the day - thanks again. Well done everyone who took part and especially those who managed to find the illusive flounder.

Birthday greetings Rob - enjoy your day.

Have a good day both.

Thanks for a great trip Charlie - bacon butties were an unexpected treat - and thanks Jim for the endless teas and coffees. A lovely day to be out with great company.

Birthday greetings Gary - enjoy your day.

Response from MP Dear Stuart, This Conservative government is the first government to set out our expectation that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows. We have put our position on an enhanced legal footing. The Environment Bill will allow us to deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth. There has been a lot of scrutiny and the Bill has been substantially strengthened. On the issue of storm overflows. The amount of sewage discharge by water companies into our rivers is not acceptable. We have made it crystal clear to water companies that they must significantly reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows as a priority. If we do not start to see significant improvements, we will not hesitate to take action through a swathe of new measures directly on water companies in the Environment Bill. None of us voted to allow water companies to pump sewage into our rivers as some campaigns have caricatured in recent days. We actually voted in favour of a package of measures to reduce harms from storm overflows including: • a new duty directly on water companies to produce comprehensive statutory Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans, setting out how they will manage and develop their drainage and sewerage system over a minimum 25-year planning horizon, including how storm overflows will be addressed through these plans. • a power of direction for the government to direct water companies in relation to the actions in these Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans. We will use this power of direction if plans are not good enough. This is a powerful tool. • a new duty on Government to produce a statutory plan to reduce discharges from storm overflows • a requirement for Government to produce a report setting out the actions that would be needed to eliminate discharges from storm overflows in England, and the costs and benefits of those actions. Both publications are required before 1 September 2022. • a new duty directly on water companies and the Environment Agency to publish data on storm overflow operation on an annual basis. • a new duty directly on water companies to publish near real time information on the operation of storm overflows. This means it will be clear as to how often storm overflows are being used, which will aid enforcement. • a new duty directly on water companies to monitor the water quality upstream and downstream of storm overflows and sewage disposal works. • In July of this year, this Government set out, for the first time ever, its expectation that Ofwat (the regulator) should incentivise water companies to invest to significantly reduce the use of storm overflows in the forthcoming pricing review period. Ofwat will be required to act in accordance with this expectation. We have placed this policy position in law. The Government has met with the CEOs of water companies and stressed the need for focused action in this area. The water industry has been clear that they recognise what needs to be done: “The water industry recognises the need for urgent action on storm overflows as part of our commitment to protecting the environment. That is why we strongly support the Government’s efforts to tackle overflows, and are pleased to see important new measures in the Environment Bill for eliminating harm. “We have been working closely with environment groups and others to agree a plan of action for making the swift progress we all want to see. A crucial part of that will be Government giving clear direction to regulators via its “Strategic Policy Statement”, which is essential for enabling the schemes and investment needed to transform our sewerage infrastructure.” Water UK, November 2021 Thank you for writing to me on this important subject. Sir Robert Syms MP

Birthday greetings Terry - enjoy your special day.. 🍷🍷

View in browser | Members Update Members Update November 8th, 2021 Environment Bill Update: Lords Amendment on Sewage Pollution - 8th November 2021 Dear Friend Many thanks to everyone who took the trouble to email their MP on sewage pollution. Whilst this led to a welcome U-turn by the government we now see that the new amendment they have tabled for debate this evening fails to ‘mirror’ that proposed by the Duke of Wellington. Unfortunately, what is before the House today is weaker with too much room for broad interpretation and simply does not go far enough – and in the little time that has been made available for scrutiny, legal commentators have already highlighted significant loopholes. At a time when public trust in politicians has once again been shaken we hope that MPs will stand firm and insist on clarity and action by Ministers to create a pathway out of pollution. We cannot accept for our rivers and seas to continue to be treated like an open sewer by water companies. Last year saw a record 400,000 releases of untreated sewage. This has to stop. The Parliamentary arithmetic means that the Government Amendment is likely to pass but this must not be without challenge. Without regulation, investment and enforcement anything agreed by Parliament today will not yield the scale or pace of change that the public expects and our environment so desperately needs. Which is why, once again we are asking you to email your MPs today with a copy of our amendment briefing and ask them to attend the debate this evening and publicly to seek clear assurances from Ministers before deciding how to vote on the amendment. These cover enforcement and regulation by OFWAT and the Environment Agency, on-going parliamentary scrutiny and increased investment in our creaking and leaking sewerage infrastructure which the Government now admits is no longer fit for purpose. These are set out in more detail in the briefing which can be downloaded here. Emailing your MP is simple. Just visit Theyworkforyou.com, enter your post code and when you get to your MP's page click the “send a message” button. Yours sincerely Martin Salter, Angling Trust Head of Policy The Angling Trust We are a not for profit organisation, representing anglers, fighting for fish, fishing and the environment. We are recognised by the Government as the National Governing Body for angling in England and partner with Visit Wales and Natural Resources Wales to promote Fishing in Wales. We are a member-based organisation made up of anglers of all disciplines providing a united front to represent, grow and protect our sport. By becoming a member of the Angling Trust you are helping to protect the waterways you fish in and the fish which live within them, ensuring their health and protection for future generations. Click here for more information about membership Angling Trust Limited is a company limited by guarantee, company number 05320350 Angling Trust & Fish Legal, Eastwood House, Rainbow Street, Leominster, HR6 8DQ Telephone: 01568 620447

Best wishes Oli - enjoy your day.

Lovely report - thanks for sharing, ditto re video....

Clickety click Alfie - enjoy your day... 🍺🎂

Enjoy your day Pete..

Have a good day Steve.

Hope you're all having a good day..Make the most of it.

View in browser | Members Update Members Update October 25th, 2021 Environment Bill Update: A message from our CEO Jamie Cook Dear Member A big thank you to all those who took the time and trouble to write to their MPs on the issue of sewage discharges into our rivers and to everyone who supports the work of Angling Trust, Fish Legal and our Anglers Against Pollution Campaign. As you may have heard, the Lords amendment to beef up the Environment Bill and force more action to tackle storm overflows was defeated in the House of Commons on Wednesday (20th October). But that’s not the end of the story. Thanks to the many anglers and supporters who wrote to their MP, 22 Tory MPs defied their party whip and joined the Opposition in support of our campaign by voting for the Lords amendment. This will be key to us keeping the pressure on the government to act, especially if we can increase this number next time around. You can see which MPs voted “No” to the government’s attempt to block the change here. The Environment Bill now goes back to the House of Lords for further debate tomorrow (26th October). Discussion is taking place between campaign groups, including the Angling Trust, and members of the House of Lords around another attempt to secure action. And Anglers Against Pollution continues to fight on other fronts. We are calling on the government to take bold action in giving new guidance to the regulator, OFWAT, to allow more investment in cleaning up our sewage systems and make water companies do more to tackle pollution. We set out the case in our recently published joint report, Time to Fix The Broken Water Sector which is gaining a lot of support and attention. You can rest assured that we are not giving up the fight for cleaner rivers and will continue to press for meaningful action to tackle the scandal of sewage pollution. Thanks again for all you did and we will keep you informed every step of the way. All the best, Jamie Cook, CEO – Angling Trust and Fish Legal Download a copy of our Time to Fix the Broken Water Sector report HERE To find out more about our Anglers Against Pollution Campaign click HERE The Angling Trust We are a not for profit organisation, representing anglers, fighting for fish, fishing and the environment. We are recognised by the Government as the National Governing Body for angling in England and partner with Visit Wales and Natural Resources Wales to promote Fishing in Wales. We are a member-based organisation made up of anglers of all disciplines providing a united front to represent, grow and protect our sport. By becoming a member of the Angling Trust you are helping to protect the waterways you fish in and the fish which live within them, ensuring their health and protection for future generations. Click here for more information about membership Angling Trust Limited is a company limited by guarantee, company number 05320350 Angling Trust & Fish Legal, Eastwood House, Rainbow Street, Leominster, HR6 8DQ Telephone: 01568 620447

I wonder what the Awsome Fishing guy uses - seems to work fine..

Only takers a minute to copy & paste letter.....

View in browser | Members Update Members Update October 18th, 2021 24 hours to force the government to stop sewage pollution - please act now! Dear Member Parliament will be debating the Environment Bill on Wednesday (20th October). This is the last chance to make sure the Bill contains firm action to stop raw sewage pouring into our rivers and seas from storm overflows. We need you to EMAIL YOUR MP IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS to ask them to support clause 82 of the Environment Bill and resist any last-minute attempt by the government to weaken this clause. Clause 82 will place a “duty on sewerage undertakers to take all reasonable steps to ensure untreated sewage is not discharged from storm overflows”. This means Water Companies will not just have to monitor and report, they must act to stop this pollution. Please email ASAP as the vote is on Wednesday. Emailing your MP is simple. Just visit Theyworkforyou.com, enter your post code and when you get to your MP's page click the “send a message” button. Ask them to support Clause 82 of the Environment Bill at the Consideration of Lords Amendment debate and to tell them to resist any attempts by the government to change this clause. When writing feel free to tell them how passionate you are about our rivers and seas, and how you want clear and healthy waters fit for fish to swim in and people to enjoy. Template Text Whilst personal emails are more effective we realise that time is short so here’s a form of wording that you can cut, paste and adapt for sending to your own MP: “Dear [Insert Name] MP I am a keen angler and would like you to take action this week to strengthen the Environment Bill to end the scandal of untreated sewage entering our rivers and seas. There were a shocking 400,000 spills from storm overflows in 2020 and Clause 82 of the Environment Bill at the Consideration of Lords Amendment debate on Wednesday (Oct 20) is your chance to make a difference and take a big step towards ending pollution of our rivers and seas from raw sewage. The declining condition of our rivers due to pollution is a national disgrace and flies in the face of government promises ‘to leave the environment in a better condition for the next generation’. As anglers, we see first hand what damage is being done and I urge you to support the Lords Amendment to force water companies to stop pouring untreated sewage into our local rivers and seas which should be a haven for fish and wildlife and something we can all enjoy in safety.” Please act now and thank you for your support. Stuart Singleton-White, Head of Campaigns Martin Salter, Head of Policy. To find out more about our Anglers Against Pollution Campaign Click HERE The Angling Trust We are a not for profit organisation, representing anglers, fighting for fish, fishing and the environment. We are recognised by the Government as the National Governing Body for angling in England and partner with Visit Wales and Natural Resources Wales to promote Fishing in Wales. We are a member-based organisation made up of anglers of all disciplines providing a united front to represent, grow and protect our sport. By becoming a member of the Angling Trust you are helping to protect the waterways you fish in and the fish which live within them, ensuring their health and protection for future generations. Click here for more information about membership Angling Trust Limited is a company limited by guarantee, company number 05320350 Angling Trust & Fish Legal, Eastwood House, Rainbow Street, Leominster, HR6 8DQ Telephone: 01568 620447

Thanks for the best wishes everyone - saw grandson's under 8's beat Blandford 15 - 1 so the day started off really well. Saw all the children during the day and a Chinese meal for the two of us in the evening. A memorable day.

Commercial Shore Netting Update A big thank you to everyone who supported our campaign against the Government changing the law to allow commercial shore netters to land and sell sea bass. Unfortunately, the Government has gone ahead and made a law that says the prohibition on landing and selling bass does not apply to bycatches from some commercial shore netting. This legislation seems to us to be ill-founded and incoherent: no bass catch limits no closed season to protect spawning bass. will increase bass mortality, particularly juvenile bass discriminatory against recreational fishing We also have grave concerns about the way this policy decision was made. This is not the way to gain the trust or support of sea anglers. You can read more about this law change on our website by clicking here: https://www.saveourseabass.org/commercial-shore-netting-update-september-2021/ END Contact details: info@saveourseabass.org

You need another garage Jim....😄😆

Enjoy your day..🎂🍺