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Thousands of fish have been killed in a pollution incident on the tidal Thames in West London after nearly half a million tonnes of sewage poured into the river over the weekend. Anglers were out on Monday evening trying to rescue dying fish stranded on the river’s beaches. The fish included roach, dace, bream, eels, perch, pike, sea bass and flounder. The tidal Thames is an important coarse fishery as well as being a vital nursery area for marine fish species for the whole of the South East of England.
Heavy rain over the weekend led to London’s sewerage system overflowing into the river. Because the spill followed a long dry spell, the sewage was particularly noxious. More than 250,000 tonnes of storm sewage entered the river from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and at least 200,000 tonnes from the Mogden Sewage Treatment Works in Isleworth, which is currently being upgraded.
The Environment Agency is monitoring oxygen levels in the river and Thames Water has dosed the polluted water with hydrogen peroxide to add oxygen to the water. The company’s oxygenation vessels have also been deployed to the area.
Anglers and environmental campaigners have been calling for decades for improvements to the capital’s sewerage network because of a series of similar incidents in recent years (notably in 2004 and 2009). Plans are now at last in place for a new ‘Super Sewer’ under the Thames which would prevent these spills happening, but completion of these works is still years away and could be threatened if funds are not made available or planning authorities stand in the way.
Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd said:
“It is heartbreaking to see so many young fish being repeatedly poisoned in sewage. We hope that incidents such as this will convince policy makers and London local authorities of the need for the Thames Tunnels scheme, which is vital for the future of the capital’s river.”
Thames Anglers’ Conservancy Chairman James Page said:
“Our rapid response crew were down on the beach as soon as this happened but they felt helpless to save the countless fish they could see gasping in the water’s edge. Anglers and water bill payers alike need to see action to stop this happening in the future.”
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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With a view to England entering an Under 14’s coarse fishing team in the World Championships in the near future, Angling Trust are seeking budding 12-14 year olds with match fishing experience.
These youngsters will have a golden opportunity to get some free coaching from Steve Sanders, International Youth Manager at Gold Valley Lakes, Lakeside Road, Ash Vale, Nr Aldershot, Hants. GU11 2PT on Thursday 11th August 2011, fishing to international rules.
There are 20 places available on a first come first served basis. If anyone is interested please contact Sandra Drew, Competitions & Events Manager at Angling Trust on 0115 9061301, or email; sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net by no later than the 29th July 2011 for further details.
Please note that your individual membership of Angling Trust must be valid and up to date in order to take part in the International training day. Angling Trust membership is free to Juniors (17 and under).
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The Angling Trust are pleased to announce the Ladies World Coarse Championship team for 2011 representing England in the World Angling Games in Firenze, Italy from 27th August – 4th September 2011.
The England Team Managers have named an unchanged squad to the team that brought home the silver medal last year in South Africa. The England Ladies Team for 2011 are; Helen Dagnall, Julie Abbott, Samantha Sim, Emma Pickering, Samantha Perkins, and Wendy Locker and David Brooks (Manager).
The England team are strong contenders for bringing home the gold medal this year with their mix of experience and youth. Unfortunately the England Ladies team have not got a sponsor this year and it has to be recognised that this team representing England are having to self fund their way into the Championships. The team will be carrying out fundraising activities and raffle tickets are also being distributed in order to help raise additional funds to assist the team.
The competition will take place on the river Arno just upstream of Florence and is close to the venue that the ladies fished in the previous World Angling Games held in Italy in 2000. The main species will be chub, bleak carrassio, catfish and the odd big carp.
This year will see all angling disciplines compete in various locations in Italy over the same week in the World Angling Games.
Dick Clegg, OBE, International Events Manager stated
“The World Angling Games is the competition that CIPS hopes will escalate angling into the top sports to be recognised by governments worldwide. It brings together more than 50 nations fishing in many different disciplines in both salt and freshwater.”
“England need to be represented through the Angling Trust in as many competitions as possible and in freshwater we will see eight teams in the coarse fishing section, of which this Ladies team is just one. Unfortunately along with the Veterans and the Anglers with Disabilities team the Ladies have no sponsor this year and will have to find almost £2,000 each to compete.”
“I am personally asking for public support by asking you to buy, or indeed apply for and sell raffle tickets to enable them and the other teams to take part. All the money received from the sale of tickets will go towards the teams expenses.”
Tickets will be on sale from various tackle shops and individuals during the next couple of months and anyone who would be interested to sell any to assist the International teams, whether they are individuals, Tackle shops or Fisheries can apply by contacting Sandra Drew, Competitions & Events Manager at Angling Trust on 0115 9061 301 or email; sandra.drew@anglingtrust.net
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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On Tuesday 10th May, Angling Trust and Fish Legal staff from the Leominster office collected 11 bags of rubbish from 2 miles of the River Lugg in Leominster, as part of a project organised by the Lugg and Arrow Fisheries Association to spring clean 100 miles of this Herefordshire river, which joins the River Wye at Luggsmouth. Volunteer anglers and conservationists from throughout the catchment have turned out over the past few months to remove mountains of rubbish. Among the all too familiar items such as plastic bags and drinks cans were some unusual finds, including a Boyzone video.
Staff witnessed significant sediment pollution coming into the river from a small tributary of the Lugg at one point. Recent rains had washed huge quantities of soil from nearby farmland. The incident was reported to the Environment Agency.
The Angling Trust is also working with its members and the Environment Agency to promote a Tidy Anglers project. This will see volunteers from angling clubs throughout the country helping to clean up rivers, lakes, canals and beaches throughout England. The Litter Buggy – a pocket-sized device that can safely store line and other small items for disposal at home - is available from www.litterbuggy.co.uk. This ingenious device works very well and prevent unwanted line and hooks falling out of pockets. Angling Trust members get two for the price of one.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said:
“Anglers are often criticised for leaving litter and the best defence to this criticism is to show that anglers are part of the solution, not the problem. Of course there are a minority of anglers, as in all walks of life, who don’t respect the environment around them, but we need to demonstrate that they are the exception and not the rule. Hopefully litter clean ups like this will make them, and everyone else who drops litter in or around water, understand that it is not acceptable. Litter is hazardous to people and wildlife, it encourages more anti-social behaviour and spoils the beauty of our country’s waterside environments. Large items such as shopping trolleys can cause flooding.”
Will Smith, Membership Manager at the Angling Trust said:
“This was a great opportunity for us all to get out of the office and to find out more about our local river, while making a contribution to the quality of its environment. We were all proud of what we had achieved and we got positive comments from passers-by.”
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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Conditions on the day at the sixth Fish ‘O’ Mania qualifying heat at Stafford Moor Fishery, Winkleigh, Devon on Saturday 7th May 2011 were far from ideal as thunder storms and a lot of heavy overnight rain and a strong wind meant conditions were going to be tough for the 126 anglers taking part on the day.
Andrew Neal (Frenzee and Bait-Tech) a Marketing Consultant for Frenzee from Abergavenny took full advantage of his draw from peg 11 on Tanners. With an island to cast to Andrew started on a ‘t-bag’ fishing tight to this in a hope of an early bite while he loose fed heavily in open water hoping to catch on pellet waggler and bomb, and also fed down the edge with pellets in a bid to catch late on with paste. Having fished to the island with nothing to show for his efforts Andrew was soon forced on to his wag and bomb line where he had been constantly feeding, and a few quick casts with the pellet waggler and onto his first fish of the day a 4lb carp. Fishing with a size14 hook to 8lb line with a 0.20mm hook length to take 19 carp on the tip Andrew put together a winning weight of 89lbs 8oz with carp, tench and skimmers and his largest fish to a 8lb carp.
Andrew Neal stated “Previous experience on the venue told me that rain has a habit of putting the fish off, and with the amount we had I feared the worst. Having drawn my peg I immediately knew that although it wasn’t the peg everyone was talking about I definitely had a chance as it was on a point in the middle of the lake. Keeping a close eye on what was going on around me proved that the lake was indeed fishing very hard and so a catch what you can tactic was applied, compared with the normal bagging mode that the lake is so well known for. An early look down the edge and a quick fish kept me ticking over, but as bites were at a premium it was really a case of just working hard, rotating methods and just try and catch odd fish where I could. As the venue is 150 miles from home, practising wasn’t an option, but I was confident I could do well with these tactics as they are ones I have used a lot in the past with some success. Having not had a bite for the last 45 minutes I felt for sure my chance of going through was gone as although by then I had 19 fish, surely this wasn’t going to be enough on such a prolific venue. Rumours were as usual rife by the end of the match as to who had won. After a long tense wait I could not believe when I heard that 71lb had came second, and my 89lbs was in fact good enough to win.”
“With only two tickets from eight qualifiers I applied for this was my last chance I had to try to make it count. To get another chance at the title is amazing, and I can’t wait to get back there and start practising. We already have some brilliant anglers in the final which will make for a great match, and I just hope the work I will be putting in pays off and I can lift that trophy at the end of it.”
In second place was Andrew Lloyd a builder from Frome, Somerset with a mixed bag of small carp drawn on peg 2 Emily’s. Andrew fished pole at 14 ½ metres with 6mm pellet on the deck to record a weight of 71lbs 9oz. In third place was local angler Mark Hayman from Exeter he drew peg 16 on Woodpecker fishing shallow waggler and bomb mark to put together a carp bag tipping the scales at 65lbs. Trevor Skinner a serving Solider from Shrewton drew peg 36 on Woodpeckers to take an all carp bag with his biggest fish of 7lb to weigh in with 61lbs to be in fourth place and in fifth place was Robert Giles of Gwent who was drawn on Emily’s to fish pole with pellets to take small carp to record a weight of 60lbs 11 oz.
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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The Angling Trust is warning all anglers NOT to buy their licence from the commercial fishingrodlicence.com web site, unless they want to pay an unnecessary extra charge of £14 for checking over their application. This service is of no real benefit to anglers because the Environment Agency (EA) does not require applications to be checked before submission. The web site has been set up this year and comes top of a Google search for "Rod Licence". In addition to the extra charge, anglers buying their licences from the web site will not be able to go fishing until they receive their licence in the post. The EA site offers a receipt and reference number which does allow people to fish while they are waiting for the licence to arrive.
The Angling Trust strongly recommends that all freshwater anglers buy their licence direct from the Environment Agency over the phone or via its website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/recreation/fishing/31497.aspx, or from Post Offices and clearly authorised outlets. The representative body for all anglers will also be writing to Consumer Direct to complain about the web site and raising the matter with Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon MP and Charles Walker, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Angling Group.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: "This site offers no real extra service, but demands a 50% surcharge on top of the rod licence fee and we urge all anglers to spread the word. We would encourage members who have concerns about this website to contact Consumer Direct and their MP. Any unsuspecting new anglers trying to buy their first licence might be put off by the inflated price and decide not to take up fishing."
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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Anglers have welcomed the news that Draycote reservoir near Rubgy will be opening for fly-fishing again in the 2011 season under the experienced management of Ifor Jones who already operates Foremark and Thornton reservoirs as popular trout fisheries.
Ifor’s tender was Severn Trent’s preferred bid and he told the Angling Trust:
“I will be encouraging young anglers by extending my ‘Kids go Free’ policy for those sharing an adult’s permit and catch limit and I am very keen to help support the Angling Trust’s England Youth Team at Draycote, Thornton and Foremark again this season.”
Ifor is well known for running Thornton Fishery successfully for nearly 30 years and has been Chairman of the Stillwater Trout Fisheries Association since 2008. He will be announcing detailed arrangements for the fishery shortly.
The Angling Trust has been working closely with Draycote Fly Fishers Association to campaign for the reservoir to re-open for fishing after it was suddenly closed without consultation by Severn Trent Water to make way for building works which in the event never went ahead.
“I am delighted that Severn Trent has at last announced that Draycote will be open for fishing again. We will be advising the company on ways of increasing access to fishing at all its reservoirs, which are some of the best waters in the country.”
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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The Angling Trust is looking for talented young anglers who would like to trial out for the U18s and U22s Youth trials which will be taking place at the end of May.
Application forms have been sent to all who fished in trials last year, and are also available on the Angling Trust website at www.anglingtrust.net in the International Competitions section. The closing date for the England trial application forms has been extended and all forms must be completed and returned to the Angling Trust by no later than 12th May 2011 to be considered for trial.
Applicants must impress both Mark Downes and Steve Sanders, the England Youth Team Managers, who will once again be tasked with the search for the finest young talent this country can provide. Successful applicants will represent England in this year’s World Championships taking place in the World Angling Games in Italy from 28th August – 4th September 2011.
These trials will be pole only and Bloodworm, maggot, worms and sweetcorn will be the predominant baits.
Mark Downes, Drennan Team England U22’s Youth Team Manager stated "This year’s Youth Championships will be held in Calcanai, Italy along the River Arno which is a good venue full of Catfish, Carp and Carrassio. Steve Sanders and myself will be looking for talented youngsters who have the ability to fish under pressure and to international rules.”
All completed application forms including nominations plus references must be received by the Angling Trust by no later than 12th May 2011. The trails will be held in late May at a venue to be confirmed shortly. Forms should be returned to Sandra Drew, Competitions & Events Manager, Angling Trust, Strelley Hall, Nottingham. NG8 6PE
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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The Angling Trust invites Anglers with Disabilities to take part in trials to be considered for the England team. The trials for Anglers with Disabilities will take place at Packington Somers Fisheries, Somers Road, Meriden, CV7 7PL on Saturday 21st May 2011.
Packington Somers Fisheries is considered one of the most successful and varied commercial coarse fisheries in the Midlands, if not the UK and is becoming a much sought after match fishing venue.
The England selection trial will be fished to international rules to help identify anglers who are of international calibre. The style to fish at international level is completely different to the way anglers would normally fish in this country, and each angler must have at least one handicap point which is based on their disability, with the full team requiring a minimum of 11 points in total to fish in the World Championships.
Joe Roberts, England Manager said “This trial will help assess each angler who is of international standard, and on the day I will be assessing each of the anglers’ disability ranging from one to six points for the highest classification. Trials such as this are important for team selection into the Internationals and will let us identify talented anglers”.
Dick Clegg, OBE, International Events Manager said “It is imperative that we send the best team possible to the World Angling Games which will take place in Italy from 27th August – 4th September, and Joe Roberts and John Weedon (Manager) will need to look at as many anglers as possible. The unfortunate part is that we have not got a sponsor and the anglers selected will have to pay the full costs themselves”.
“Anyone interested in attending the trial at Packington Somers on 21st May should contact Joe Roberts, on (Mobile) 07860 469595, who will be able to assess their disability to determine their points allocation. Joe will also be able to explain the points system and give an estimate of the costs involved if selected to the squad”.
Source: Angling Trust Fishing News
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Water companies have always been reluctant to supply anglers with information about pollution – but a Tribunal which deals with appeals on information issues has now concluded that water and sewage companies in England and Wales are not covered by laws on freedom of information.
This is a huge blow to the Angling Trust’s campaigns and legal action to make water companies accountable for the damage they cause routinely to fisheries up and down the country.
The decision means that water companies will not be compelled to reveal when, where and how often they pollute our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Instead anglers will have to rely on the good-will of these profit-driven utilities to expose their activities voluntarily.
The decision comes at a time when the Environment Agency (EA) is depending on the water companies to monitor their own discharges into streams, lakes, rivers and coastal waters through the new policy of ‘Operator Self Monitoring’. This means that even the Government’s regulator may not know much about what these companies are getting up to. This particularly concerns the Angling Trust’s legal arm, Fish Legal, as its lawyers currently need access to this information to fight numerous legal cases arising from sewage pollution incidents on behalf of Fish Legal members which the EA has not properly investigated.
The Tribunal’s decision agreed with the view of the Information Commissioner that the water companies are not “public authorities” for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs). Several organisations had appealed the decision of the Information Commissioner, including Fish Legal, which in 2009 had asked for data from United Utilities and Yorkshire Water on the performance of their combined sewage overflows (CSOs) which allow faeces, urine and washing detergents to pass untreated into fisheries when treatment works and sewers are overwhelmed by rain. The water companies argued that they were not covered by the EIRs as they regarded themselves as commercial companies only. Fish Legal’s case was then put on hold pending the outcome of a lead case brought by SmartSource to settle the legal issues – which were then decided in the water companies’ favour. Fish Legal is now looking at its legal options. Its lawyers have already written to the Aarhus Compliance Committee in Geneva and to DEFRA urging them to intervene following the ruling and to direct the Information Commissioner to agree that water companies are covered by the provisions of the international Aarhus Convention on Access to Environmental information, to which the UK is a signatory.
Explaining the significance of the ruling, Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, said:
“Our lawyers have been trying to force several of the water companies to reveal just how much sewage they spew into rivers and coastal waters through combined sewage overflows (CSOs), which are used when the sewers get overloaded. I think we anglers – and everyone else with an interest in clean water – need to ask why these companies are so desperate to keep their dirty secrets hidden away from public scrutiny. Given the scale of their activities, which affect everyone who uses the water environment and drinks from a tap, I think the public should have the right to freedom of information about what they get up to. Thanks to the support of our members, we will continue to fight for this right.”
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