Anglers should not let the chance of getting involved in this consultation slip by:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2004/040421d.htm

Tight Lines - leon

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Top-drawer link, Leon .... many thanks.

Anglers ... put your points of view ... or don't grumble and grizzle later-on

DG

More details:

www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/...eview/index.htm

Tight Lines - leon

British Waterways...

...have meptied several excellent mixed fisheries (canal top-up reservoirs) in the Midlands in order to stock them with nasty little carp for the bag-up merchants.

... still conduct electrofishing operations on canals to remove zander (which, apart from big carp and eels, are the only worthwhile specimen fish contained therein).

But please don't let this influence your comments on this consulation.

It will make bugger all difference anyway, because the Government Minister, Alun Michaels, is the most arrogant and uncompromising a**hole in power. He has already banned sporting hand guns (a fat lot of effect that had on guns crime, although it did a very effective job of ending target shooting as a sport). Now he is determined to prevent 4x4 driving in the countryside (he's a rambler).

Let's hope he doesn't get anti-fishing, eh?

As some one who has lived next to a canal (Rochdale) all my life and an ecologist I believe I’m in a position to make some comment on BW performance.
The Rochdale was, until BW under their charitable arm the Waterways Trust, privately owned by Rochadale Canal Company. 4 years ago the canal was purchased by WT with money from the lottery. The management was then handed over to BW. Far be it for me to suggest that this is scam sanctioned by Govt. But you get my drift?

WT got 26m to reopen the canal for “recreation.” Angling recreation took place on it and had never stopped since it was abandoned in the 1950s. Effectively recreation meant and does mean boating, not angling, as that was always there. The club that had control of most of it and did have it for over 30 year in one shape or form, gave their lease up two years ago. The club that has now got it is paying BW £1000 per Km to lease it.

What has happened since the canal was reopened for boating is that the local lowlife now open the locks on a regular basis and dewater several lengths at a time. The canal did have a sustainable stock of quality fish that did breed and grown up in individual lengths along it, due to the virtual impassability of the locks. The gates having been removed in the 1960s and replace with concrete. To keep the water flowing the bye-washes were kept open. As a result of it's neglect, a rich flora and fauna evolved along it whole length. So much so that it had some very nationally rare water plants growing in it.
Water Plantain, Water Soldier, Bladderwort Arrowhead, Water starwort and others. There were countless species of damselflies and dragonflies, and other aquatic invertebrates present. English Nature because of it biological significance schedule most of it’s length as a SSSI site, and negotiated a Management Agreement (MA) with BW, 12 months before they started wok to reopen it.

An MA is enforceable in law when entered into and signed by both parties. The first thing BW did was to dredge the canal in places bank to bank, removing many of these species.
It is now the third year of it being open and many of the plants have not recovered or recolonised many of the areas they once inhabited. One species (Bladderwort) has disappeared altogether and others are on the verge of it.

Yesterday one of the locks had been opened again by the lowlife, and the level had dropped for the upteenth time. This time I’d had enough, so I phoned the Maintenance manager and told him that this time I was going to make formal complaint to EN for breaking their MA, by virtue of the fact they were not carrying out the duty of care necessary.

Surprisingly, I’ve had several phone calls for big cheeses saying the problem of better locking devices on the locks is being addressed, and they’re investing 100K to stop the problem happing again.

Commitment to sustainable development and maintaining and enhancing biodiversity? Well we see??? But make no mistaken BW one more incident and the report with recommendations will be sent, I can assure you of that!!!!!
:mad: :mad: :mad:

[ 29. April 2004, 03:33 AM: Message edited by: phil hackett ]

Hi phil which stretch of the canal do you live near? is the club you are referring to Todmorden Anglers ?if not has another club secured the rights.... rob

[ 29. April 2004, 05:59 AM: Message edited by: rob.i ]

Lower end Failsworth Rob.

Dear Chaps,

I remain perfectly happy and 100% confident on allowing Grantham Angling Association to make representational consultations to BW on my behalf. This club actually knows what it is talking about concerning all aspects of BW policy including ongoing co-operation with boating fraternities. GAA actually took the BW right up to the ombudsman sitting in the Houses of Parliament and won their case as I recall.

Nice one Simon Shields and nice one Quinten Davies MP for supporting GAA at every stage. Right Honourable Davies MP is a Tory by the way and supports all angling 500% And I have never voted for him. YET.

Sweeping chimnies at the age of nine seven days a week leaves its mark as a labour voter.

Regards,

Lee.

Higher Failsworth, Rob/ Phil....its a small world
Tight lines
Jean

Phil and Jean I fish the stretches between Slattocks at Middleton to the Lancashire Rose pub its not bad fishing but I am told it was a lot better before the restoration work, as you say phil a lot of flora was destroyed,the local fishermen some of whos houses back on to the canal actually told me there used to be a big shoal of Bream in one stretch but are now nearly non existent since the dredging how true this is Im not sure. The lock opening nuisance happens at Boarshaw quite often ,....good fishing ....rob

[ 01. May 2004, 09:01 AM: Message edited by: rob.i ]