Angling Trust Announces Restructuring

[barry luxton]

I shouldn't get too upset Barry, even I only managed a handful of pollack and about two dozen whiting on friday!

 

I blame it on the cormorants

 

 

Least i didn't have to steam out for 2.5 hours to be a right blanker, feel much better now.

[Dick Dastardly]

Lets just forget about the whys and where fores of cormmorants/otter pelts/cannooisrt/cyclists etc etc they are pretty irrelevant.The REAL point is that the AT by taking up a negative stance on these subjects (to be in line with what seems to be pretty common grass roots opinions in angling) have certainly risked upsetting other groups and just making angling/anglers a common "enemy" they can all focus against!

 

Its really disturbing the way anglers today seem to think they have a god given riight to have exclusive use of waters and their surrounding country side! Bound to get up every other users nose and for what reason? Modern day angling is in danger of being so far up its own arse that it is litterally going to disapear!

[Worms]

Lets just forget about the whys and where fores of cormmorants/otter pelts/cannooisrt/cyclists etc etc they are pretty irrelevant.The REAL point is that the AT by taking up a negative stance on these subjects (to be in line with what seems to be pretty common grass roots opinions in angling) have certainly risked upsetting other groups and just making angling/anglers a common "enemy" they can all focus against!

 

Its really disturbing the way anglers today seem to think they have a god given riight to have exclusive use of waters and their surrounding country side! Bound to get up every other users nose and for what reason? Modern day angling is in danger of being so far up its own arse that it is litterally going to disapear!

 

It's also worrying that the AT seems to be siding with the red top angling press. You're right Budgie, The possibility of modern day angling disappearing up its own arse and at the same time leaving a bad taste in the mouth gives one a good idea which orifice they are speaking from and which organ is being used to lubricate it

[andy_youngs]

Its really disturbing the way anglers today seem to think they have a god given riight to have exclusive use of waters and their surrounding country side! Bound to get up every other users nose and for what reason? Modern day angling is in danger of being so far up its own arse that it is litterally going to disapear!

Yep, agreed, there's a bit of a probem there.

Edited October 19, 2009 by andy_youngs

[andy_youngs]

It's also worrying that the AT seems to be siding with the red top angling press. You're right Budgie, The possibility of modern day angling disappearing up its own arse and at the same time leaving a bad taste in the mouth gives one a good idea which orifice they are speaking from and which organ is being used to lubricate it

I doubt if I could ever disappear up someone else's arse without it leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Fortunately, I haven't had to do it (yet)

Edited October 19, 2009 by andy_youngs

[Steve Coppolo]

Lets just forget about the whys and where fores of cormmorants/otter pelts/cannooisrt/cyclists etc etc they are pretty irrelevant.The REAL point is that the AT by taking up a negative stance on these subjects (to be in line with what seems to be pretty common grass roots opinions in angling) have certainly risked upsetting other groups and just making angling/anglers a common "enemy" they can all focus against!

 

Its really disturbing the way anglers today seem to think they have a god given riight to have exclusive use of waters and their surrounding country side! Bound to get up every other users nose and for what reason? Modern day angling is in danger of being so far up its own arse that it is litterally going to disapear!

 

Are they really in line with grass roots opinion in angling, though? I can honestly say that I've never heard, what I would call, a grass roots angler complaining about any of those issues.

[Dick Dastardly]

They are the very issues that the angling press seem obsessed with and Ive always thought that they do this to be in line with their potential readers.Of course it could be the other way around where the press is actually influencing the readerships opinion? but either way it seems to be what I hear from modern day carp anglers and comercial goers.Been doing a lot more walking the banks this year than Ive done for a long time with not being up to actually fishing but not being able to keep to far away!

[andy_youngs]

Are they really in line with grass roots opinion in angling, though? I can honestly say that I've never heard, what I would call, a grass roots angler complaining about any of those issues.

I certainly agree that to go off on a tangent about the fur trade is not really relevant to this debate Steve. It was just a throw-away comment that then got misconstrued, so I then felt I had to try and explain.

 

However the two fundamental issues which I think are relevant are these :

 

1) I think there is a growing recognition amongst many anglers that certain clubs need to be more pro-active in accommodating other river users, especially canoeists. The atmosphere on some of our rivers at the moment is terrible, and most people just want to co-exist peacefully and respect the rights of others. However the AT is currently giving the more militant members of the angling community the ammunition they need to adopt a zero tolerance approach to other river users, thereby making the situation worse.

 

2) I think there is great frustration with the level of cormorant and otter predation, but also a recognition that, especially in the case of otters, anglers need to tread extremely carefully. Culling is a very emotive issue, and in this respect I accept that I might be out of step with public opinion. I don't think I'm too far out of step with many anglers' views though. I actually think the AT is doing a reasonable job on this one. They've maintained a dialogue with the Otter Trust and have issued a joint statement aimed at diffusing the situation. They are progressing practical measures to help, and as far as I'm aware are not calling for culls at the present time. Whatever my feelings on the subject, I accept that the public has not got any appetite at the moment for otter culls.

 

But given a little time, I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see public opinion on the subject start to change. Certainly on at least two of my local rivers, the Waveney and Wensum, the otter population has reached levels where the natural biodiversty of the river can no longer support their numbers. Being very territorial creatures, they are intolerant of each other, and many are forced away from the river catchment where they can do considerable damage to stocked resevoirs and lakes. Fencing is one possible solution, but its very expensive. The EA is currently looking for way of providing financial support, but then why should the taxpayer be expected to pick up the bill for this? I suspect it's only a matter of time before there's a backlash, and people start looking for alternative approaches.

 

I'm also not sure if 'cull' is the right word. It implies that anglers regard otters in a similar way to invasive species such as coypu and mink. Otters are native to our rivers, and have every right to co-exist. I would prefer to refer to it as 'sustainable management'. No angler in their right mind would like to see the species eradicated again given all the laudible work that has been done by the Otter Trust in re-establishing them. But the the reason that the otters died out in the 1950's and 60's has got nothing to do with hunting, shooting or fishing. In fact they were extensively hunted for centuries without the population being seriously effected. What killed them off in the end was habitat degridation and the inappropriate use of pesticides. It seems we've thankfully solved that problem, but in its place another one has arisen.

Edited October 26, 2009 by andy_youngs