Chris Burt

The use of gaffs is now illegal in all EA Regions of England and have been for some years. Not sure what the position is in Scotland as they operate to different rules. Re gags, they are certainly to be highly discouraged but are not actually illegal.

The other point I would add is status on our three main objectives; OBJECTIVE-We are seeking to change the law so that any future releases of captive bred otters, or indeed any other captive bred mammal, can only take place under licence. STATUS-reached agreement Dec 2000 with all the main BAPS Group members which include Wildlife Trusts and Otter Trust, that no more releases of captive bred otters will take place. That does not mean small groups are not continuing with releases however. OBJECTIVE-We need financial backing to fund researchwhich will accurately determine the most cost effective fencing methods, which will not necessarily be electrified STATUS-now going ahead, have secured funding and details will be released shortly OBJECTIVE-We are looking for substantial funding from Government for fisheries protection, particularly for large still-water carp STATUS-presentations made at the highest possible level to Government, but it will be very difficult to secure the funding we need Chris Burt, SAA

Re JonHedges……posting.. "Either way, it would reflect well on anglers if the NAA (or whichever body claims to represent us nowadays)started to say there piece and get a bit of coverage. A little positive PR for our sport wouldn't go amiss, but I'll wager that yet another opportunity passes by. It really is basic PR for crying out loud." I did go on to represent us, I went on Radio 4 Today programme on Tuesday, basically to make the points outlined in my piece that Den has kindly posted. In the very short time that is available it is difficult to make a full case, it is a start at least. Chris Burt, SAA

Is there some one on the forum who would be willing to do some work for SAA, taking some images and turning them into *sharp* thumbnails? Somebody who is good with graphics should be able to make them look good...If you understand this to date, read on! We would like to change the SAA opening page here on Anglers Net to better illustrate the activities of SAA, by adding small pictures next to the text for some of the more important items, such as an otter for the new predation section, and a small code cover could go up there next to the Code, an NAA logo next to NAA etc, all slotted into the word box on the table next to the relevant subject. Any volunteers please? Offers of help would be greatly appreciated. Chris Burt, SAA.

When I fished Johnson’s in the 80’s & early 90’s for the big tench, the fishing was marred by the litter left by anglers, so much so it was known as one of the most littered waters in Britain. What was especially frustrating was that the owner and his bailiffs made no effort to clear it, or enforce any kind of “no litter” rules at all. So, when some convoluted legislation called the “Environmental Protection Act-Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse” was passed in ’91, for some mad reason we decided to see if we could use it to force water controllers to clean up their waters, and keep them clean. You can! The result was a small booklet we printed and distributed, which explains how you can use the Legislation to enforce clean fisheries, without cost, yet alone using a lawyer. It’s dry reading I warn you but if you have a semi-public water where all else has failed and needs this approach, have a look at our SAA site at info@saauk.org on Anglers Net and go to LITTER. Following some discussions on the subject here on this forum reminded me to update it and Elton’s kindly got it all up on our site. The approach does work, whisper the legalise of the above Act and Council’s at least can’t get litter cleared fast enough…….. Chris Burt, SAA

Personally I couldn't face advertising on my number-plate I was SAA, I get deluged enough by people telling me how much better they'd arrange things if only they could be bothered to get involved, without this too.....! Chris, SAA

Just to make the point that the Eel groups advise that you should not under ANY circumstances use newspaper to hold an eel....To give the full advice on eel handling see below from the NAA Code of Conduct, or see the full text under SAA....... All eels should be returned alive, as it takes a long time for them to reach specimen size. Eels may become land-locked, in which case they will grow to specimen proportions and provide anglers with an interesting target. Once on the bank all eels should be handled with care. It is particularly important that the protective mucus is not removed in handling; never use newspaper to hold them but lay them on their backs and gently hold in this position for a few moments. The eel will calm down and is unlikely to move from this position. Unhook with forceps, if the eel is hooked in the lips or scissors. If the eel is deep hooked cut the line or trace as close to the eel's lips as possible and release immediately. The eel, under these circumstances, will lose the hook very quickly. Do not attempt to remove deep hooks from eels. The heart and other vital organs are very close to the back of the throat and you may cause fatal injuries if you damage them. Kind regards, Chris Burt, SAA

Thanks Lee for your support, it is much appreciated! Can I move now to the points of yours which I do not believe I have answered. “The plain fact is, that the majority of carp fishing in this country is available via ordinary fishing clubs unable to bear the brunt of either Otter fencing or, the replacement of big carp stocks once they are lost to Otters………Carp angling, like any other branch of angling, deserves to be afforded some measure of protection again possible disaster” If you take the average UK club, 90% of the income will be swallowed up by the rental for the water. Reality is that there is no way that club can possibly cope with an expenditure of £20,000 on protective fencing measures, over and above their normal expenditure. Chris Burt, SAA

From TETER WALLER re; “Cash starved NHS watches, in awe, as expensive fencing, funded by you the tax payer, is provided to protect anglers pet fish'! Put that way it doesn't make for good reading” On otter protection measures, what we’ve applied for Peter is no more than an annual cost of 20% of the cost of one single Rembrandt painting, and the Government fund quite a few of those every year, so I don’t think we have too much to fear from that side. Many diverse projects get funded. As with everything it is a question of balance, and in this case the justification is very clear. The Government is giving full legal protection to the reintroduction of a very successful predator, the otter, into the UK, and having done that they cannot then divorce themselves from the consequences of those actions. That environment is a very different one to the one otters saw back in the 50’s, and our managed environment now has many fisheries vulnerable to otter predation. Those fisheries must have protection in order to avoid conflict between anglers and other conservationists. You claim we are in a “no win” situation against conservationists, in fact in your words “WE ARE OPPOSING CONSERVATION"! I am absolutely and completely amazed!!!!! I would strongly recommend you reread the piece I posted. We have top level support which you appear to have missed?? If the conservation movement IS as you suggest lined up against us, then why would the following support us; “Andrew Brown, Acting Chief Executive, English Nature; Dr David Clarke, Head of Fisheries, Environment Agency; Dr Simon Lyster, Director General, The Wildlife Trusts, and Professor David Bellamy, President of The Wildlife Trusts, all support the need for effective control of introductions of mammals including otters, and for financial support for fisheries owners affected by the return of otters.” TOP LEVEL SUPPORT FOR THE SAA STANCE I WOULD SUGGEST, no-ne would argue with their conversation credentials, or am I wrong? I know an argument on this site can be fun but there is a serious side to this, SAA are treating otter predation as an issue which could have a long-term detrimental effect on angling, and avoiding that adverse effect is our prime concern. Our only objective is the long-term protection and promotion of angling. Period…..! Also, the Otter BAPS Group also again endorsed our call for Government funding for fisheries protection measures during a Radio 4 “Nature” programme on otters earlier this month, and that included SAA’s call for fisheries protection funding ie THE body recognised by Government as being THE authority of the reintroduction of otters supports our position! My case rests. Win or lose Government are taking serious notice of our case, at Ministerial level. No doubt some-one will claim to know better, all I ask is that if you do, tell me what your source is so I can access it……….. Chris Burt, NAA/SAA on otters.

To Newt; Average size for an adult (otter) male is 20 pounds” A dog otter in the UK will often weigh 28lb; from what you say the UK actually outstrips the USA here! (Sorry Newt, nothing personal here…..)

Given the questions raised here, I’ll post a rather long piece which I think will answer most of the points raised about our. Elton does have a lot of material from us to put up on the SAA site here on Anglers Net under otters, in the meantime this should suffice I beieve. OTTER PREDATION-UPDATE! Most of you will be aware of the problems faced by fisheries from otter predation, particularly for still-water carp fisheries where specimen carp to over 30lb have been taken. The otter is a protected species of course, and anglers welcome its re-introduction. Nevertheless, it is imperative that we identify and secure the funding for adequate fisheries protection measures where they are required. In asking Government to help fund these measures, we are delighted to draw on the support of English Nature, The Wildlife Trusts, and the Environment Agency who have supported our approach at the highest level. We would now like to update you on the progress we have made against our long-term objectives to contain the escalating problems we face. Firstly note that SAA are now acting on behalf of the National Angling Alliance (NAA) on all otter predation issues, so we have secured the full backing of the UK’s official angling body. This means that we have the full support of the angling bodies from all branches of our sport whether game, sea or coarse, not just specialist angling, which again demonstrates how effectively Unity within angling is now working! SAA have now met with the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), English Nature, Environment Agency, Wildlife Trusts and were encouraged at the level of support we received. Our approach to Government centres on three key areas; 1) We are seeking to change the law so that any future releases of captive bred otters, or indeed any other captive bred mammal, can only take place under licence. Last December we were delighted to report that the main-stream organisations represented by The Otter Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Steering Group (which includes the Wildlife Trusts), and the Otter Trust, are all in agreement that there will be no further introductions of captive-bred otters in the UK. However, some smaller bodies are still considering releases and we are looking to introduce proper controls as captive bred otters have been responsible for some well publicised incidents of predation of large carp, and of trout, possibly exacerbated by the these particular otters lack of natural fear of man. It should be noted however by anglers and water controllers that wild otters (even in low numbers) still hold a significant threat to large carp, particularly in winter, and measures should be considered to protect stocks which may be at risk. The results of the Otter Survey of England, currently being undertaken by the Otter BAP Group, will assist in identifying areas particularly at risk in advance, and advice on protective measures such as fencing is available from trained personnel. 2) We need financial backing to fund research which will accurately determine the most cost effective fencing methods, which will not necessarily be electrified We need a project to determine the best options on fencing for fisheries protection for the huge range of waters that will want to install protective measures. The varying terrain those waters are located in could also mean a wide range of options need to be established. Then that data needs to be made readily available to everyone as part of the invaluable advice already available from the Wildlife Trust Otter Officers and the Environment Agency. (For full details see the Environment Agency explanatory leaflet “Otter Predation-Is My Fishery At Risk?” from your local EA office or by writing to their Fisheries Department at EA, Rio House, Waterside Drive, Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS12 4UD). 3) We are looking for substantial funding from Government for fisheries protection, which is likely to primarily apply to non-commercial still-water carp fisheries with valuable stock. Otter predation can cause serious problems so it is imperative we secure funding, as without it prime fisheries will suffer fish kills which they will be unable to counter. Otters have been responsible for killing numbers of valuable carp and causing major financial loss to the owners of the fisheries, which could provoke conflict between anglers and the conservation movement. This is something we are committed to avoid. I add that Andrew Brown, Acting Chief Executive, English Nature; Dr David Clarke, Head of Fisheries, Environment Agency; Dr Simon Lyster, Director General, The Wildlife Trusts, and Professor David Bellamy, President of The Wildlife Trusts, all support the need for effective control of introductions of mammals including otters, and for financial support for fisheries owners affected by the return of otters. The NAA believe that otter predation is getting out of hand, and as the main instigators of moves to address the problem are urgently seeking funding for fisheries protection. Whilst there is unlikely to be an immediate resolution to these issues we have received a sympathetic hearing from an influential group of Government representatives, and detailed proposals are now with Government for consideration. For further information contact Chris Burt at SAA via our e-mail address on this site. Note we have detailed fence specifications which we will also be posting on our site.

Craig The organisation which has a long and unrivalled track-record of tackling polluters in the UK is the ACA. Their details are as follows; ACA, Eastwood House, 6 Rainbow Street, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 8DQ. Membership is a mere £15 pa. Regards Chris

If I lived in Guernsey even I would forsake coarse fishing, the sea fishing is marvellous. Just look at the UK record lists and count how many are held by the Channel Islands and you'll start to get the picture. The high rise and fall of the tides, coupled with rocks which do everything possible to take apart commercial fishermen’s nets, means that the islands hold enormous stocks of fish. The coast-line also offers great opportunities for close-in but productive fishing. If after all that you still feel nostalgic to use light fresh-water gear, go down to St Peter Port harbour and fish for the mullet, they are there in profusion and to a size which would make English mullet adherents such as Leon Roskilly very, very envious! The Channel Islands are a small but lovely environment, as has been pointed out though you will have to check out what housing is available to you. If you fall into the "non-resident" category with no help from your wife’s prospective employers, then you can get accommodation through buying into the "open market" area of housing but it is very expensive. Regards Chris

Bruno The area you were referring to on the legal aspect of litter is the "Environmental Protection Act 1990-Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse". Put simply the Act gives the private individual the ability the legally demand the owner or controller of land open to the public adopts reasonable standards of cleanliness, and sets out varying lengths of time for a clean-up depending on the nature of the site, and the severity of the refuse involved. A town centre might require action within a few hours, a Council park 5 days or so. Penalties for non-compliance are considerable. We wrote a whole booklet on how to use the Act to force water owners to clean them up, but the interest was small. It carries the down-side the water owner may just ban angling rather than clean up, but if that merely gets rid of anglers who create litter then good riddance! Elton already has the Code to get on the SAA web-site, but I'll get a copy of this litter guide scanned and posted there as well in due course Chris

Hand-held laser-beams emitting a bright red light were tried in the original survey on cormormants, and from memory the deterent effect lasted about 3 days.....in other words not a lot of help. The answer does not lie here!

Re Chesters' "blimey was it saved as a bitmap ,10mb is an AWFULL lot of words". I don't know about the format for all the scans of diagrams etc, but yes having edited the Code for the best part of eighteen months I can vouch for the fact that there are an AWFULlY LARGE number of words!!! Hopefully to good effect....... If anyone wants a copy just send me an A5 stamped addressed envelope (39p stamp) to; Chris Burt, 3 Great Cob, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 6LA.

Well put Phil & Steve! Ken of the EA, we await a reply with considerable interest........ Chris, SAA

Leon Sorry I must be missing the point of your post, surely you don't want anyone else to DO something? I thought the idea was we simply gave a huge grateful "thanks" for the ideas, raised £1.3M per item, and got on with it? Chris

Many swan rescue units are NOT anti-angling, so it is wrong to think of them all like that. To quote from a press release from Ken Ball earlier this year "The swan population is now around 25,000 and still increasing. The Swan Sanctuary at Egham (the biggest swan sanctuary in Europe) claims that they rarely treat swans with lead poisoning problems nowadays and most swans taken to them have crashed into overhead power cables." (See Peter, the NAA do quite often show initiative, this time through core member NFA….....) For the record too, the same organisation mentioned above, The Swan Sanctuary at Egham, have again endorsed the new NAA Code of Conduct, and have always gone out of their way to work constructively with anglers. Likewise many anglers have written to support her efforts to avoid eviction from their present site, by Runneymede Borough Council. The more responsibly we act collectively as anglers then the more respect and cooperation we get from the conservation movement as a whole. Likewise there will always be extreme groups who promote their own biased agenda's in all area's who we unfortunately have to contend with. Chris [ 22. October 2002, 10:55 PM: Message edited by: Chris Burt ]

Thanks Lyn, Dunk, Malc for kind comments, much appreciated! Just glad it is finally finished. Could I now cover two points raised; Excaliber Re “Am I being obtuse, but if a copy of the document was put online couldn’t we all read it at our leisure? Or does that infringe thousands of lovely regulations?” No regulations infringed at all, please see tail end of our Press Release above on this post which says; “The Code will also be placed on our web-site in due course, once the text and diagrams have been converted back from the publishers format.” It will be up on Anglers Net on the SAA site just as soon as we can get it converted back from Quark Express, and all the diagrams have been rescanned into web format. Will not happen overnight but within a few weeks I guess. Madmarine Re “…..do I take it that all members of the NFA etc will receive a copy of this. If not is it not possible to send a copy to all angling clubs nationwide, they would then be able to pass this on their own members.” The NFA will certainly be taking copies, they will then circulate within their membership as they wish. I’d also love to get a copy to all angling clubs in the UK, regardless whether they are NFA members or not, it would then act as good publicity for the NFA/NAA, and maximize the impact of what we’re trying to achieve with the Code which is to raise the standards we bring to angling and to the waters we fish. BUT no such data-base of clubs exists as far as I know, so how that could be achieved I am unsure! In case anyone does have addresses, please bear in mind the bit of sending an A5 stamped addressed envelope (38p stamp) to me. Chris

Vagabond, re. "Why not hand copies out whenever a licence is issued ie at the post office? Put the licence fee up 50p to cover costs, and incorporate EA regulations as well." We'd love to get the Code to every licence holder, but the cost would be prohibitive, about £250,000 for printing alone. We certainly haven't got that kind of money and neither have the EA; given the flack they get every time the licence fee goes up I doubt they'd get the backing to do this. Nice thought but.....as ever not the money to do it.

The following NAA PRESS RELEASE has been released today. The National Angling Alliance are delighted to announce the launch of their CODE OF CONDUCT FOR COARSE ANGLERS The Prince of Wales has endorsed a new blueprint for environmentally-friendly fishing, the National Angling Alliance Code of Conduct for Coarse Anglers. The new Code gives comprehensive coverage on care of the environment, anglers’ behaviour, tackle advice and up to date fish care. The aim is to build and enhance angling and help safeguard the natural world in which anglers fish. Anglers have always been the eyes and ears of the aquatic environment and its surrounding habitat, seeking to protect and enhance the environment in which we fish. Britain's millions of coarse anglers are being asked to adopt the Code, and the RSPB, Environment Agency, English Nature, Professor David Bellamy and many others have backed the document, which has been sponsored by a grant from the Environment Agency. “We are extremely pleased that Prince Charles, who is a keen angler as well as a committed conservationist, has supported the Code.” said Chris Burt, who had the task of editing the new code. Reading West MP and keen angler Martin Salter, Parliamentary Spokesman for Angling, said: "The vast majority of experienced anglers are highly responsible people who care both for the fish and for the environment but even they will benefit from reading this document. I applaud the work of the Specialist Anglers Alliance, the Environment Agency and everyone else who has worked so hard to put together this excellent Code of Conduct. It should be widely read by newcomers to our sport and those of us who have been wielding fishing rods with varying degrees of success for more years than we care to remember." Dr David Clarke Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency said, “We are very pleased to have been involved in producing this code. Angling provides a unique opportunity for people to enjoy the natural world in a quiet and unobtrusive way. Following this common sense guide to angling values and behaviour will enable coarse anglers to enjoy their sport while guarding against damage to fish stocks, their environment and other wildlife.” The new code is available through the NAA Secretariat, the Environment Agency, the National Federation of Anglers, and the Specialist Anglers’ Alliance. - ENDS – Enquiries: Contact Chris Burt Info@saauk.org For the Environment Agency: Tel: 020 7863 8710 For the NFA: Tel: 01283 734735 NAA Secretariat: Tel: 020 7283 5838 Note: 1. The National Angling Alliance comprises the angling governing bodies – the National Federation of Anglers, the National Federation of Sea Anglers and the Salmon & Trout Association – who have been joined by the Angling Trade Association, Specialist Anglers’ Alliance and the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives to form a working group. 2. The Code is aimed at all branches of coarse fishing, and includes a section for beginners. It covers care of the environment, anglers’ behaviour, tackle, fish care & stocking/diseases in a comprehensive & responsible manner. It aims to instruct, address problem issues and to help safeguard the environment in which anglers fish to establish comprehensive & nationally recognised standards. 3. The Code can also be used as best practice guidance for angling administrators, including fishing clubs and local authorities, which run freshwater fisheries. 4. A total of 30,000 copies of the original Code have been distributed. This new edition will have a print run of nearly 50,000. 5. This New Code was prepared by the Specialist Anglers’ Alliance on behalf of the National Angling Alliance. Ends. SAA group members will automatically receive a copy of the Code, but if you would like to receive one please send an A5 stamped addressed envelope (38p stamp) to me. Bulk copies are available on request. The Code may also be reproduced in whole or in part (for no charge) by applying in writing to ourselves and showing due acknowledgement to SAA. The Code will also be placed on our web-site in due course, once the text and diagrams have been converted back from the publishers format. Chris Burt, 3, Great Cob, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 6LA.

To my mind this cap should have a picture of 19 anglers beating seven bells out of each other, surely that sums up what we're all about....??

I’d like to answer your "Jane James, one time Director of the ACA….a non-person…anyone know what’s happened to her…..”. If you had paid good hard cash to the ACA like all anglers should you'd know precisely what Jane was up to, as you'd be reading about it in the ACA magazines all members receive. She's doing precisely what she has always done, leading a very active, able team of people to fight pollution cases and help protect the environment. Anyone need enrollment details? Chris Burt

Going back to Julians original posting, it is unlikely even the ACA can do anything about it in this type of example. All the local Water Authority have to do is apply for a Discharge Consent Licence, which then allows them to put whatever they like into the local river whenever that particular sewage treatment works gets overloaded. So, provided they do not exceed the number of occasions they are licenced to dump everything into the river, (50, even 80 occasions pa), they are immune from prosecution. From memory this situation will last for about another 8/10 years during which time they are supposed to be bringing all sewage treatment works up to spec so these discharges will no longer be necessary. Disgusting but unfortunately legal. Chris Burt, SAA/ACA Council Member