What is the EA doing for angling?

[Rick J]

What is the EA doing for angling?

 

I pay along with most anglers £23.50 this year and what will it be next year?

 

 

What is the EA doing with my and yours money?

We have problems with alien crayfish. I have read the EA Doc reference:TC206/05IJ environment-agency.gov.uk/news/...=&withoutwords=

It look like we are to do there work for them, maybe we should ask for them to pay for our time.

 

Eastern Europeans stealing fish, the stock of carp in my local canal is so bad that I only see the a few anglers, only two years ago I used to see 15 to 20 anglers at weekends, I once was witness to a large carp being put in to a black bin liner by the 3 guys so I called the police when the police arrived some 2 hours later the 3 guys had long gone, on phone the EA the next day only to be given the run the round past from person to person and finely after ¾ hours to be told the person I need to speak to was out and they would get them to phone me back that was some 10 weeks ago.

 

This it fare that when I would like to fish a third rod that I have to buy a second rod licence at £23.50

 

Do you as anglers think we should be asking the EA for help or just stop buying the rod licence?

 

Maybe it’s about time we all stud up and had a go at the EA.

 

At least when we had the NRA we new they was not going to help.

[Ken L]

The whole crayfish thing is utterly pointless. Like Zander, they're here, they're here to stay and no matter how much poisoning, trapping and culling anyone does or how much money is spent, they are not going to go away.

 

Fish theft's arn't really the EA's remit. If they're in a stillwater, they're the property of the owner and theft is simply theft and a matter for the police and the CPS.

On current form though it's not even worth the cost of a mobile phone call because the police won't react quick ewnough and even if they do, the perpetrator will only ever get a caution.

 

The EA can be relied upon to rip out any interesting features that might provide a fishing hotspot or some shelter from the main flow in winter for fish. This work will be done in the name of flood protection but you'll still pay for it.

 

Of couse they have the power to prosecute polluters. The only problem is that they actually licence poluters (usually the big water companies) and the chances of them actually pushing for a prosecution when our rivers get stuffed full of Chlorine, Aluminium Sulphate (both from water treatment plants) or raw sewage are about nil - bet nobody's heared about prosecutions following the sewage that flooded into the thames three times last year !

 

They can't even run fish farms without having to close them down because they can't controll disease so we're not even getting any stockings done.

 

You may have guessed that I'm not impressed either.

[Severn Wolf]

quote:

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Yeah well perhaps if the license fee was £100 they'd have a little more money to play with

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They can`t get a fair few anglers to cough up the twenty odd quid for a licence, bung it up to a hundred quid and all the extra revenue would have to be spent on extra baliffs.................

[jason.p]

Just out of interest, does the environment agency publish accounts? It really would be interesting to see where all our contributions went. Apart from the glossy news letter that comes round once a year I for one haven't a clue what else they do with all the dosh. Perhaps a few more baillifs would help. As I've said in previous posts, I can only remember once being asked for my license in the last ten years .

I quite agree with Rizla that we should be able to confront the EA, but without an organisation (correct me if I'm wrong), we are just individuals with no clout.

The only way I see to hit them where it hurts is to collectively refuse to get a license next year, but it has to be all or nothing, and quite frankly I can't see it happening .

[Peter Waller]

I work with the EA on the Norfolk Broads FAPs etc and reckon we get every penny spent on angling that we should, and here on the Broads, a great deal besides via the flood alleviation scheme.

environment-agency.gov.uk/about...831546/?lang=_e

All this is being done in consultation with anglers and, where possible, angling is benefitting quite considerably.

 

<small>[ 02. September 2005, 07:38 PM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]</small>

[Ken L]

I should have added that the EA gathered data on river levels, temperatures and even turbidity. Do they make this date available in real time online ?

Well, erm, NO ! You have to call a premium rate telephone number, spend five minutes listening to part of the pre-recorded message that you have absolutely no interest in (at premium rate prices) only to get partial informations that's eight hours old by the time you hear it.

 

 

Similarly, they hold details of free and day ticket waters.Do they make this date available in real time online ?

Well, erm, NO ! You have to call a premium rate telephone number, to get their nice little booklet which was probably printed six months before you paid through the teeth for the privilage of having a copy sent to you.

 

How many times do they want us to pay ?

[jason.p]

Whereas I'm sure the flood alleviation schemes such as the Broads, Humber, Don etc are excellent projects being undertaken by the EA, it seems to me that any direct benefit to anglers is probably incidental, and then only enhanced by the efforts of people such as Peter in consultation.

Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the EA government funded?

I for one would like to see our license money ringfenced and used to directly benefit our sport, but it's like wishing for road tax to benefit drivers...ah well, we can only live in hope

[Peter Waller]

EA licence money is only spent on angling.

[Peter Waller]

Yes, flood alleviation schemes that benefit angling are basically incidental, but not to be sniffed at, are mostly well worthwhile.

 

They are not the destructive canalisation schemes of old, thank goodness.

[jason.p]

Peter Waller:

EA licence money is only spent on angling.

Thanks Peter, I'll shut up now!!