Angling Trust Demand Action

It has been announced that the Angling Trust (AT) have written to the Environment Agency to demand action be taken to address the decline is fish stocks on the River Severn and its tributaries, most notably the River Teme. 

Clubs and pleasure anglers have highlighted declining catches over the past few years and the AT claim it is now affecting clubs and businesses financially. From a personal point of view I have noticed a huge decline in Barbel stocks on the Teme, so much so that I haven't even seen one, let alone catch one during this season's several visits. The Severn has seen Roach stocks hit over the past decade and match weights are not what they once were. 

Will the Severn throw up Roach catches of this quality ever again?

Local clubs have written to the Environment Agency to urge action themselves but have found their concerns have not been echoed. Andy Jones, Secretary of Montgomery Anglers Association stated, "We have been asking the Environment Agency questions about the downturn in match and pleasure angling for over five years and not one representative from the Agency has been able to answer us or seemed willing to do anything to improve the situation. The Environment Agency just will not admit there is a serious problem and they continue to ignore a simple fact, which is how good the fishing has been on the river Severn in the past and how poor it has become now. Local anglers fully support this letter from the Angling Trust and hope that now, at last, something will be done to improve things."

These comments beg the question on how effective the Environment Agency actually are at safeguarding our waterways. After all, a great proportion of their revenue comes from anglers' licence fees yet time and time again we appear to be let down by them and their apparent reluctance to protect our sport when our rivers seem to be under attack from all angles. Their attitude in this matter is similar to that concerning 'Kevin', the River Severn seal, where an Agency spokesperson said, "We understand the concerns of anglers, but one animal in a large river like the Severn is unlikely to have a significant impact on fish stocks." Add to that the many stories of the Environment Agency removing specimen sized fish from Midland canals to send elsewhere and it makes you wonder who they are actually serving. On the other hand, a thumbs up must go to the Angling Trust who appear to have become a little more vocal on matters recently. A copy of the letter the AT sent to the Environment Agency can be found [here] and it will be interesting to see if anything comes from it. 

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