Angling Trust Tells MPs to Get Tough on Poachers

Posted on 09/03/2012 by Admin
Once again the Angling Trust took anglers' concerns to the heart of parliament when the Environmental Audit Select Committee invited Mark Lloyd and Martin Salter, along with the RSPCA, RSPB and the National Gamekeepers. Association, to give evidence in the House of Commons on Wednesday (March 7) to its inquiry into Wildlife Crime.
The Angling Trust duo described to the committee of MPs the problems associated with poaching, illegal commercial fishing and invasive non-native species on rivers, lakes and around the coast. They told MPs that the current system of fines and penalties simply didn't act as a strong enough deterrent and that it was time to get tough on poachers and fish thieves.

Martin Salter explained how frustrating it is for anglers to see 'pathetically weak fines' handed out for fish thefts or for deliberate commercial over-fishing.

Martin told the committee:
"Last month's prosecution in Scotland of 17 skippers found guilty of illegal catches worth over £62 million puts the Brinks Mat robbery into the shade yet those convicted got off with pathetically weak fines of no more than £80,000 each – representing just a fraction of the illegal profits made from robbing a public resource and damaging an important fishery. The same goes for those caught with illegal set lines and nets on freshwater fisheries who really do need to feel the full force of the law if we are to curb what is in some areas a growing menace. Currently it is fair to say that all too often wildlife crime pays in Britain."

Mark and Martin highlighted a lack of resources and co-ordination of enforcement activity between agencies and reported that in many regions the Environment Agency (EA) specialist bailiffs were being replaced with generalist enforcement officers without the detailed local knowledge of their predecessors or an active presence at the water's edge. They also drew attention to the ground-breaking Building Bridges project aimed at increasing awareness amongst migrant anglers of the rules and customs governing fishing in the UK. This project is a partnership between the Trust and the EA.

Mark Lloyd also gave evidence on the impact of invasive species on native wildlife and noted that these alien invaders cost the UK economy about £1.7 billion every year. These species also impact severely on angling, which has 3.5 million participants, generates more than £3 billion for the economy and employs more than 37,000 people. American signal crayfish have caused untold damage to wild fisheries by eating fish eggs and invertebrates on which fish feed and have made angling impossible in some areas. He suggested that there was some evidence to indicate that they were being spread deliberately for commercial gain.

In response to cross-questioning from the Committee, the Angling Trust pair proposed a range of practical solutions including:

  • Increasing fines and introducing prison sentences for organised criminal poaching, fish theft, illegal commercial fishing and the wilful introduction of invasive species
  • Extending pilot volunteer bailiff schemes run by the Angling Trust to complement paid staff
  • Retaining and recruiting specialist fisheries bailiffs, paid for by rod licence income
  • Investing in a national biosecurity strategy and developing contingency plans
  • Raising awareness with border agencies and ports about the risks
  • Banning the sale of invasive non native plants in garden centres and the import of invasive fish such as topmouth gudgeon for the aquarium trade
  • Taking a lead on developing a European Directive on Non Native Species
Mark Lloyd said:
"We welcome this opportunity to let MPs know about the importance of wildlife crime as an issue to the nation's anglers and to the large angling industry which is an important employer, particularly in rural and coastal areas. The Committee never received evidence from anglers in the past before the unification of angling into the Angling Trust. We receive reports of damage from poaching and invasive species every week from our members and we are determined to do all we can to encourage Government and the judiciary to understand the scale of these problems and to introduce tougher fines for people who deliberately flout the law."
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Environment Agency dealing with ‘significant’ River Lee sewage spill

Posted on 08/03/2012 by Admin
Environment Agency officers are dealing with the impact of a sewage discharge that has affected the River Lee in the Luton area and the Luton Hoo Lakes.
Officers are working hard to prevent pollution spreading into the River Lee downstream of the Luton Hoo Lakes. Sewage has entered both lakes of the Luton Hoo fishery, from the River Lee killing an estimated one thousand small fish, and at least 12 larger fish.
Following some overtopping of the weir at the end of the lower lake caused by heavy rainfall, some pollution has affected a stretch of the River Lee. The source of the pollution has been traced and stopped and sandbags have been deployed at the end of the lower lake to create a dam to stop any further pollution entering the river south of the lakes.
Fish are still in distress in the lake and the Environment Agency are deploying aeration equipment in a bid to prevent further fish deaths. Sewage pollution strips out oxygen in the water, leading to fish suffocation.
Jenny Melvin, Environment Management Team Leader said: “This is a significant sewage pollution incident which has caused the death of a large number of fish. It’s distressing to see such damage to a beautiful part of our environment, which will impact on the local community and particularly anglers who enjoy fishing the lakes. “We are still on the ground assessing the impact of this incident and ensuring that all action is taken to prevent any further risk of harm to the river. We have started an investigation into its cause.”
Members of the public can report pollution incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s emergency hotline on 0800 80 70 60
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Illegal fishing net found at Teddington

Posted on 02/03/2012 by Admin
This week the Environment Agency were alerted to an illegal fishing Trap that was found at Teddington by a vigilant angler. 
Environment Agency officer Carl Rasey
The net was found by local angler and Thames Anglers Conservancy member Oliver Lacfi whilst out fishing on the Thames. Oliver reported the find to the Environment Agency hotline and met up with Carl Rasey from the fisheries team.
Carl said: “We always welcome reports from responsible anglers alerting us of individuals using illegal equipment to catch fish. These methods have the potential to harm wildlife and seriously damage fish stocks, ruining the sport for enthusiasts such as the Thames Anglers’ Conservancy.
“The Environment Agency is committed to stopping illegal fishing and we always encourage anglers to report any suspicious nets, traps or set lines they come across by calling our Incident Hotline on 0800 807060.  We take illegal fishing very seriously and will look to prosecute any perpetrators to the full extent of the law. We regularly patrol rivers, streams and lakes to ensure that fishing is carried out in a safe and legal way. The use of illegal nets, traps and set lines can result in fines of up to £50,000.”
Illegal netting, trapping and fish theft does impact on fish stocks and poses potential problems if any other wildlife were to get inside. 
A Thames Anglers Conservancy Spokesman said: "Illegal traps and fixed lines are a hidden menace to our to our free fishing rivers and streams. We urge anyone who finds anything suspicious to report it immediately to the Environment Agency but do not remove the items, evidence is key". 
"We run a successful River Guardian scheme where members let us know about any problems they encounter including out of season fishing". After it has been reported to the EA, we will follow up the reports building a picture of any potential 'hot spots' and providing the the agency with vital intelligence".

 

The Thames Anglers Conservancy is a free to join organization and is a consultative member of the Angling Trust for Thames between Staines and Dartford. As a Thames Angling stakeholder, we are involved with many organizations including the Environment Agency, river user groups and local councils. We are concerned with many aspects of the Thames including the threat of Hydropower, loss of fishing rights and pollution along with the positive aspects of promoting angling and its benefits. For more information go to www.rivertac.org or email admin@rivertac.org
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South West Water fined for Sewage spill

Posted on 27/02/2012 by Admin
South West Water has been ordered to pay £39,365 in fines and costs for allowing sewage to escape into the River Dart near Galmpton in South Devon. The pollution occured close to a shellfishery.
The case was brought by the Environment Agency. On May 19, 2011 a member of the public reported pollution at Galmpton Quay. An Agency officer visited the site and found discoloured water entering a tidal section of the Dart estuary at Galmpton Creek. The pollution was traced to a sewage pumping station operated by South West Water in Kiln Road, Galmpton.
An inspection of the site revealed that the two pumps were blocked causing a discharge of crude sewage into the creek via a culvert. Further checks revealed there had been a similar pump blockage four days earlier (May 15) when South West Water staff installed a replacement pump. During their visit, staff disconnected the telemetry line to plug in a handheld phone to overcome the poor mobile signal at the pumping station. Unfortunately, when they left the site they forgot to re-connect the telemetry (communication) line.
On May 17, 2011 the control room at South West Water received an alarm saying there had been a ‘total communications failure’ at Galmpton. An error by the water company’s administration team meant that no visit was made to the site to check whether the pumping station was operating correctly. On May 18, the temporary pump failed and this triggered a series of alarms at the site, none of which were picked up by the water company’s control room because the telemetry cable was still unplugged. Records at the site showed that sewage started to spill from the pumping station on the afternoon of May 18 and that discharges continued intermittently throughout the day and night.
A shellfishery operated by Brixham Sea Farms Ltd is only around 600 metres from Galmpton Creek. Because of close proximity of the oyster beds and possible risk of contamination, the Agency informed South Hams District Council’s Environmental Health Department of the pollution. Brixham Sea Farms Ltd agreed not to sell any shellfish until they received confirmation the shellfish beds were unaffected by the discharge. A sample of shellfish flesh taken on May 19, 2011 was found to contain ‘extremely high’ levels of E.coli bacteria. The maximum permitted limit is 100 per 100g of flesh. The sample contained 24,000 per 100g.
The shellfishery was finally given the ‘all clear’ on May 27, after a second sample was obtained and found to be within safe limits. There was a second pollution incident at Galmpton on August 20, 2011 when once again, untreated sewage was discharged into Galmpton Creek.
‘These offences resulted from the failure of South West Water to respond appropriately to the loss of communication with one of its pumping stations. There were clear indications of problems at the site, yet the water company failed to act. This resulted in illegal discharges of sewage into the Dart estuary,’ said Steve Foot for the Environment Agency.
Appearing before Torbay magistrates, South West Water Ltd, of Peninsula House, Rydon Lane, Exeter, Devon was fined a total of £37,000 and ordered to pay £2,365 costs after pleading guilty to three offences under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 including discharging poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into an inland freshwater and failing to ensure the standby pump at Kiln Road Pumping Station, Galmpton operated in accordance with the site’s environmental permit. The case was heard on February 24.
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Shepperton scoops top place for the ‘Best Lock’ on the River Thames

Posted on 26/02/2012 by Admin
Shepperton Lock has scooped top place for the ‘Best Lock’ on the River Thames, after hundreds of people voted in the Environment Agency’s 2011 Thames Waterways Awards.
Steve Newman, lock keeper at Shepperton Lock, said “A big thank you for all of my customers that have voted for Shepperton Lock this year. It’s a lot of hard work for myself and the team but its always worth it just for the lovely remarks we receive. “The Thames has always had a good reputation for its lovely gardens and this competition can only enhance its reputation for being the best manned waterway in the world. Long may it continue!” Although Shepperton Lock was a clear winner amongst the public, other locks were awarded commendations due to a high level of positive feedback from many people.
Locks that were given these special commendations were Pinkhill, Romney, Osney and Marsh which were all singled out by river users. Votes were entered into prize draw and randomly chosen.
Winner Alan Pannett, from Eastbourne was delighted to win a 20 per cent discount off his 2012 River Thames boat licence. Boating enthusiast, Alan Pannett said: “I really enjoy boating on the Thames and have my boat moored at Shepperton Marina. The Shepperton lock keeper and his assistants are always great.” Waterways Manager, Matt Carter said: “These awards give members of the public a chance to let us know how we are doing on the River Thames. They are a great opportunity to recognise the important work the Thames waterways staff do in helping to promote the River Thames as a great destination. We received some excellent feedback and comments about our locks and waterways staff”.
The award winners will be presented with vouchers and a plaque to mark their success. The awards, kindly sponsored by Atkins and Peter Brett, invited members of the public to vote throughout the 2011 boating season. “We are proud to have sponsored this prestigious awards scheme. Congratulations to all the lock staff along the river who make the Thames the special place that it is." said Steve Capel-Davies, of Peter Brett.
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Drought Summit a ‘Wake up Call’ for England’s shrinking rivers

Posted on 21/02/2012 by Admin
"Water is too cheap, the public are too wasteful and politicians have been too short-sighted" is the message from the Angling Trust in response to the Drought Summit held in London today by Environment Secretary Caroline Spellman. 
Martin Salter on the dried up River Kennet
The Angling Trust's Freshwater campaigns manager Mark Owen represented angler's interests at the summit and warned the Environment Agency that they must be geared up to mount fish rescue operations as rivers shrink and fish become trapped and stranded.

Mark Owen said:

"Whilst gardeners will moan about the prospect of hosepipe bans it is the angling clubs and our fisheries that will be bearing the brunt of this appalling drought. The Angling Trust wants to see every possible step taken to minimise damage to our precious fish stocks until such time as those rivers on the critical list return to something like normal flows."

Meanwhile Martin Salter, newly appointed National Campaigns Co-ordinator for the Trust, spent the morning with members of Action for the River Kennet at Marlborough in Wiltshire highlighting the desperate plight of the southern chalkstreams. Speaking from the dried up bed of the upper Kennet at West Overton (pictured) Mr Salter told Sky News and the BBC that anglers expected politicians to implement long term solutions to improve storage and reduce the need for abstractions from already dangerously low rivers.

Mr Salter said:

"This dreadful drought should serve as a wake up call for anyone who cares about the plight of England's shrinking rivers. Whilst the Angling Trust supports calls from the water companies to encourage people to conserve water there is much more that needs to be done if we are to prevent serious damage to the aquatic environment. We need far greater investment in storage reservoirs, better conservation of winter run-off, universal water metering and an end to unsustainable abstractions, like that at Axford in Wiltshire, which takes water from the Kennet catchment to serve South Swindon and discharges it into the Thames.

"Infrastructure investment will need both political vision and courage because it will impact on water bills. But we live in a mad world where purified drinking water is used to flush toilets and water lawns in country with a poor record for extravagant water use. Why is it that in the Thames region customers now use on average 1,000 litres of water a week for every man, woman and child?

"Despite being essential to human life we grossly under value our water resources. Quite frankly, water is too cheap, we the public are too wasteful and our politicians have been too short-sighted. This has to change if we are to protect our rivers and the wildlife that they sustain."

Action for the River Kennet (ARK) is working with the local community and Thames Water to help everybody to use less water through the Care for the Kennet campaign.

ARK's spokesman said:

"In the Kennet Valley we have had drastically low rainfall for the last 18months, with less rain and a dryer river even than in 1976. Unless we have two very wet months, a drought this summer is inevitable. Now is the time to act. Every one of us can make a difference and help to keep our river alive. The water that comes out of your tap comes from the same source as the water in the river, so by using less of it there will be more to support the river and its wildlife."

ARK have long been critical of Thames Water's abstraction from Axford to supply south Swindon, and Director, Charlotte Hitchmough, said:

"ARK is keeping up the pressure on Thames Water to honour their commitment to provide an alternative water supply for Swindon, which will help the River Kennet. Thames Water are aiming to build the new supply in 2014. But the people in the Kennet valley as well as Swindon can make a positive difference too, by using less water, and I urge everyone to sign up for the free water saving service".

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River Hogsmill gets a clean up to improve habitat

Posted on 19/02/2012 by Admin
Thames Anglers Conservancy members joined forces with the Environment Agency at the start of a habitat improvement scheme along a stretch the River Hogsmill in Surrey.  The Hogsmill is a tributary of the River Thames rising from a chalk spring in Ewell then flowing for over six miles through suburban Surrey before emptying into the Thames at Kingston.
Environment Agency Fisheries Officer Dave Bartlett explaining the project along with important Health and Safety rules.

 

The first stage of this work was to clear a 400m stretch of in-river and bankside rubbish and cut back areas of overhanging vegetation which has removed light from the river, stopping marginal plant growth.
Timing of the clearance was important as before the trees start to leaf and ahead of the nesting season. Any clean gravel spawning areas could be disturbed if left until the spring.
River Hogsmill Feb 2012Like many urban watercourses, at times they are used as a dumping ground for all manner of rubbish.
TAC members removing some of the smaller overhanging branches to increase light to the river
River Hogsmill Feb 2012Clearing in-river debris
River Hogsmill Feb 2012TAC members at work
A Junior member along the footpath
A highly successful day on the Hogsmill river
Along with the sofa volunteers removed car tyres, a shopping trolley, various metal objects, wood, a broken push chair, traffic cones along with 10 bags of rubbish. 
Thanks to everyone who turned up to help this valuable little river.

TAC
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Fears of British super-drought after record low rainfall in winter

Posted on 13/02/2012 by Admin
The pond at St Peter's Church in Snailwell, Cambridgeshire, is surrounded by clumps of bulrushes and thick oak trees that give it a timeless English appeal. Coated in a dusting of snow, this small body of waterlooked the epitome of rural charm. Only one odd feature upset its picture-postcard appearance. Around noon every day, automated pumps just above the pond are switched on and for the next few hours 400,000 gallons (1.8m litres) of water are sent cascading down a brick-lined gully into the lake.
Read the full report in the Guardian
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Environment benefits through Enforcement Undertakings

Posted on 13/02/2012 by Admin

 

In the first year since civil sanctions have been available to the Environment Agency, the organisation in the East of England has accepted 14 offers to make donations to environmental charities.
The offers have been made under Enforcement Undertakings which are voluntary offers from offenders to take responsibility for an offence.  Enforcement Undertakings encourage business operators to make amends, come into compliance and prevent recurrence. 
All of the East of England cases were for breaches of the packaging regulations. Normally cases such as these would result in a prosecution or formal caution.
Under the new civil sanctions regime, the Environment Agency can use non-criminal or civil enforcement such as compliance notices, restoration notices, enforcement undertakings, fixed monetary penalties, variable monetary penalties and stop notices as alternative enforcement powers.
Charities have benefited from thousands of pounds donated by offenders. A total of £184,626 pounds has been promised to environmental charities and £124,626 has already been paid.  Local, national and international charities have benefited from donations ranging between £1,119 and £60,000  including wildlife trusts, tree charities and WWF.
The Environment Agency also received payment for its costs in investigating such matters for a total of £23,000.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has benefited from more than £17,000 under the new scheme.
Chief Executive, Paul Learoyd said: “We have benefited from two donations to date and are delighted to receive the support. As a local charity the money enabled us to do a number of special projects to protect and enhance the environment with benefits both for wildlife and people.
“From installing an otter holt to restoring flower rich meadows the positive effect of the donations is there for all to see – well, in the case of the otter, only if you are very lucky.”   
How Hill Trust has received one donation of £4,386. Director Simon Partridge said: “We were really delighted to receive the money and it is no exaggeration to say it was a real bonus to our very limited finances. The money enabled the How Hill Trust to further develop our environmental education work in the Norfolk Broads.
“For example, a large part of the money was spent on overhauling our two boats ensuring they continue to meet strict health and safety regulations. This means, of course, that we can offer boat trips to our young visitors giving an even better environmental educational experience when they visit.
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Severn Trent Water fined for repeated pollution of fishing lake

Posted on 08/02/2012 by Admin
Severn Trent Water Ltd has been fined £24,000 after polluting Heapham fishing lake in Gainsborough for the fourth time in seven years. Hundreds of fish died in April 2011 when a blockage in the foul sewer was not cleared for more than a week because of an IT and scheduling errors Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard today (Tues).
Mrs Claire Corfield, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, said sewage and trade effluent had polluted a stream that passes through Heapham Lakes, owned by West Lindsey District Council as part of a flood protection scheme. The pollution continued into the River Till and more than three miles of water had been affected. The company was also ordered to pay full costs of £6,884. Severn Trent was alerted by the council to sewage flooding at Theaker Avenue Nature Reserve on 29 March.
On 8 April the Environment Agency was contacted by the council’s angling club which reported dead fish in the lakes. A sample taken from the lake showed grossly polluting levels of BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) 172 times higher than would be expected in unpolluted water and gasping fish had to be rescued.
On 8 April, 360 dead fish were counted floating on the surface including carp, bream, tench and pike. Heapham Lakes is used by anglers but, the court was told, it was the third time that sewage pollution caused by the water company had stopped fishing there.
In April 2004, 7,000 fish were killed and four months later, fish used to restock were also killed by pollution.
Three years later there was a further pollution. A service delivery manager for Severn Trent, told investigating officers that just before the incident they had moved to a new method of working. They discovered a compatability problem with a new IT system used for prioritizing work which led to jobs being moved to an error queue and the incident not being attended to for two days. There were also scheduling errors which meant that the blockage in the south sewer was not cleared until 7 April.
A report of sewage flooding would normally be responded to in six hours. He said it was believed the blockage at the back of Dove Close was caused by a discharge of fats combined with rags. The sewage flooded land at the nature reserve, entered a defective private surface water chamber linked to the network and was carried to the stream via the surface water outfall at White’s Wood Lane. Since the pollution the company has made changes to its IT system, the affected stretch of sewer will now be cleaned twice a year, the outfall is being regularly checked, the private surface water chamber has been sealed and early warning systems in manholes are being installed. He said the company had spent £84,000 on investigating the incident and remediation.
The company said it would pay for the restocking of the lake. After the hearing Environment Agency officer Sarah Gillanders said: “An extensive clean-up operation was needed after this pollution and fish had to be rescued from the lake and moved to safety. “Had Severn Trent responded sooner, the serious effect of the pollution could have been minimized.”
The angling club has stopped charging subsidies to its members as a result the previous incident. Mark Scoggins, for the company, said this was not a case of ignoring a problem A crew went to the nature reserve three times to try to clear the blockage. Had the company known that there had been a pollution they would have responded quicker.
Severn Trent Water pleaded guilty to: On or about 8 April 2011, you did cause poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, namely sewage and trade effluent to enter inland freshwaters, namely a tributary of the River Till at Gainsborough in the County of Lincolnshire Contrary to Regulation 12(1)(b) and regulation 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
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