Campaign For The Protection Of Welsh Fisheries

[highplains]

Click on the link below to get to the Plant Tracker app for your mobile phone.

http://planttracker.naturelocator.org/category/blog/planttracker

The tool allows you to send the location and details of plants like Himalayan Balsam direct to a national data base. We need to let them know the extent of the invasive weeds on our riverbanks. There are also photo's of the invasive weeds to help you identify them if you are unsure.

 

[highplains]

I received the following email which is self explanatory. Please read it and then respond to the consultation.

Please pick up on the sense of urgency and desperation the email conveys. We have to do something, our fisheries are at risk.

PLEASE
Message Received: Dec 05 2012, 09:58 AM
From: "Stuart Smith" <ssmit660@gmail.com>
To: "WSA Circulation" <enquiries@wyesalmon.com>
Cc:
Subject: Fwd: FW: Working Together Consultation

Dear All,


Very few people from the fishing fraternity seem to have responded to the
EA consultation a link of which is attached below.. If few or no one
responds, the EA can rightly say, that fishermen were given the
opportunity, but did not seem interested. As Chris asks I am mailing his
email request to all on the WSA circulation list in an attempt to give it
maximum exposure.

** **

This request came via the LFG [Wye Local Fisheries Group] meeting on 16th
Nov, at which we are represented, and I would ask when you respond you
mention LFG/WSA as source of your information*.*

*
*

If you can't find link in Chris Rees email below it is:
https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/wfd/working/together2012

*
*

Regards


Stuart Smith

For and on behalf of Wye Salmon Association

*
*

** **



** **

*From:* Rees, Chris [mailto:chris.rees@environment-agency.wales.gov.uk]
*Sent:* 22 November 2012 14:17
*To:* Alfie Pope; Charles Hopkinson; David Revill; Hugh Horrex; Huw Morgan;
Lional Burrows; Major Darling; Mourice Hudson; Nicola Ody; Rob Denny; Seth
; simon; Stephen Marsh Smith; STP; Tony Norman; Wayne Tyler
*Subject:* Working Together Consultation****

** **

Following Wye LFG. I am asking for your help. Please can you:-****

**a. **Visit the following link to our website and log on to the
“Working Together” Consultation ****

**b. **Forward this email to your contacts****

** **

https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/wfd/working/together2012
****

** **

Questions to focus your response are as follows. ****

** **

**1. **How do you think the Environment Agency can create an approach
that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute to the Severn River Basin
Management Plan? ****

**2. **In your experience, how can the Severn River Basin District
Liaison Panel be made more effective and efficient as part of this
approach? ****

**3. **a. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses about
working at a catchment scale? The Environment Agency will consider
responses to this question alongside the formal evaluation of the catchment
pilots. If you have experience of the catchment pilots (both those hosted
by the Environment Agency and those hosted by others), or working in
catchments generally please tell us. ****

b. What can the Environment Agency do to better support others in improving
the water environment? ****

**4. **How do you want to work with the Environment Agency in
developing the river basin management plans? Please include what level of
involvement (inform, consult or working together to solve problems) you
want and specify what methods you would prefer. ****

**5. **How do you think consultation on the River Basin Management
Plans and flood risk management plans can best be co-ordinated?****

** **

Best Wishes****

** **

Chris****

 

[highplains]

I begin to despair. This forum was THE forum for expressing views, encouraging participation and general fishing chat. What the heck is going on. The above consultation process is important. There are only 5 questions to answer and you need only make some angling related comment, just to let them know we want to be consulted and we care what happens. If we show no interest why the hell should the new body. Apathy will be the death of our fish and our fisheries. Finger out guys, fingers out. PLEASE. hp

 

[clwydman]

Ive replied, watch your ticker Al you are not as young as you used to be!

 

[highplains]

Gee thanks Clwydman: I feel so much better! Thanks

 

[highplains]

LFAG CONFERENCE 22nd MAY 2013
The North Wales Local Fisheries Advisory Group Conference held this year at Trawsfynidd visitors Center. At the request of the LFAG, the whole thing was based around training and how to get youngsters involved in angling for the morning session whilst the afternoon was devoted to poaching, enforcement and environmental crime. There was also a rather nice buffet lunch for all that attended, which unhappily was probably about half those that attended last year. I have no idea why, I thought the event was well publicised well worth effort of getting there.You missed a good day.



The speakers all acquitted themselves well, the police were represented by Constable Eryl Lloyd and Sgt Rob Taylor, Eryl having been seconded to the EAW (as was) for several years and Sergeant Rob Taylor being the Environmental Crime supervising officer for those under his charge based in North and Central Wales. We were all pleased to hear him announce that two additional police officers have been added to the Bangor team as part of the Enforcement Team. Whilst I have the greatest of respect for our Police Force, without them we would really be in a sorry mess, I am concerned that poaching and other illegal fisheries activity may be about to be classified as Environmental Crime, which it surely is, and be classified and pursued in the same way, at the expense of losing the Bailiffs team or there being swallowed by the general Environmental Crime Unit. If it happens we have nobody to blame but ourselves.



The campaign in partnership with the EAW (now Natural Resources Wales) has been hosting a REPORT AN INCIDENT tab for some years now it allows anglers to confirm having dialled the 0800 80 70 60 number to record what they reported. It also allows angler to report any illegal fisheries activity when they:

See suspicious evidence such as fish heads or guts near or on the riverbank
See post fixed in the bank side to hold nets.
See nets in the river. PLEASE do not remove them, even if they have live fish in. Leave them and report them.
Hear about poaching having taken place.
Hear of poaching being planned.
Anything to give the bailiff and fisheries team a clue as to what is going on.


The Welsh Assembly Government has given us the opportunity to establish objectively, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, exactly what the level of poaching and illegal fisheries is. If you were to ask me, on the evidence you have provided, how much poaching is going on I would have to say very little. I suspect that is not the case, but suspicion is no good: we need documentary evidence, records of reports and the like. They have not been forthcoming.

 

[highplains]

Guys, at the meeting on participant said that he had tried to use the 0800 80 70 60 number, it had rung bit nobody answered. This means there is no record of the call, so no statistic.

Please record all failed called as well as actual calls on the Campaign web site under the report an incident tab. Had the above call been recorded, then it would have been a statistic which would have been sent to the now Na rural Resources Wales Fisheries Team. No statistics: no poaching: no bailiffs. It'd up to us.

 

[kwilliams]

It would help if the team in Nth Wales were in the slightest bit interested in responding...
Seems theres dissent amongst the team and very little if any team working cooperation
How would the senior managers respond to that I wonder...seems they have little intelligence on the inner working and spirit of cooperation with a demoralized team!

 

[wnion]

Click on the link below to get to the Plant Tracker app for your mobile phone.

http://planttracker.naturelocator.org/category/blog/planttracker

The tool allows you to send the location and details of plants like Himalayan Balsam direct to a national data base. We need to let them know the extent of the invasive weeds on our riverbanks. There are also photo's of the invasive weeds to help you identify them if you are unsure.

I'm just thinking out aloud here and don't know how much work or cost would be involved to develop it but could such a tool not be developed to report and keep records of poaching incidents?

 

[clwydman]

That sounds like a plan Wnion!

 

[highplains]

I will make a phone app that will download to the campaign which we can then send and record. Will that be acceptable?

 

[highplains]

If you go to this site you can download the app. When you do, after the download is complete you will be told it will not be accepted for security reasons. Go to your setting on the phone security and lock screen and tap unknown sources, which will then allow the download, go back to the download and try again: it will then dowenload.nDon't forget to go back and un tick unknown sources in your settings. Let me know how you go on. I can add a form of my own, if it will be easier. You can use your bar scan app to get the app. Good luck

http://www.appsgeyser.com/getwidget/Report and incident

 

[highplains]

Have you noticed that this forum is not taking new threads and pro boards appear to have taken over all sea trout forums.

Feel free to use the Campaign site forum and lets get this going again. It was a great forum.

 

[highplains]

I have to say that I have missed this forum and it's good to see it back on line and working. Nice one.

Now, back on the soap box. Please sign the SACC - Sustainable Access Campaign Cymru petition. Here is the link:

http://www.accesscymru.org/

The idea of freedom to roam and freedom to access our rivers by anybody,m anywhere and at any time is insane. There is a total lack of awareness among the general public of the damage that cane be done by tramping through the redds, so we have to fight this proposal and numbers influence politicians.

With grateful thanks on behalf of our fish and fisheries.

 

[Andy R]

Already done it high plains, it was either T&S or fish legal/ angling trust info, I'd love to sign it twice, but suspect they'll suss that. I'm trying to be proactive on these things, and email my fishing group to sign these ( e.g. Ian gordans anti spring netting petition has a dozen names it would have had otherwise)

 

[clwydspecial]

Me and her indoors have signed too (she an avid fisher woman too)

 

[highplains]

I have to say that the response has been very poor. Only 2,195 have signed yet there are 60,000 salmon licenses sold in Wales: what is the matter with anglers? I know we like to keep ourselves to ourselves and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside, but the way things are going there will be no peace and quiet to enjoy. Yes I know I am overstating it a bit! Politicians are motivated by numbers, because numbers represent potential voters. Please do all you can to boost the numbers signing it. With a bit of effort the readers of this forum alone should be able to double that number. This is the link again, please circulate it to as many as you can. Thank you.

http://www.accesscymru.org/

 

[highplains]

I hope this works!!

The link below will take you to the Report and Incident app, which means you can report from your phone. Please try it and let me know if it works.

Thanks.

http://www.appsgeyser.com/491487

It works from here. Life will be easier if you download an app called QR barcode scanner, which allows you to scan bar codes and those boxes full of dots and squiggles that you see at the bottom of ads often. If you chose the scan with camera option and show your camera to the screen making sure you get the box in the camera view finder and click, the app will download automatically: hope that all make sense?

 

[clwydspecial]

Hi highplanes,
Tried downloading app but no luck on both iphone and ipad. It does say it's save to the device but I can't see the app when you return to the main screen ????

 

[highplains]

Hi Clwyd Special,

When I did it it downloaded automatically. If you go to my post dated 15 6, above you will see some more detailed instructions. I have also made an app for downloading your catch return on your phone. If you want that I will email you the link.

Good luck