Thousands of angling clubs, fishery owners and anglers are witnessing low river flows and water levels, which are threatening vital invertebrate life in rivers and fish stocks, prompting calls for long-term sustainable management strategies for water resources to be developed.

The Angling Trust (AT) and its legal arm, Fish Legal, have had reports from their members of problems on many rivers including the Eamont in the north west, the Teme in the west Midlands, the Usk in south Wales and the Teign in Devon. Most of the problems are caused by abstraction of water continuing as normal, in spite of the lowest spring and summer rainfall in a generation. The situation has even seen a hosepipe ban introduced in the north west, which is traditionally one of the wettest areas of the country.

Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the AT and Fish Legal, said: “Our members are fed up with seeing wildlife in the rivers they fish suffering as a result of a failure by government, OFWAT, the Environment Agency (EA) and the water companies to develop coherent plans to reduce water use and wastage in the context of climate change and population growth. Rivers are vitally important for a whole host of wildlife and millions of anglers.”

The AT’s call follows a statement from Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), a coalition of more than 30 voluntary organisations concerned with the conservation and protection of wildlife and the countryside, which issued proposals for spending decisions related to environmental and countryside spending in light of the current review of budgets. It contained a large number of proposals, which included having the EA’s work on managing freshwater fisheries and fishing licences covered by fishing licence fees only (£9.4million, thus saving £4million), and that all work on the management of sea fisheries funded by industry. In addition, it suggested a licence could be imposed upon the sea angling community similar to that of freshwater angling.

A furious spokesman for the AT said the WCL did not consult it before issuing the proposals and added that the AT disagreed wholeheartedly with them in respect of angling.
 

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