Anglers in Wales are delighted that canoeists have been denied open access to inland waters in the Principality.

After more than a year of evidence-gathering, the Welsh Assembly's Sustainability Committee has rejected canoeists' requests, and recommended voluntary access agreements to be sought with landowners. Further recommendations include the need for a licencing system to be set up for all unpowered craft and that fees should be paid by organisations that make a profit from water-related recreation. Crafts should also be registered and clearly marked.

Julia Morgan, Secretary of the Welsh Salmon & Trout Angling Association, which has over 70 angling clubs/associations in membership (many of which own large stretches of rivers), said members were delighted the Sustainability Committee had made it clear that it is trespass to go on rivers above the tide without the agreement of the riparian owner. “For many years canoeists have flaunted the law and used Welsh rivers as their playground. Now they will have to seek permission of the owner or face prosecution,” she said. Mrs Morgan added she was pleased the Committee had taken note of the concerns of fishery owners and the views of over 30,000 anglers as presented by WSTAA when it was called to give evidence at the inquiry.

Nick Massey, Secretary of the Federation of Welsh Anglers (FWA), the umbrella body for the game, coarse and sea angling associations in Wales, welcomed the report and hoped that voluntary agreements will be forged between riparian owners and organisations wishing to use their waters for recreational purposes. He believed the Reports’ recommendations are the way forward to ensure peace and tranquility return to all rivers in Wales.

Unsurprisingly, Canoe Wales has expressed its unhappiness with the report, maintaining that nothing has changed. It had called for Wales to follow the Scottish example and open up all rivers and lakes to canoeists and kayakers. Nevertheless, anglers say it is encouraging that the Sustainability Committee, after consultation with its Scottish counterparts, agreed that the Scottish Land Reform Act would be quite inappropriate as a model for legislation in Wales.

At the launch of the Report, Mike German, Chairman of the Sustainability Committee, said that finding a solution to what was a difficult situation had taken a long time but he believed the Committee had come up with a good and balanced solution. Jane Davidson, Minster for the Environment and Access, will now have six weeks in which to respond to the Report and it is envisaged that the issue will be fully discussed in the Assembly Chamber in September.

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• Read the full story in the August issue of Fly Fishing & Fly Tying magazine.