POLLUTION: JOIN THE FIGHT

JOHN DOVE, STEVENAGE

The national news has recently highlighted that the Environment Agency ( EA) had issued guidance to water companies that they could dump partially treated sewage into rivers due to a perceived lack of chemicals used to treat sewage as a result of Brexit and the pandemic.

It seems that this proposal is now being redrafted and that it does not have the support of Parliament due to public outcry. In addition, the BBC has reported that water companies discharged untreated sewage into our rivers 400,000 times in 2020. It seems it is cheaper for water companies to pay fines than invest in fixing the problem.

The EA has identified dozens of rivers where, due to existing poor water quality, they would consider it to be acceptable to let untreated effluent into rivers, as reported on the Angling Trust website. Their list makes grim reading and, for example, includes Richard Walker's stretch of the River Ivel in Bedfordshire which used to be a very fine fishery.

As anglers from all sides of the sport we have the numbers to be heard, but only if we engage with this important issue to protect our rivers. What can we do?

After too many years of leaving it to others, I have now joined the Angling Trust to strengthen their voice on our behalf. Can you?

I would also like to ask fishing media like, such as IYCF, to perhaps do a twice yearly summary of the river pollution issues with informed comment from experts and statistics on whether the situation is improving or getting worse over time. We pay a lot of rod licence money to the Environment Agency but they seem to have excellent PR which does not highlight these issues which are so important to us anglers. We need access to relevant information from independent sources.

We all put loads of effort at club level into work parties, litter picking and restocking programs to improve our sport and the quality of our waters and the environment. It really is time to get the water that our fish live and breathe in up to the right quality. Then we would see more successful fish breeding, more biodiversity and no doubt more specimen fish. This can't happen too soon.