SPOILING IT FOR THE REST
I read with interest the letter titled ‘Litter Worry’ by Chris Eldridge in issue 551 about litter issues at Dungeness. Unfortunately, some recreational sea anglers still see the sea as a large waste disposal system.
Fortunately, these morons are now a minority. Unfortunately, it only takes one to tarnish the reputation of the other anglers who fished the beach that day.
Dungeness Angling Association is proactive in managing litter issues. Annually, it contributes £2,000 to pay for a litter picker who patrols the shoreline
several times per week, and has recently spent several hundred pounds installing fox and seagull-proof litter bins at the main beach access points.
Chris mentioned plastic bottles. The majority of the plastics found on the beach have been washed in and were in the sea before being carried to Dungeness. The bait wrappers, sandwich bags and fishing line is not! English Nature analyses rubbish collected here annually. Dungeness Estate and surrounding beaches are a National Nature Reserve. Should it demand special care when fishing? No, all of our beaches, piers and estuaries should demand utmost care when fishing, and it is our collective responsibility to look after our environment.
We’ll never get rid of all the morons, but if you are on the beach and see some litter, do yourself and all of us a favour, pick it up and put it in a bin.
Simon Newman, Dungeness AA