‘Ban on bait fishing could devastate sport of angling’
Keen angler Arwel Evans, of Ammanford, explains why he is opposed to National Resources Wales’ proposals to impose a ban on bait fishing
As an avid angler, I have had the pleasure of fishing not only the streams, rivers and lakes of Wales, but also some stunning locations all over the world.
It is a passion that started with fishing with a worm by my grandfather’s side on the banks of the river Cennen in Carmarthenshire more than 40 years ago. That passion has remained with me to this day.
Over the years I have come second in the Australian fly-casting championships, been Welsh Pairs Fly-casting Champion, and Daily Fly-casting winner in this year’s CLA Game fair – not to mention earning a living as a fly-casting instructor while living in Australia. None of this would have been possible without the early encouragement and instruction of one Will Jones of Derwydd, or dadcu as he was to me.
A sentimental look back at the early years from a middle-aged man you might think.
You may be correct with that train of thought – or are you?
My fear over Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) proposals for new bylaws for net and rod fisheries, as outlined in the Western Mail, is their proposed ban on bait fishing.
While I fully accept that salmon and sea trout stocks are not in a good place at the moment, and we should all play our part in conserving stocks, NRW seems to overlook the fact that the fishermen of the rivers and lakes of this country are, on the whole, the most responsible custodians of the rivers and their inhabitants.
For they are the ones who spend time on the waters, observing conditions and reporting on pollution or fish-kill incidents.
That’s alongside their vital catch returns, which provide the NRW with the statistics upon which they base the salmon and sea trout stock estimates in the rivers.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that without fishermen on the rivers our water would run filthy and be devoid of any life.
Yet year upon year it is the anglers who seem to bear the brunt of NRW’s policy decisions.
Already this year we have had BBC news reporting that of all pollution incidents reported to the NRW, less than 1% were successfully investigated.
It questioned whether the organisation was actually fit for purpose.
Water pollution, both industrial and agricultural, is the major contributory factor to the decline of salmon and sea trout stocks in our waters, wiping out a potential fouryear cycle of fish every time an incident occurs, not to mention the invertebrates that the young fry need to survive. Yet there seem to be no new policies to deal with this and any fines that are imposed on polluters are so paltry they offer no real deterrent.
While NRW’s proposals for size restriction and shortening of the season make a lot of sense, they will in reality have very little, or no, effect, as most local angling club bylaws are far stronger than these and have been in effect for a number of years already.
The resources and money wasted by coming up with hare-brained ideas by this organisation beggars belief – I was once contacted by telephone to be asked if I thought the NRW licence fee represented value for money and did I think that a joint licence for married couples would be a good idea? Honestly!
Fish predation on the river is another matter that they seem to drag their heels over. The Tywi valley is but one of many in Wales overrun by cormorants and goosanders, which eat their own bodyweight of juvenile salmon and sea trout on a weekly basis. NRW’s response is to set off bird scarers on one pool in the lower reaches of the river (sending the birds upstream to feed in peace).
With regard to their ban on bait fishing, my greatest worry is that the next generation of young anglers won’t even get the opportunity to fish, so what future impact will this have on the river custodians of the future ?
By NRW’s own statistics, Welsh fisheries are worth in the region of £150m annually to the Welsh economy, supporting more than 1,500 jobs.
These proposals, in my opinion, would be the beginning of the end of fishing for salmon and sea trout in Wales.
Please, NRW, consider the future of our sport – a ban on bait fishing would have a devastating effect on angling numbers of both young and old and, with many angling clubs already struggling, this will push many over the edge. Has NRW even considered any association compensation for devaluing their fishing rights?
I implore you all, parents, grandparents, fishermen and non-fishermen alike, to visit the link below and sign the petition to register our combined opposition to a bylaw that would prohibit generations of children enjoying an hour on the river that could stay with them for a lifetime, and not let fishing become an elitist sport for the privileged few.
www.gopetition.com/petitions/ say-no-to-prohibition-of-bait-fishing-for-salmon-and-seatrout-inwelsh-rivers.html