Angling Trust River Maintenance Campaign Success

[FishingMagic]

The Angling Trust has welcomed the Environment Agency’s announcement that it will change the way that it manages river maintenance work to reduce the impact on fish and fishing.

The representative body for all angling mounted a concerted campaign about the issue last winter after it received reports from around the country of damage to trees and bankside vegetation on riverbanks and in rivers. These reports were collated into a dossier and presented to the Agency’s senior management. Since then, the Angling Trust has had several discussions with the Agency to try and put systems in place to prevent such widespread damage occurring in the future.


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[thecrow]

The bankside damage that has been done by the EA can only be described as horrendous, their lack of regard for wildlife is indicative of different departments only carrying out their own agenda.

If the trust have indeed persuaded the EA to stop this wanton destruction I applaud them but the phrase involving stable doors and bolting horses comes to mind.

 

[greenie62]

The bankside damage that has been done by the EA can only be described as horrendous,.......

It's not just the EA - we've had 'words' with the C&RT as well - over tree removal on non-towpath sides of canals too! Similarly to the EA - they have often blamed this on 'over-enthusiastic sub-contractors'

Whilst on a recent Rivers Trust Work Party - one dog-walker commented that we were 'making a mess' on the path - with all the leaves left behind when we removed pruned branches - it was Autumn after all!mg:

Some bank-works do leave a mess and initially can look like vandalism - but 'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs'! mg:

 

[thecrow]

Similarly to the EA - they have often blamed this on 'over-enthusiastic sub-contractors'

Not really surprising when you think that they were paid by the tree removed, the subbies were still working for the EA and the other lot and ultimately it is them that should have controlled what was going on, breaking eggs? they have throttled the chickens that laid them

 

[thecrow]

Here are a couple of pictures of the damage done on the Warks Avon, the first is how the river bank looked before the EA contractors moved in, the second is after they had finished.

 

[tigger]

I've deleted my post, what's the point in ranting about something I can't do jack about.

 

[103841]

Pleased to see that my stretch of river gets discussed in the dossier, maybe mine and other locals emails and letters haven't been in vain.

Our most prolific angler in the area that knows the Kent Stour better than most has been invited for a discussion with the EA in January.

Any changes that actually get implemented due to this report won't benefit me but generations of anglers to come might just enjoy the fruits of nature being allowed to restore some balance to our rivers.

 

[thecrow]

YouTube

YouTube

 

[no-one in particular]

Not really surprising when you think that they were paid by the tree removed, the subbies were still working for the EA and the other lot and ultimately it is them that should have controlled what was going on, breaking eggs? they have throttled the chickens that laid them

I have often wondered why the EA seem to do so much harm but if the subbies are paid by the tree; this explain a lot. Round my way they ripped everything out along a few stretches, fenced of available water for no reason, put lock gates in with no fish pass and you try and challenge them over any of it and its excuses excuses and like we are perfect "we do no harm".
Some cases seem to show a lack of planning, careful thought and respect for the environment from my own eyes.

 

[thecrow]

This is the EAs response to the damage that has been done, recovery will take many years if it ever does, the response is if it wasn't so serious laughable, the contractors were contracted to the EA and as such the EA were responsible for the "work" carried out, it was down to them to supervise what the contractors were doing.

The EA response which I have taken from Ray Waltons FB page


As a public body it is our duty to spend taxpayers’ money in the most efficient way possible. We have a policy on the River Thames of encouraging riparian landowners to carry out their own tree works wherever possible.
We do pro-active work with landowners, including demonstration days, to show how and when riparian maintenance work can be carried out sympathetically. Our fisheries and biodiversity staff are also willing to provide one-to-one advice to landowners seeking guidance on how to undertake riparian management responsibly.
Having reviewed the images and visited the site, these works do go beyond what we consider necessary to maintain a watercourse, but we do not believe any prosecutable offence has been committed. We would have reason to investigate further if there was evidence of the total removal of trees, including root systems, which could destabilise the river bank, but we have seen no evidence that this is the case.
While we do not consider this riparian management as best practice, there is no evidence that a permit from ourselves would have been required for this work