C
Chris Burt
Guest
North West Region of the EA Byelaw Proposals-
“WE OBJECT MOST STRONGLY”
The Specialist Anglers’ Alliance (SAA) has been inundated by calls from irate members who are livid at the proposed byelaw changes to outlaw the use of live and dead salmon, trout, eels and freshwater fish in 18 lakes in the North West Region of the Environment Agency. The SAA – which represented the interests of tens of thousands of specialist anglers – is opposed to the move which it believes is illogical, discriminatory and unenforceable.
Speaking for the Alliance, Chris Burt, commented:
“While our full response is being prepared, we would like to specifically centre on the ludicrous proposal to ban freshwater dead-baits.
“We heard first from the NW Region RFERAC (the advisory body, ironically made up of other anglers) that:
“I am not sure if "deads" as they seem to be called can or cannot carry disease. I suppose that might depend on how long the deads have been dead and where they originated from. And if we don't know the answers to those questions then I believe that on our precious Lake District waters I would prefer to err on the side of caution.”
“We are appalled to see such a rationale advanced as the excuse to ban freshwater dead-baits. The EA’s Fisheries Department Head Office - based at Bristol - considered the risks posed by dead-baits and came to the conclusion that the risk of disease transference was so small that there is no possible case to answer. So we now have the ludicrous prospect of the NW Regional Byelaw on dead-baits being opposed by its own head office!”
Chris continued:
“The official North West Region argument is that:
“The inclusion of a ban on the use of dead freshwater species as bait is primarily on the grounds of enforcement. It is intended to prevent anglers escaping prosecution for possession of live bait by killing them when approached by fisheries officers”.
“Not content with trying to outlaw the legal and long-standing method of live-baiting, the NW Region now advances the argument that since they are not prepared to police their own highly contested regulations, they want to ban yet another legal method, the use of dead-baits. This beggars belief, and it is a sad contradiction of the EA’s statutory duty to “maintain, improve and develop fisheries” (Section 28 of the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act). Some misguided people may argue that, by conceding the right to use live-bait, the antis will leave us alone. Fundamentalist groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) want to see all angling banned, not just part of the sport. Appeasement here will never help us.”
Chris was adamant that the byelaw was unnecessary::
“Like so much else that is contained in this partisan and ill conceived byelaw proposal, the North West Region of the EA has failed to take account of the facts. The SAA has held regular and constructive meetings with senior staff of the Environment Agency Fisheries Department for the last eight years. We would hope that through discussion this issue can be resolved speedily and satisfactorily.”
To give your support to stopping these byelaws do please send the two letters objecting to the proposals, which you will find on the PAC website www.pacgb.com , on the home page.
SAA, 31st October, 2001
“WE OBJECT MOST STRONGLY”
The Specialist Anglers’ Alliance (SAA) has been inundated by calls from irate members who are livid at the proposed byelaw changes to outlaw the use of live and dead salmon, trout, eels and freshwater fish in 18 lakes in the North West Region of the Environment Agency. The SAA – which represented the interests of tens of thousands of specialist anglers – is opposed to the move which it believes is illogical, discriminatory and unenforceable.
Speaking for the Alliance, Chris Burt, commented:
“While our full response is being prepared, we would like to specifically centre on the ludicrous proposal to ban freshwater dead-baits.
“We heard first from the NW Region RFERAC (the advisory body, ironically made up of other anglers) that:
“I am not sure if "deads" as they seem to be called can or cannot carry disease. I suppose that might depend on how long the deads have been dead and where they originated from. And if we don't know the answers to those questions then I believe that on our precious Lake District waters I would prefer to err on the side of caution.”
“We are appalled to see such a rationale advanced as the excuse to ban freshwater dead-baits. The EA’s Fisheries Department Head Office - based at Bristol - considered the risks posed by dead-baits and came to the conclusion that the risk of disease transference was so small that there is no possible case to answer. So we now have the ludicrous prospect of the NW Regional Byelaw on dead-baits being opposed by its own head office!”
Chris continued:
“The official North West Region argument is that:
“The inclusion of a ban on the use of dead freshwater species as bait is primarily on the grounds of enforcement. It is intended to prevent anglers escaping prosecution for possession of live bait by killing them when approached by fisheries officers”.
“Not content with trying to outlaw the legal and long-standing method of live-baiting, the NW Region now advances the argument that since they are not prepared to police their own highly contested regulations, they want to ban yet another legal method, the use of dead-baits. This beggars belief, and it is a sad contradiction of the EA’s statutory duty to “maintain, improve and develop fisheries” (Section 28 of the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act). Some misguided people may argue that, by conceding the right to use live-bait, the antis will leave us alone. Fundamentalist groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) want to see all angling banned, not just part of the sport. Appeasement here will never help us.”
Chris was adamant that the byelaw was unnecessary::
“Like so much else that is contained in this partisan and ill conceived byelaw proposal, the North West Region of the EA has failed to take account of the facts. The SAA has held regular and constructive meetings with senior staff of the Environment Agency Fisheries Department for the last eight years. We would hope that through discussion this issue can be resolved speedily and satisfactorily.”
To give your support to stopping these byelaws do please send the two letters objecting to the proposals, which you will find on the PAC website www.pacgb.com , on the home page.
SAA, 31st October, 2001