Conservation Corner

[Molehill]

I am coming in late to this, but I believe there is zero chance of otter control (in whatever form) being licensed. No political party whether in power or opposition is ever going to put otter control in their manifesto or even mention it in public, if they want a way to lose a few million voters that would be it.
The worrying thing is that it has again been brought up and possibly only a matter of time before it makes national news in some way - and I guarantee that it will not result in sympathy for anglers from the public - we risk losing a lot of brownie points in the eyes of the non angling population.
Whatever ones personal thoughts on otters, we won't ever get a cull and we best learn to live with them.

 

[John Bailey]

Fishing with Dad is fine, but it doesn’t beat doing it for yourself as a child​

Conservation Corner: Right to Roam - Part 1

Partly because I was a teacher for many years, and partly because of my two TV series 'Fishing In The Footsteps Of Mr Crabtree', I have been asked a thousand times over the years about how you get modern children into fishing. There’s a quite obvious answer I feel, but it does not necessarily fit well with present-day neuroses.

I am reading a quite exhilarating book, called Wayfinding, by Michael Bond. It’s subtitled The Art and Science Of How We Find and Lose Our Way, but it is Chapter 2 that fascinates me, and which is so relevant to my first paragraph. Right To Roam talks about how children develop their spatial awareness, and it is a damning indictment of how we have been treating kids for decades. These are the most dramatic moments in this revealing chapter.

Kids, left to themselves, roam far, far, further than parents think. On average 22% further, sometimes FOUR TIMES further. This is how adults now over the age of 40/45 learned to navigate, and develop the art of finding their way. When I (and probably you) was a child, I was out every non-school day, dawn to dusk, alone or with mates, learning to discover the world around me. We all started life as compulsive adventurers, and it is part of our survival strategy for adult life.

Today, this “home range” that we enjoyed as kids has shrunk by more than 90% in many cases. In England, the percentage of under-elevens allowed to go places by themselves has dropped from 94% in 1971 to 7% in 2010, and is declining year on year. 25% of kids now play out, compared with 75% even a generation ago. Most kids are supervised every waking minute of their day.

Fishing with Mum is even better, but still not the real thing​

The reasons for this are both real and perceived. It is true that road traffic has grown considerably since my early experiences of traffic in the 1950s. But even more insidious is the imagined threat from child predators. Madeleine McCann. Milly Dowler. The media’s obsession with such cases has lead to the wildly exaggerated belief in the actual threat. In 2016 four children under the age of 16 were killed by strangers, whereas the cold truth is that FAR, FAR more children are killed by by their parents or step-parents.

Because of the above, it is now deemed culturally unacceptable for children to be allowed to roam free. This means that, more than ever before, children have no link with the outside world and live in a protected bubble, a virtual world rather than a real one.

The US psychologist Peter Gray has pointed out the dangers in this situation. “Lack of free play may not kill the physical body but it kills the spirit and stunts mental growth... Free play is the means that children learn to make friends, solve their own problems, overcome their fears and generally take control of their own lives. Nothing that we can do can compensate for the freedom we take away.”

Given all this, concepts I have been preaching for twenty years at least, it is hardly any wonder children have no idea what it means to cycle off for the day with sandwiches, mates, and a fishing rod. Fishing for all children is the odd day with Dad when he has a moment. Dad does pretty well everything, and the learning experience is minimal. As is enjoyment, challenge, and sense of personal satisfaction. Everything that made angling compelling for you and me is now lost. The experience is drained of any colour, and hardly any children see angling as a sport at all.

In Part 2 of this I’ll try to explain the idea I have to rectify this situation, at least in part.

 

[Molehill]

I am sure many on here like myself recall a childhood of freedom as you describe, but I have to say, if I was a parent in any urban environment I would feel worried about letting a child off all day to roam the streets and shopping precincts, but I am neither a parent nor have much idea about urban living.
But I have thought of two major changes since 50/60s one is general and the other specifically fishing related, there are lots more but I ponder these.

Firstly as a child at home there were no screens, no TV (and if there was, nothing on it all day), computer, phones, absolutely nothing to look at for entertainment. We had mecano, lego, maybe a friend with scalextrick and on top of all this, we probably had a mother at home who was a housewife. Staying at home for the day was about as boring as life could get, kids were desperate to escape the house whenever possible. So we did and mother was pleased to see the back of us before we drove her nuts.

Secondly, wherever I lived there was free fishing nearby, old gravel pit (became the town crematoruium!), canal, river, although every town had it's fishing club they didn't own everything, there were places for kids to go, play, fish, no licence, no rules. I recall the old pit with broken car in it as a magnet for the town kids; fishing, nets, throwing stones, fighting, paddling and not an adult in sight. That is a big difference, we were all free to make our own mistakes without a grownup on our shoulder telling us NO. By todays standards the places were close to Lord of the Flies anarchy, but kids were fishing and their mates came along and watched or helped - heaven help any litttle roach accidently caught - and an interest was sparked in some. Then they went and joined the fishing club and adults mentored. There is little in life where kids are actually left alone by anyone, there is always a well meaning adult that wants to show them how, when and where. Life is organised now, kids don't all want that.

 

[John Aston]

Here's the funny thing. Until we moved to the outskirts of a market town we lived in a hamlet on the edge of the North York Moors- there weren't many kids ,and they were rarely seen .Not sure why - perhaps comfortably off 'helicopter parents' with big gardens ? Until we moved I'd have gone along with the narrative that modern kids are over protected , risk averse and glued to their screens . But where we live now the evidence suggests otherwise - there's a stream and park over the road and kids from 8 or 9 are there all the time , having fun, being daft . Any sign of sun and the 12-14 year olds are stripping off and diving in the beck and generally doing what people claim kids don't do any more . And not a grown up in sight .

It is refreshing and surprising to find that kids are still kids - are we perhaps convincing ourselves that everything has gone to the dogs since we were kids - and ignoring any evidence to the contrary ? What has undoubtedly changed is the attitude of grown ups - we seem to live in a society where virtually any new development is challenged , often on specious grounds ,and tolerance for others -like noisy kids having fun (just like we did ) is in very short supply.

 

[no-one in particular]

My first bit of freedom was mum and dad letting me go off fishing on my own, I think I was about 10 or 11 and there was a lot of violence and bad people around were I lived back then. I think they just knew it was time to give me a bit of a freedom. I always had to be back by a certain time and they knew where I was going and it worked out, I never came to any mishap. And of course it was free fishing along the Thames and I never had to bother about a license or rules or anything that I can remember so it was easy come. I think that is part of it, we have become a bit obsessed that everything has to be done by rules, licensing, proper tuition and free fishing is a lot less available now.

 

[108831]

When I started back in the day I fished the free water at Bedford,or the canal at L.Buzzard,which seemed free as we never got asked,times have changed however,but phones,tablets,laptops dont come free either,as the bank of mum and dad can testify to,but parents want their kids out of their hair and carting their offspring 10/20 miles is a tie for many,I used to bus and train everywhere...

 

[no-one in particular]

When I started back in the day I fished the free water at Bedford,or the canal at L.Buzzard,which seemed free as we never got asked,times have changed however,but phones,tablets,laptops dont come free either,as the bank of mum and dad can testify to,but parents want their kids out of their hair and carting their offspring 10/20 miles is a tie for many,I used to bus and train everywhere...

Most kids have mobiles these days so they are more in contact with their parents and it must be safer for them being able to ring someone any signs of trouble. I train and bus everywhere these days, quite enjoy it, top deck viewing the passing countryside, travel light, no parking fees or stress, chill out, read the paper, look at the crumpet and by the time I get there I am well chilled out, in fact it is part of the enjoyment. And some for free with my old gits bus pass, But, you have to find fishing within walking distance of a stop but I have managed to find a few.

 

[steve2]

My clubs have few junior members and most senior members are pleased about this. They don't want kids on the bank a bit shortsighted but that the way it is. Those that are are only allowed on with senior members. So no dropping off your kids to pick them up later.
Different from when I started there were junior matches my school even had a fishing match against other schools. Clubs had far more junior members and we went on coach outings with the rest of the club and were treat like the rest of the members.
All my travel was done by public transport or on a bike. Don't know the last time I saw anyone on a bus or train with fishing tackle.
Private fishing notices to us meant better fishing. Yes we got chased off a few times but that was part and parcel of the day out.

 

[John Bailey]

Father and son can build up a long lasting bond built on fishing​

Conservation Corner: Right to Roam - Part 2

I had a dream. Three years ago, I managed a 97 acre wetland site in mid-Norfolk. I called it 'Snow White': there were seven lakes, and one of them held tiny, stunted tench, and the name seemed to jump out at us. A mile of the Wensum was included in the package, along with alder carr, reed beds, woodland and ancient meadow. The plan, well advanced, was for a very small number of glamping units where families could stay and enjoy a true wildlife experience. There were otters, badgers, foxes, rabbits, and the bird life was extensive. There were orchids and newts and toads in the shallow scrapes left after excavations had finished. At night the sky was a maze of stars, and at dawn the deer came from around the valley to drink in the pools. The whole area was completely secured by fencing, and the peace was profound and unbroken. My hope was that children would come and be released from the ties that bind them in their normal existence today. Providing they could swim, and perhaps wear buoyancy aids, they would be safe to fish and explore pretty much as they wished. Parents would be there, but at last in the background, only needed as a last resort. Of course there would be legalities to deal with, but I was well on with these when the owner died. Overnight, my job and my vision were binned, and the place now is seeking permission to develop as a major caravan park with tarmac roads everywhere.

My inspiration had in large part come from a filming session at Broadlands Lake in Hampshire. It was some years ago, and I do not know the policies in force there now, but then the child stars with me had a ball. Broadlands is a huge site, like Snow White, and when they weren’t required, the kids just disappeared for hours at a time. You’d sometimes see them on the skyline, or hear them whooping in the distance, and they’d come back flushed with the thrills of freedom. During the same period, I was involved with the angling club at Brackley, which focused successfully on giving children freedom to fish as they wished on their water. I also helped at Poringland Lakes in Norfolk, where a five acre site was left to nature in the midst of housing development. Children could use this as an extended garden, and learn skills that those of us from earlier generations took for granted.

James Buckley is a fine example of a young man who taught himself hugely as a kid... he’ll be an angler for life and no mistake!​

I have recently returned from a visit to Scotland, where I met with a visionary landowner who wants to see my Snow White concept through to completion. On his 14,000 acres, high-end cabins will be sparsely dotted, and parents will be encouraged to allow their children to explore and find their own dens, paths, and secret worlds. My message is obvious, and needs no further banging home. Can we urge fisheries and clubs just to think how we can give youngsters freedom, safely, legally and responsibly? There are difficulties for sure, but the rewards are infinite.

In no way, in any of this, am I blaming parents, who are only obeying the dictates of society, and even the law in these modern, risk-averse times. My parents, perhaps yours, went through the war and were more gung-ho as a result, but even they insisted I took my Cycling Proficiency Test, learned to swim half a mile, and joined the Scouts so I could read maps and a compass. Though I did not know it, they were preparing me for a life of self-sufficiency from the age of five. And I do realise how invasive the nannying aspects of today can be. For example, I reckon I have driven well over a million miles in my life with nothing but old maps at my disposal, and I can barely ever remember losing my way home. My present car has a Sat-Nav system. I’ve driven 9,500 miles in it and have been completely and utterly lost three times. The droning woman who is my constant companion has destroyed my innate sense of direction in a year, so who am I to claim the higher moral ground any more I wonder?

As I write this on the 23rd April, I cannot ignore the fact that there is a 'Right To Roam Day' planned for tomorrow by the Right To Roam Campaign and Extinction Rebellion. I hasten to add that any connection between the title of the group and of my comment here is purely coincidental. I actually deplore their call to swim in rivers and lakes controlled by anglers, and walk wherever their heart's desire leads them. Do not the organisers of this hot-headed scheme know this is exactly when fish are spawning, ground birds are nesting, and rare wild flowers are just pushing through? Perhaps if they had learned about nature organically as children they would be doing this more rationally? Yes, of course I want people to reclaim their connection with the wild, but to do this with proper sensitivity and knowledge of how to go about it.

 

[John Bailey]

So many unaddressed problems... where has the river gone?​

Conservation Corner: Petition Madness

I’m like very many anglers I speak to who agree that Fishing Breaks send the one and only newsletter that isn’t binned on sight. Simon Cooper manages to keep them fresh, relevant, and thought provoking, and if you don’t get them, you perhaps should. Today, 4th June, was one of his best. Like Simon, I’d been approached this week to sign a petition (yet another one) to give the EA more money and powers. “What?”, I cried. Joking surely? No bloody way! Now, ten minutes ago, Simon backs me up in thinking the only good EA is a disbanded EA. My thoughts lie squarely with Wild Trout Trust chief executive Nick Measham when he wrote “The EA turned 25 years old, but our rivers won’t be celebrating”.

More money for the EA? I’ve been and made a cup of coffee, and in the time I have taken to drink it I have come up with these relatively recent examples of how the EA fisheries department have wasted oodles of the stuff back in my East Anglian homeland.


JB off to check a suspicious outfall…

The upper Wensum. The EA enters into a partnership with a landowner to renovate two miles of river. The landowner does one mile, the EA the other. The jobs look equally professional at the finish. The EA spend £180k plus, the landowner, using his own men, less than £10k.

A mid-Wensum mill pool. Historically, weed is removed by hand from a sill there (a ten minute job at most for one man), until it is deemed too dangerous… my mates and I have fished from that sill all our lives without a smidgen of a problem. A bizarre, unfolding electric hoist arrangement is designed and installed over a period of months. The cost is astronomical. Three men have to be on site to use it. EA workers have to go on a regular training course for safety reasons. Privately, the EA has admitted the new contraption poses more dangers than it has solved.

Gravels are to be reinstated on the lower Wensum at Taverham. The farmer reports that four men spend three weeks on site erecting a toilet, posts, tape and warning signs before a stone is laid. He reckons two of his men could have carried these duties out in an afternoon.


Spot the ORSU!! A good idea left to go to ruin

A few years back, Off River Spawning Units (ORSUs) were the big thing. The EA, at humongous expense, creates these at Swanton Morley on the mid-Wensum. After two years these were silted up and useless, and today, perhaps six years after the event, you can’t even see where a single penny of the money went.

Disabled fishing platforms on the Wensum at Worthing seemed a good, even if very expensive, idea. A few years on they are collapsed, and so overgrown most can’t even be found any more. In fact, they are a positive danger to anyone now walking the bank.


One of the best of the platforms… pity it is nowhere near the river

More powers??? Are they not massively over-officious enough already? A friend wanted to dig a small (less than an acre) pond on some scrub on his land. No flora or fauna of any worth. No flooding risk. But no EA permission, and they swarmed like flies over it. The pond had to be filled in to a maximum depth of a foot or so, and the spoil spread for acres around to an exact depth of two inches. It’s a bog again the last time I saw it. What power they have is either unused or abused, a bizarre mix of bullying and timidity.


JB with the Calverton Fish Farm… much well meaning intent here,
but small barbel get hammered by predators

An infamous meeting of the Wensum Working Group. The EA report that recent barbel stockings with small barbel have failed, proving the river is no longer a fit habitat. Anglers present report that virtually all the introduced barbel were eaten by cormorants, and they have the electronic tags taken from cormorant roosts to prove it. Once again, the EA refuse to admit there is a problem and that the cormorant issue exists. AND YET, at a fishery meeting at Taverham Mill, EA officials float the idea of building an unbroken network of estuarial lagoons from Lincolnshire to Essex, filling these with fish, and thereby waylaying incoming cormorants from Europe and keeping them there over the winter. Do we really want to give these clowns more money as suggested?


Why pay for an information board in the middle of nowhere?

Coffee finished, rant over, but the fact remains if I sat down and complied a complete list of EA cock-ups I alone have witnessed, you’d be reading a very long time. Simon Cooper calls for a ‘Pure Rivers Authority’ or similar, in place of the EA, but would we be saddled with the same boffins, the same crackpot ideas, and the same flagrant disregard for how money is squandered?

I will say I have friends (perhaps not now) who work for the Agency, and who are sensible, and right thinking, and want to do good. Trouble is, they are in the minority and have neither the power nor influence to get this juggernaut back on track. All sensible commentators agree the system is broken, and perhaps this should be our starting point, rather than campaigning for more money to go after bad?


Nicer work, but hugely time-consuming and lasts a comparatively short time
The post Conservation Corner: Petition Madness first appeared on FishingMagic Magazine.

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