As this is of great interest to us in the angling community, here is a document explaining the response of the Government to the recent otter petition. Please click "Government response"
I would like to thank everyone who attended the EGM on Wednesday and apologise to some of you at the back of the room who were struggling to hear at times.
The meeting brought up a lot of good points and ideas which we shall be considering over the coming months.
I am also proposing to set up a small group of interested parties to discuss in more detail points and ideas which were raised.
The most important outcome of the meeting for me was everyone's desire to improve our fisheries for all our members on all our waters.
I was pleased that this was the focus of the meeting and it is obvious from the turn out you are all passionate about the waters we have.
I am sure working together we can improve our fisheries further for the benefit of all members.
David Marshall
Chairman
During the period this year where new permits are issued, we are changing the locks on our fisheries. This is something planned for every few years to make sure that only our members have access to the waters. This means that temporary arrangements are in place during the changeover especially for members who return their key early. If you find that your old key doesn't fit, there are also combination locks in place using the number printed on your permit. Please don't force the key because it might just break in the lock.
When you come in for your new permit, please bring the old key for a swap, or if you can't find it, bring the appropriate fee to buy a replacement.
As many of you will know, Bellwood fell victim to a serious algal bloom collapse, with a subsequent de-oxygenation and serious loss of fish. As a result the water is closed. Although it has recovered it will remain closed for the foreseeable future and almost certainly to the end of the year. This is sad news for the club, but the committee and many members are working hard to restore it to a quality fishery, and this will take some time.
Here is a link to a document which is the action plan decided by the committee this week. Please read it it, and bear with us while the actions are undertaken. Any questions can be directed to the "Contact us" links, or to the forum.
On Saturday 18th March please be aware that Willows will be closed for fishery management activities to take place. During this the committee will be implementing work previously published in the management plan. Members are welcome to be present (of course bring your ID and permit) but it may be necessary to establish a safe working area for the team and contractor.