No more letters recently but suspect much activity below the surface.

Some comments on other forums THOUGH , See below;

(  “On the Wye we had RWGA. Under RWGA the river crashed. WUF formed, took over the river and made changes many if the old guard didn't like. Bait ban, increased catch and release, season date changes, a marketing system etc... but the result, along with other changes was the start of a slow but steady recovery.”)

This is a quote from Wufs recent marketing manager who seems to think that before WUF  RWGA were in charge of the river, Not sure what level of ignorance this shows but perhaps the below might educate him to some facts or indeed anyone who does not know all the background.

RWGA were formed by Gillies to try and help in the rivers decline.  Poaching was endemic back then and they formed a group to assist bailiffs in anti poaching measures and worked closely with the WSFOA who then had men who knew and cared for the river such a General’s Hopkinson and Pearson. They even provided equipment, night vision glasses for instance, to help the gillies fight the big poaching syndicates. The Gillies also assisted in the first hatchery set up by the owners on a purely voluntary basis. WSFOA was rather different in its outlook then from what it is today , they knew the river, did what they could themselves to help,  and some of the members actually fished their own beats believe it or not, but were always under the EA edict its true.

Of course the EA always had ultimate control of the Wye and and still do and nothing could happen without their agreement and this is where the real problem lies and the EA lie at the root of the Wye’s problem. Wuf was then formed by several owners and set up initially a hatchery to try and line breed spring fish which was of course the major Wye run and its big fish were renowned everywhere.  Subsequently the personel and tactics of WUF changed and there was more emphasis on habitat work. No bad thing and everyone, and I mean everyone, was enthusiastic that the project would work.  As the river declined more gillies lost their jobs and our numbers declined. We then opened up our Association to others with a like mind and our membership is the best it’s been in recent years and is open to anyone.  We were after all the only ones who can give a voice to the actual angler and put their concerns across.

We worked hard to highlight the problems as we saw them. We were after all on the river on a daily basis and could see what was actually happening. The problem then began when  things we were being told were happening were plainly not, and so we said so.  New owners, despite our conversations and meetings with the Chairman, Major Darling in particular, didn’t like this and neither did WUF.  We lobbied for the removal of putchers long before WUF. We highlighted as I have said the pollution issues, farming practices and the major abstraction that was taking place amongst other issues. We supported all the hatcheries, those by Owners, WUF and the EA, helped protect spawning fish and did whatever we were asked to help.

Well of course no one I suppose likes being told we believe what is happening is wrong or that ‘we told you so’ when something they said was happening didn’t, and gradually they basically sidelined us.  However they could not and will not prevent us from saying what we believe , though one of them has tried.  I personally received loads a flack from some owners and WUF for my monthly report in Trout and Salmon which, whilst accurately reporting the salmon catches and trying to keep people informed of other issues, they accused me of ‘running the river down.’  Were they expecting me to report more than was being caught I wonder?  Glad to say that many of those critics have now changed their minds completely.

Some years ago Stuart Smith and I conceived the idea of the Wye Salmon Association in another attempt to engage more anglers and owners together. There are a great many anglers out there, outraged about what has gone on, were willing to assist and fund RWGA,  WSA and the SNR project clearly showed tha,t but they were simply get kicked in the teeth by owners, WUF and now NRW.  Some WSFOA owners , who presumably shared the same view as we do, have since resigned and who knows whether others may follow

Let’s make it clear that we fully support much of the work that WUF have done and it needed doing after all we pressed for it for years.  The frustration is that it could have been so much better, with more transparency, inclusion and factual information not the misinformation and unfulfilled claims we have been fed for years and which we shall no doubt hear more about at the next AGM.  The WSFOA must sort themselves out but at the moment they seem irrelevant other than funding WUF who themselves have isolated themselves from almost everyone who they think cannot be of any funding source. Those who raise a question or express concerns are simply ignored by both bodies at the present time..

So out of this we hope will come a realisation that everyone, especially the paying anglers need to have a voice and some inclusion in the way forward.  We have held out the olive branch before but have been rejected. Will they and the owners in particular, do the same again.   If you feel that you would like to support RWGA  or the WSA on these issues please see our web sites.

At the end of the day this once great river is struggling along at a 600plus five year average.  Some seem to think this is acceptable.  We don’t and I suspect you may not too.

Geoff Franks

Chairman

RWGA