Well I went to the WUF meeting yesterday evening for my sins.

Usual mix of "look how much work we have done"  but little or no evidence to show that it was working, just a few dots on the map showing spot checks where fish had been found as the methology mostly used does not count numbers, just that a fish was present.  More weir removal , fencing etc with great emphasis now on land use by farmers to reduce run off, and phosphates etc.  No mention though of reducing effluents from sewage works or other industrial outlets.  
A pleasant young lady gave us a rundown of her Scholarship funded  travels around the world studying soil structure though I;m not sure what relevance it would have to  impress a down to earth farmer too much.
One statement they seemed proud of was that they had erected enough fencing to stretch from Abergaveny to Aberdeen. Quite a feat for the hard working teams who did it but one has to ask WHY?  No evidence was given to show it had any effect whatsoever.
Many wanted to know about the poor fry returns from some of the Usk tributaries which had incidentally been declining for some time.,  The full weight of dental science was brought to bear when the Chief executive told us that it was probably due to the fact that the fish never actually spawned due to abnormally mild December temperatures and simply returned eggbound from whence they came.What an extraordinary statement to make especially as there is no evidence whatsoever for it either from the Usk catchment or elsewhere.   Nothing else was offered as a possible cause.of the perceived decline but press on regardless. Foundations were laid down for a possible poor year on the Usk in 2020!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was interested to hear about the new Wye conservators Association.  I have to admit I cam away little the wiser. We were told 72 members had joined so far, a mix of salmon Trout and Coarse fishery Owners.  Just what they would get for their membership was not clear other than 'representation' to any Government or other body they might need too. No meetings seem to have been planned so who IS actually going to represent them having so far never consulted them whatsoever   Answers on a postcard.     A graph of the Passport was shown indicating that coarse fishing is now the biggest seller of tickets so we have a fair idea as to way things are going.
There was no representaion of any sort for the ordinary anglers in all this,. The people who pay the price for their fishing to the benefit of owners and others just don't have a voice. . This must surely change and soon.

The whole thing was pretty much a shambles in my opinion. The acoustics were poor, no microphones were used and many could not hear what was said. There were a couple of questions asked but I have no idea what they were.  I didn't ask any myself as from past experience they would not probably have been welcome and as in the past quickly silenced by the WUF Chairman Mrs Passey.
It was ever thus as another year draws to an end.

Friday, November 4th, 2016 Angling Trust News Anglers demand fair deal after rod licence fee rises The Angling Trust is leading calls for the government to halt and reverse the annual cuts to Grant In Aid to the Environment Agency for fisheries management, monitoring and regulation.  Millions of anglers will be adding extra support to the Agency’s work by paying a 10% increase to the rod licence fee with effect from April 2017, but the benefit of this will be negated if government keeps cutting the Agency’s funding. > Read more New benefits for Fishery and Riparian Owners Are you a fishery owner or do you know someone that has fishing rights in their name? We’ve updated our Fishery and Riparian Owner membership categories to offer some great benefits that will meet the needs of those that own fishing. The annual membership now joins you to both the Angling Trust and Fish Legal as standard and includes key benefits such as liability insurance to £10m, fish stock cover on turnovers up to £75k, free legal advice and action from the Fish Legal team, and campaigning to protect your fish and fishing. To find out more, please visit our website HERE. Angling Trust welcomes EU's bass conservation plans Angling organisations have welcomed the announcement by the European Commission that should see the removal of damaging gillnets from the bass fishery in the North Sea, English Channel and North Atlantic. If the proposals are adopted in December, commercial bass exploitation will be restricted to hook and line fishing only for ten months of the year in 2017, with recreational sea anglers allowed to retain ten fish a month during the open season. > Read more Sea angling restrictions hit charter boat skippers Charter boat skippers in England have seen revenues slashed by more than one-fifth as a result of tough restrictions on recreational bass fishing introduced this year. Anglers have been reluctant to spend up to £600 a day on bass charter fishing trips only to be allowed to take one fish home to eat. As a result, coastal communities are losing several million pounds in valuable tourism revenue as anglers stay away. > Read more Watch - Chief Executive on agricultural pollution Pollution from agriculture is one of the biggest issues facing the health of our rivers and estuaries and is a key part of the Angling Trust’s Save Our Salmon campaign. To find out more about the problem, and some of the solutions, watch a recording of our Chief Executive Mark Lloyd giving a 45-minute webinar for the Soil Association to farmers and land managers by clicking HERE. New Regional Enforcement Manager for South East Dave Wilkins has been appointed Regional Enforcement Manager for the South East, joining the existing Fisheries Enforcement Support Service team. Dave recently retired from Sussex Police after 30 years’ service as a detective inspector, having spent most of his career on CID, Special Branch and Major Crime teams. > Read more Importance of natural flood management Poor farming practices, the loss of woods and urban development have all accelerated the runoff of water which has led to flood risk being at an all-time high and increasing, a report by MPs has highlighted. It said that flood risk could be reduced by slowing the flow of water off the land by planting trees, managing soils better, putting logs in streams to form leaky dams and by using fields to store water temporarily. > Read more All the info you need ... on one angling website Fishinginfo includes the essential information you need to ensure you have a trouble-free angling trip. You can check out weather forecasts, river levels, venue facilties - and even find a tackle shop to pop into for your tackle and bait! Visit www.fishinginfo.co.uk now. News from Fish Legal You can read more Fish Legal news HERE Judgment pending in Scottish Water sulphuric acid case Fish Legal appeared in Alloa Sheriff Court on behalf of the Devon Angling Association for a preliminary hearing in its case against Scottish Water. The water company are defending a claim brought by the anglers whose River Devon fishery in Clackmannanshire was devastated by the release of 12,000 litres of sulphuric acid from Scottish Water's Castlehill Water Treatment Works. Despite Scottish Water pleading guilty to an offence under Scottish water regulations, the nationalised water utility is not accepting liability for the loss caused by the acid escape. Fish Legal helps to see off controversial hydro scheme Plans to build a controversial hydro scheme on the iconic Conwy Falls in the Snowdonia National Park have been withdrawn following strong objections submitted by the Angling Trust and Fish Legal, working with local member angling clubs and representatives of the ‘Save the Conwy’ campaign.  > Read more News from our Participation Team Our Get Into Angling, Let's Go Family Fishing, Get Back Into Angling and Family Fishing events have something for everyone – whether you are a regular angler who wants to introduce a friend or family member, or even if you just know someone who hasn’t been for a couple of years and needs a hand getting to grips with the latest kit and methods. Check out the events on fishinginfo.co.uk or www.getfishing.org.uk How you can help get a mate back on the bank… Most anglers have a mate who used to go fishing but no longer does. Maybe they hung up their rods while work got in the way or spent more time with family. We need your help to get more people fishing – find a Get Back Into Angling event at www.getfishing.org.uk and tell a friend, or forward this email. They’ll thank you for it! Clubs and fisheries: contact your Angling Trust Regional Officer about running Get Back Into Angling events – it’s a great way to meet new anglers. Sea Angling Species Hunt 2016 – are you in it yet? Our Regional Officer James Lewis runs our successful Species Hunt competition which has awesome prizes from TronixPro. It’s completely FREE to enter and is ideal for freshwater anglers too – just use your coarse or game tackle to catch sea fish! There are prizes for most species, largest fish and fish of the month, so there’s a great chance of winning! > Click here for more info and free entry Have some free family fishing fun! We’re running events for families to fish together, they are all FREE to attend and tackle and bait is included too. If you haven’t been fishing with the family before, or have never even tried it, you’ll find a link to special Let’s Go Family Fishing events HERE. All ages and abilities are welcome and you’re guaranteed a great time and good fun with a friendly Angling Trust Level 2 Licensed Coach running the session. News from our Competition Team Read all the latest Angling Trust Competition news HERE Samuel crowned Canals Junior Champion Congratulations to Samuel Claydon of Swineshead, Lincolnshire, winner of the Angling Trust and Canal & River Trust Junior Angling Championship 2016 held on the Staffs & Worcs Canal in Penkridge, Staffordshire. His winning weight included a 4lb chub plus gudgeon and roach. > Read more Meanwhile, Steve Dudley and Simon Nickless, both Sensas Black Country, landed the Canal Pairs title while Canvey-based Peter Durrant won the Individual competition with a bag of roach and skimmers. > Read more England Ladies Coarse Angling Team announced The Angling Trust has announced the England Ladies Coarse Angling Team for 2017 following an assessment day held on the Stainforth canal in South Yorkshire. It includes a welcome return for former World Individual Champion Emma Pickering after a couple of years absence. > Read more News from our Coaching Team Are you interested in becoming an angling coach? We are now accepting applications for our 2017 Coaching Courses. More information and dates for Level 1 (beginners) courses can be found here. More information and dates for Level 2 (experienced) courses can be found here. If there’s currently not any courses in your area, you can sign up to our mailing list and we will contact you to let you know when there are courses in your area. You can sign up here. Great Offers for Angling Trust Members Some great special offers and discounts for our members. There are more membership benefits on our website. To access these offers you will need the membership number at the foot of this email. > Read more 10% off when you book a Forest Holidays cabin Escape with your family to a luxury woodland cabin with Forest Holidays - and you'll receive 10% off the price as an Angling Trust member. You can choose to stay at any of the nine stunning locations across the UK - and even relax in your own private hot tub after a day at one of the nearby fisheries. > Find out more Money off winter pike fishing Angling Trust members can claim a 10% discount when they purchase Thames Water's Winter Pike Season Ticket or Day Ticket. The Winter Season is now open and runs until February 28th. Season tickets cost £90 and a day ticket £15. > Find out more Social Media - Follow us! Find Us Online Our Blogs: www.anglingtrust.net/blogs Facebook: www.facebook.com/anglingtrust Twitter: www.twitter.com/anglingtrust YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/anglingtrust Try fishinginfo.co.uk - our website that allows you to find fishing venues, tackle shops, coaches and clubs near you and save them as your favourites: www.fishinginfo.co.uk     Forward this email to a friend: here Read this email in your web browser: here Individual Membership Number: 50190 Not an Angling Trust member and been forwarded this email by a friend? Then please subscribe to our e-newsletters: here This email was sent to bowenthefish@hotmail.com, to unsubscribe that email address click here The Angling Trust, Eastwood House, Rainbow Street, HR6 8DQ. Registered Business Number: 05320350. The Angling Trust is the national representative and governing body for angling in England. It is united in a collaborative relationship with Fish Legal, a separate membership association using the law to protect fish stocks and the rights of its members throughout the UK. Joint membership packages with Fish Legal are available for individuals, clubs, fisheries and other categories.