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Bailiff ReportThis section is an official report on a regular basis from our head bailiff Mark Leathwood. If you have any information or want to report an incident that needs our attention please notify us by email here
Head Bailiff’s Report - June 2010
Thankfully the vast majority of members we meet on the banks are fishing within the rules and are genuinely pleased to see a bailiff out and about. It's always good to stop for a chat and we really do value any information you are able to pass on to us. Please put the following numbers into your mobile phone and use them to report anything untoward:
Northwich Anglers Association 01606 - 786787 Environment Agency Hotline 0800 807060 Cheshire Police 0845 458 0000 (999 in emergencies only). Of course, you can always contact me via e-mail directly through this website as well Tight Lines, Mark.
Head Bailiff’s Report - February 2010 Litter This is something I have written about previously, and which the bailiff team has sought to address, but we still have a real problem with litter on many of our waters. This presents angling in a very bad light to the public and we must do more to keep our waters clean and tidy during the year ahead. As if things were not bad enough, some anglers are adding to the problem by failing to dispose of toilet waste properly. There is a particular issue with this at Big Billinge and bailiffs will be asking all long-stay anglers to make sure they have a trowel with them in future. It isn’t difficult to dig a small hole in the ground and bury waste matter and, from now on, any member found to be leaving the undergrowth festooned with toilet paper will be dealt with in just the same way as anyone else who leaves litter. The committee has approved a change to the wording of our rules about litter. Members have always been expected to take away any litter found in the vicinity of their peg, and thankfully some do. However, many clearly do not and the newly worded rule insists upon members picking up any litter they find before they start fishing. Full details of this change will be posted to you in a few weeks time along with your membership renewal letter. From then on I will be asking the bailiffs to report any member they find fishing with litter strewn about their peg. The last litter lout brought before the committee was banned for three years and I will recommend similar action as a minimum punishment in all future cases so please think on ! Winter Pike Fishing At this time of year many anglers decide to try their luck at pike fishing and, whilst there is no doubt that the rewards can be spectacular, the increased focus on this species does bring some problems. Our bailiffs continue to encounter members fishing for pike without an unhooking mat or with a tiny match-fishing sized landing net. This is against the rules of the Association because it potentially jeopardizes the welfare of the fish. Can I appeal to all members to make sure they have the above items, along with suitable unhooking equipment, if they wish to target pike. If you are in any doubt about the tackle needed please visit the website of the Pike Anglers Club of Gt. Britain where you will find all the information you need. http://www.pacgb.com The PAC has a network of Regional Associations across the UK and the Cheshire Branch meets here in Northwich every month. If you need any help or advice this is the place to go. Please contact me directly for more information or if you would like to have a day’s pike fishing with an experienced pike angler. I will do my best to arrange this for you. Marshall’s Arm I am particularly concerned about Marshall’s Arm at the present time. The shallow weedy water is an ideal spawning ground for all species of coarse fish and, in my opinion, they deserve to be left in peace whilst carrying out their annual spawning ritual. Sadly some anglers think otherwise and we have had a problem in recent years with them trampling down the reedbeds in order to target the spawning fish. This behaviour culminated last year in a sizable fire in the reedbeds which had to be dealt with by the Fire Brigade. Marshall’s Arm is a nature reserve and this kind of mindless damage cannot be tolerated by the Association. The committee has approved the setting of a limit on fishing, and signs to this effect will soon be placed at the end of the clearly fishable water. Please do not go past the new signs and trample the reedbeds down. Have some respect for the fish and for the venue or we could all lose out in the future. Illegal Fish Removal I continue to receive reports of people taking fish away from Association waters, particularly the River Weaver where Hunt’s Lock and Marshall’s Arm seem to be particularly affected. Although fish in a river are deemed to be ‘wild’ and cannot therefore be ‘stolen’, the Association does own the fishing rights and can take legal action against non members for theft of our fishing rights (Schedule 1 Theft Act 1968). Some Eastern Europeans have joined the Association in recent times and, in the event that they (or any other members) are found taking fish away we can deal with them under our own disciplinary system. I think I can say with some certainty that they will not remain members for very long and that we will ask the police to deal with them if they persist in taking fish after we expel them. If you see anything suspicious, including set lines or any other paraphernalia that could be used in taking fish, please call the Association straight away on 01606 - 786787. We will do our best to attend as quickly as possible. Tight Lines for 2010, Mark. __________________________________________________________________________________ Continued problems with non members (Sep 09) I am sure you will have noticed that, just prior to June 16th, we put up a lot of new ‘members only’ signs on our waters; particularly on the River Weaver which has always been difficult to police effectively because there is so much of it. During the early part of the season it looked as though these new signs were having the desired effect, with very few incidents of illegal fishing being reported. However, the situation has deteriorated again with another 20 individuals apprehended by Association bailiffs in the last month. These were on the following waters: River Weaver - 7 River Dane - 1 Eyres Pit - 3 Big Billinge - 4 Petty Pool - 1 Dane Valley Fisheries - 4 I’m not sure whether we should be congratulating the bailiffs on doing such a thorough job, or whether we should be more worried about the extent of the problem. I suspect that things are no better or worse than in previous years, but with better reporting systems now in place we are at least getting to hear about what is going on. People are often quick to blame Eastern European migrants, but only 2 of the above incidents have involved foreigners. The other 18 were all local. In fact, the 2 offenders mentioned are the only Eastern European poachers we have encountered all summer, which suggests that the leaflet we published in Polish last year has had the right impact. We used to have a policy of warning people for a first offence, but clearly the message wasn’t getting through. Whilst the bailiffs are encouraged to use their discretion if they come across youngsters who don’t know any better, it is now our policy to call the police to all incidents of poaching on Association waters. At the end of the day, we've put the additional signs up and if people choose to ignore them they deserve all they get ! It’s quite true, the police are busy with other things, but they have been very supportive recently in dealing with poachers. After all, these people are committing a criminal offence by stealing the fishing rights which your membership pays for. If all the poachers we had caught in the last 12 months had paid their membership fees, this Association would be about £3,000 better off. You could possibly lease another fishery, or make substantial improvements to the ones we have for that amount. We are determined that those who continue to steal from us will be held to account. Recently I have taken on a number of new bailiffs, and we are determined to protect the fishing rights which you pay for. Please continue to get in touch with me if you see anyone acting suspiciously on any of our waters. I am always glad of any information about people or vehicles, as this helps me to allocate additional bailiff cover where it is most needed. I am not looking for any additional bailiffs at present but, if you feel that you would like to become a bailiff, please get in touch with me anyway and I will keep your details on file. ‘Otter Park’ proposal Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition in response to the ‘Otter Park’ proposal. We will be collecting in all the petition forms and submitting these to the Weaver Valley Board during the next week or so. It looks as though we have well in excess of 800 signatures, possibly more, which is a good effort by all concerned. In my last letter to the WVB, I included a number of photographs of specimen fish caught from the Weaver and other connected still waters, contrasting these with some very graphic photographs of fish which had been mauled and killed by otters at fisheries in other parts of the country. I pointed out that the ecology and natural balance which occurs below the surface of the river is just as important and valuable as the environment above it. The arrival of an apex predator like the otter would play havoc with that balance, causing untold damage to the fish stocks. Just because the public cannot see the fish swimming around, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. You would think that ecologists and environmentalists would share our appreciation of the fish, and the watery world they live in ? How sad that all this should be put at risk because someone in local government thinks that the presence of otters will benefit business and tourism in the Northwich area. If you haven’t signed the petition yet, please do so now, and ask your friends and neighbours to do the same. Time is running out. Mark.
Otter Park update (July 09) We have now received a reply to my initial letter to the Weaver Valley Board which points out that otters are already present in the natural channel of the River Weaver upstream of Winsford. This may well be the case, although I doubt that otters present much of a threat in that area. The fish population consists largely of small silver fish such as roach, dace and small chub. Small perch are also present, along with gudgeon, and I think all of us would accept that small fish form part of a natural food chain and regularly fall prey to herons and other predators. Downstream of Winsford, the river has an entirely different character and this is reflected by the fact that the population of fish present is very different. Our section of the river holds specimen carp and pike as well as bream and Tench which also achieve respectable sizes. These fish are thriving here because the different conditions benefit them and because anglers have looked after and improved the environment over a great many years. Otters are naturally absent for a reason. The habitat doesn’t suit them. The Weaver Valley Board seems to be missing the point that encouraging otters to populate the lower Weaver Valley will have disastrous consequences; particularly for these bigger fish. Indeed, the booklet ‘Otters and Still water Fisheries’ published by the Environment Agency and the Wildlife Trusts acknowledges that: “The majority of an otter’s diet, usually 70-80% is made up of fish, especially eels and other slow moving species. Larger fish hauled to the shoreline are unlikely to be eaten in their entirety, but may be partially stripped of flesh then discarded in situ”. The European Eel is a C.I.T.E.S. listed species and is recognised as being endangered internationally. The eel population is believed to be as low as 5% of what it should be in some areas due to commercial netting and they certainly don’t seem to be present in large numbers in the Weaver these days. The angling press is rife with stories of specimen fish attacked and killed by otters, which can’t possibly hope to consume such large prey items. Often, the fish’s guts are torn out and the carcass left to rot. If the ‘Otter Park’ goes ahead we stand to lose our biggest fish and arguably our greatest assets first. Association chairman Russ Moores and I hope to attend a meeting with the relevant professionals in the near future, and will be seeking assurances from the Weaver Valley Board to guarantee the future security of our fisheries, not just on the River Weaver but on all those waters which are either connected to the Weaver or its tributaries by streams or other watercourses, or lie close to them. Potentially, we could lose so much more than just the fishing on the Weaver itself. If you haven’t signed our petition yet, please do so now and ask all your friends and neighbours to do the same. Zero Tolerance on Alcohol Please note that our rules are quite specific in forbidding members to bring alcohol onto Association waters. Our bailiffs have dealt with a several incidents in the last month where members have ignored the rule and this will not be tolerated. I have tried to be lenient and have issued written warnings in some cases but the message doesn’t seem to be getting through. If you want to drink alcohol then go to the pub; don’t go fishing. Anyone else we catch will have their membership suspended. Litter We have just banned a member for three years for drinking a case of lager and then leaving the cans and associated packaging strewn all over the bank. People who behave like this have no respect for the environment and simply don’t deserve to go fishing. It isn’t always possible to track down litter louts and prove their guilt but, wherever possible, this is exactly what we will do; and they will be thrown out of the Association. Please remember that you have an obligation to help us by removing any litter you find on your peg whilst fishing. Thank you, Mark.
'Otter Park’ proposal: a serious threat to fisheries in Cheshire.
The ‘Weaver Valley Management Board’ (WVMB) has issued a document
which promises to turn the River Weaver into “A
home for Tarka and Ratty”.
It states that a “a proposed Otter Park will
run along the Weaver between Winsford and Northwich forming an
attractive green space rich in wildlife.”
The document goes on to say that:
“The Environment Agency’s Otter habitat survey found that Otters
move freely in the River Weaver as far as Winsford and signs have also
been found at Northwich. New habitat will be created for these
popular animals, creating a stimulus to improve water quality for people
and wildlife, and improve fish populations. The key action points
are:
1.
Create the ‘Weaver Otter Park” between Winsford and
Northwich, including backwaters for fish breeding, fish passes from
meanders
to main river, wetland habitat creation and interpretation.
2.
Identify further sites in the lower Weaver Valley.
The Otter ‘Bio-diversity Action Plan’ is a national initiative which
aims to restore the otter population in areas where they are known to
have existed prior to the 1960’s, when many died due to ingesting
herbicides and pesticides used in agriculture. However, the
introduction of otters to new areas, including unsuitable areas like
urban rivers, has caused havoc in other parts of the country. Many
valuable specimen fish have been killed and, in some cases, entire
fisheries decimated.
Northwich Anglers Association bailiff Neil McComb has first hand
experience of the problem:
“At my syndicate lake in Hereford one pair of otters emptied a two
acre stock pond which contained over 100 carp up to 25 lb. in
weight. More carp were killed in the main lake, where many of the
larger specimens sustained horrific damage with fins bitten off, eyes
scratched out and chunks of flesh bitten away, especially from the tail
wrist and back. All of this happened in just a couple of months
between December and February”.
Some fishing clubs have been forced to close, or to slash their fees and
there are, of course, wider implications for the tackle trade and for
tourism. Anglers simply will not travel to, or pay to fish waters
which have had their fish stocks plundered by otters.
The proposal to create new
habitat in order to encourage otters to populate the lower Weaver
Valley, including the area between Winsford and Northwich, could
spell disaster for Northwich Anglers Association, and for angling clubs
throughout Cheshire.
Although Otters are territorial animals they have a range of up to 25
miles and, if encouraged to breed in new areas, could spread much
further afield by using streams and watercourses to reach other
fisheries. The implications of this are painfully obvious.
Consider the number of still water fisheries, either connected to, or
lying in close proximity to the Weaver and its tributaries.
Some of these waters contain specimen fish which are priceless, not just
in financial terms but as an asset to anglers. In particular, one
of our fisheries (a SSSI) holds carp which have grown to weights in
excess of 40 lbs. with many others now topping the 30 lb. mark.
Some of the fish are believed to have been in
residence now for around 60 years, and the venue in question is
considered to be one of the most important in the North of England. We
know that otters attack the largest, slower moving fish first. Often
these specimens are badly mauled and left to die a slow and distressing
death. The thought that this could happen here in Cheshire is
devastating.
Recently we have developed and stocked a new complex of three still
waters with a view to encouraging increased participation in angling by
juniors, families, the disabled and other groups. This is a long
term investment which has cost many thousands of pounds and has turned
an area of wasteland into a place of tranquility and natural beauty.
This is typical of our commitment to the countryside and the whole
community, not just anglers, will benefit for years to come.
The River Weaver itself is thriving, and a recent survey by the
Environment Agency confirmed its importance as a first class mixed
coarse fishery. The river holds roach, perch, bream, carp, tench, pike,
chub, dace, gudgeon and eels, and further upstream there are even a few
brown trout. The presence of so many fish, and the fact that the river
is free from pollution, is largely due to the efforts of anglers.
The work we have done to improve fisheries, and the environment in the
Weaver Valley, hasn’t just taken 5 or 10 or even 20 years. It has
taken generations, yet all of this could be wiped out at a stroke.
We cannot turn the clock back to the days before the Industrial
Revolution when the Weaver Valley was a very different place, and
greater numbers of otters may have lived in the Winsford and Northwich
area. You cannot simply reintroduce a predatory animal into an
environment which has changed beyond recognition, and hope that
everything will be alright. It won’t !
We have already seen the damage caused when mink are released into the
wild without any thought for the consequences. The impact on
indigenous birds and waterfowl has been horrendous. In 2003, the last time a large-scale survey was carried out, the European river otter (lutra lutra) was present in more than five times as many areas as it was in 1979 (1). Despite this there has been a dramatic decrease in the availability of eels – once the otter's staple diet, during the same period. The eel population now stands at just 5% of what it should be, which is why otters are feasting on other species of fish which are highly prized by anglers. The proposed ‘Otter Park’ appears to have been made without any regard for anglers, even though the WVMB has promised to “take into account all waterway users” and has acknowledged that “angling is very popular in the Weaver Valley area”. We have to question some of the claimed advantages which WVMB says otters will bring. In particular, the notion that otters “will improve water quality for people and wildlife”; which simply doesn’t make sense. Also, the claim that otters will “improve fish populations”. Surely they will have the opposite effect .
The only way to protect fisheries from otters is to install electric
fences. However, these would be prohibitively expensive to
install, costly to maintain, and would change the face of the
countryside forever. Realistically, the only way we can save our
fisheries is to stop more otters arriving in the first place.
What can you do to help ?
By far the best thing you can do is to write to WVMB and register your
objection to the proposal. The more letters they receive from
concerned individuals, the better our chance of success.
Please write to:
Please sign the online petition
Alternatively, you can help by signing our petition, copies of which are
available now in local tackle shops. We will do our best to collect as
many signatures as possible.
If you need any assistance, or more information, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
Mark Leathwood E-mail here
References
Rod Licenses As you will now be aware, Rule 6 has been amended and now stipulates that members must carry a current Environment Agency rod license, as well as their permit, when fishing Association waters. This change was requested by the bailiffs, largely because we were coming across so many anglers with permits which didn’t have a photograph or weren’t properly filled in. As I have reported previously, we also come across an alarming number of anglers with no permit at all. In such cases we do need to verify the angler’s identity and the production of a rod license can help us to do that. Occasionally our bailiffs encounter people who are committing byelaw offences, such as fishing one of the rivers during the statutory close season, or criminal offences such as poaching. In such cases we always involve the Environment Agency and / or the police and offenders who are lacking a rod license may then face an additional charge. In my view, these people deserve all they get ! Why should the rest of us pay for their fishing ? Unfortunately we have already had one instance of a member refusing to show his rod license to a bailiff, claiming that the bailiff had no authority to request it. This is wrong on two counts: 1) Our own rules state that “Members must cooperate, assist and comply with the requests of bailiff’s or Association officials”. 2) Sec. 35 Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 states that “A person holding a fishing (ie. ‘rod’) license ... may, on production of his license require any person who is fishing ... to produce his license or other authority to fish, and to state his name and address”. The same legislation also empowers the police to inspect the rod license of anyone found fishing, or suspected to have been fishing within the last half hour. Quite frankly I can’t see any reason why someone fishing a water legitimately should have a problem producing his rod license if the bailiff asks for it. Providing he produces his own rod license, the bailiff is legally entitled to make the request and I will take a dim view of any member who chooses to be awkward. Finally, I do realise that it isn’t our responsibility to make routine rod license checks. That’s the Environment Agency’s job. Our bailiffs might ask to see your rod license, or they might not. If they do ask they’re just double checking and helping to protect your fishing. Please give the bailiffs your full cooperation. They are doing a difficult job and only have your best interests and those of the Association at heart. See you on the bank, Mark.
Improvements to fish welfare
At the AGM back in January the Association introduced some new
rules aimed at improving the way that members land and handle the fish
they catch. Members must now carry an unhooking mat when fishing
for any specimen fish, and also a landing net of a size appropriate to
their intended quarry.
In all fairness the majority of members I meet on the bank are well
equipped to deal with any fish they hook, particularly specimen anglers
who know they might wait days, or even weeks for that big fish to pick
up their bait. However, we do have some members who are woefully
under-equipped and are putting fish at risk as a direct result.
As a dedicated pike angler, I have to say that it is some of the
other pike anglers I meet who cause me the most concern. This past
winter I have encountered pike anglers with little or no means of bite
indication, landing nets better suited to match fishing and no unhooking
mat. Any of these could potentially result in pike being injured
or even killed.
Despite their ferocious appearance, pike are possibly the most
delicate of our coarse fish and need to be handled with care and
respect. I also think they are the most exciting fish to
catch and I fully understand the temptation for the non-pike angler to
‘have a dabble’. I have said this previously on our forum but it
bears repeating here; if any of our members would like to try fishing
for pike but aren’t entirely sure how to handle the fish then please go
with someone who does. If you don’t know an experienced pike
angler who will show you the ropes then I am willing to help out.
You can contact me via the link on this page.
The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain has an active regional
network and holds regular meetings in Cheshire. I would strongly
recommend anyone with an interest in pike fishing to go along. I have
been involved with PAC for many years and I remember well having been
given a great deal of help and encouragement during my early days as a
pike angler. You can visit the website http://www.pacgb.co.uk
for a host of useful tips and articles and, better still, obtain details
of how to become a member.
Returning to the problem of would-be specimen anglers without
suitable tackle on NAA waters, our bailiffs will be taking action to
specifically address this problem during the weeks and months to come.
A friendly word or two of advice may be all that is needed but
disciplinary will be considered if anyone has to be told more than once.
The majority of our bailiffs are very capable specimen anglers
themselves, and know what they are talking about. We want members to
go out and enjoy their fishing and to be successful, but we will take a
stand against those who jeopardise fish welfare by using inadequate
gear.
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