Call to boycott River Severn fishing
Thursday 14th April 2011, 4:00PM BST.
The man responsible for overseeing fishing on the River Severn is leading a call for a boycott of Government permits in protest at a failure to cull river birds he claims are damaging fish stocks.
John Roberts, who is chairman and head bailiff of Shropshire Anglers Federation and Shropshire Angling Development Board, is launching a national campaign to encourage anglers not to pay for rod licences.
He claims the Severn in Shrewsbury has seen its fish stocks decline massively over the past few years.
He blames the decline on cormorants and goosanders which he says are being allowed to thrive across the country despite harming fish populations. Both species are protected.
All anglers need a rod licence to fish on any waterway in Britain.
But Mr Roberts, who is responsible to 2,000 permit holders and 19 clubs in Shropshire, said anglers nationwide were furious at the lack of action. He said just 120 birds could consume up to four tons of fish fry in a year.
But Frank Lucas, RSPB conservation manager, said: “Shooting cormorants is not the solution. Anglers and conservationists ought to share much common ground in seeking a healthy and well-managed aquatic environment. If we get that right the fish stocks will follow.”
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Yes, He is right, Have a look at the rea brook its full of crap, no fish could live in that, its so sad.
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How dare those filthy birds catch and eat fish in the wild! Someone must shoot them all immediately.
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i dont mind no buying a rod licence as long as john roberts pays my fine
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Don’t worry John and fellow anglers, there will soon be no more cormorants, goosander and merganser on the river. Why? Because they will have eaten all the fish and we are not far away from this eventuality. This is a case, yet again, of the cancer killing the host. A massive ECOLOGICAL DISASTER is happening and nothing is being done to stop it! Fishermen, please voice your concern one way or another.
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The river Severn is the longest river in the U.K. and its declining fish stocks are a sad indictment of the poor health of this once majestic river. Avian predation is a major problem but there seems to be a general mallaise regarding the river’s general health – lack of invertebrate life and weed growth are also indicators that all is not well. Many of our major rivers are suffering similar problems, it’s little wonder that many anglers now only fish on stillwaters.
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The Severn is the longest river in the U.K. and like some of our other major rivers, its ecology is under threat. Yes, visually it retains its majestic appearance and it sparkles in the sunshine, but below the surface, all is not well. Avian predation is having a serious effect on the fish population but this is coupled to a malaise in its general health. The streamer weed and invertebrate population have nose dived. Look down into the river on a summer’s day and compared to twenty years ago, it looks dead. So what are the Environment Agency doing about the situation? Not at lot as far as I can discern!
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