Our Fishing Under Serious Threat
On 22 July the Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths AM announced a review of the legislative framework relating to access and outdoor recreation in Wales. The aim is to secure better access to the outdoors for recreation, modernise and simplify the current regulatory framework, and provide clarity and certainty and certainty over where people can go and what they can do there.
The main thrust of this review seems to be access to inland waters in other words the right to paddle as the guerrilla canoeists like to term it.
Make no mistake – the mention of rural access, rights of way and provision of allotments and community gardens is just window dressing to camouflage the fact that he wants to allow more unregulated access to canoeists.
Even the civil servants employed as ‘facilitators’ for this review are confessed rabid guerrilla canoeists!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is just a cynical ploy to resurrect the attempt by the Welsh canoe Association to gain free and unfettered access to paddle indiscriminately on our rivers with no respect of our rights as riparian owners.
This went before the Welsh Assembly sustainability committee a few years ago and the outcome was largely in our (the anglers’) favour but whose findings were not implemented by the then minister Jane Davidson as they didn’t fit her idea of giving canoeists free access.
The timelines are very tight with this consultation – ending next month and it is obvious that this minister (John Griffiths) is determined to railroad a bill through, walking roughshod over the rights of landowners, riparian owners and anglers (not to mention the adverse effect on the environment, fish and other wildlife).
There is no doubt that if we don’t fight this the only result possible will be legislation giving canoeists the right to enter our waters AT ANY TIME.
NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT! Make no mistake we are in danger of losing the enjoyment of our sport, the time for sitting back and letting others fight for us is long past.
I implore all members to write to their local AM and their regional AMs WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Ask friends and family who are sympathetic to our cause also to write
ALL members (including those not living inWales) should write to the First minister Carwyn Jones as well as the minister for Culture and sport John Griffiths.
ALL members should try to get to their AM’s surgeries to express their concerns
Letters are better than emails, but emails are better than nothing – both if you can be bothered!
Remember not to be aggressive in your writing as a lot of these AMs are on our side but as yet know little about this review (that’s how sly they have been) so we don’t want to alienate them.
Those of you who have labour AMs especially, point out to them that a lot of fishing rights in Wales uniquely are held by angling clubs set up by ordinary working class people – CGMD was set up mostly by miners and engineering workers who dipped into their hard earned savings to get the club on its feet. Fulfilling the socialist ideal of collective ownership.
Here is a link to the Welsh Government website for your AM’s details:
http://www.assemblywales.org/memhome.htm
The Countryside Alliance have been quick off the mark in finding out about this review which seems to have been kept quiet with not even angling clubs and bodies like the CFF being invited to the workshops and they are taking this matter so seriously that they are offering angling club members a reduced membership to help fight the campaign.This offer is only available by contacting Rachel Evans the Wales regional director personally – rachel-evans@countryside-alliance.org. I think that £31.00 is a small price to pay to safeguard our sport and remember it gives extra benefits such as insurance and legal advice.
We will need money to fight this attack on our sport so clubs and associations are already being asked to contribute to a fighting fund – if you know anyone who can help, let me know.
ACT NOW OR LOSE YOUR FISHING
Posted in Uncategorized by emyr with comments disabled.