This thread is on another forum but it needs to be on every angling forum around as far as I am concerned.
If you are not already aware, canoeists are lobbying parliament to gain access to inland waterways. This is total access they are after, so it affects all of us. They were thwarted 2 years ago but now they have the backing of MP John Grogan, early day motion 1331 is the motion being put forward.
I was staggered to read in Tuesday's Evening Post that John Grogan currently has the backing of 67 other MP's whereas Martin Salter has the backing of only 11 currently. This needs turning round now else the canoeists will get exactly what they are after and we will have canoes everywhere.
What you all need to do is contact your local MP and ask them to oppose the early day motion 1331 and back Martin Salter. I've done this twice already, and I will hassle them until I get a reply. Some anglers are contacting their MP's to find they are already backing the canoeists which is too late I am afraid, they cannot back both!
Each and every one of us, if bothered of course, needs to contact our MP now and put our concerns to them in the hope that this motion can be thwarted again.
You are actually supporting a common sense amendment here which will ultimately be in the interests of all parties (including canoeists). This template is from the Angling Unity website:-
"Dear
Re. Early day motion 1331 river access for non-powered craft
I am opposed to EDM 1331 as originally drafted but in support of the amendment put forward on the by Mr Martin Salter MP.
Ministers have repeatedly made it very clear that the Government does not and will not support unfettered access to rivers and canals.
For example, the Environment Minister Jonathan Shaw made a statement in the House of Commons on 6 February 2008: "The Government share canoeists', and other user groups', aspirations for more and better access to inland water and have been working, through our agencies, to deliver this over a number of years. The Government's view is that a statutory right of access to inland waterways is not appropriate. The evidence indicates that the demand for access would more effectively be met by a targeted approach, which involves identifying where access is needed, and then creating access agreements with the landowner and other interested parties."
While the BCU continues to maintain a dogmatic position demanding access to all areas, at all times, free of charge, the reality on the river bank is that local joint access agreements are working and proliferating. New agreements have recently been signed on the Dee, Wye and Usk, and webcams installed to make it clear when canoeing is allowed. Anglers and riparian owners are very keen to work with local canoe clubs to draw up these agreements, but this positive work is being damaged by the BCU's stance, which is generating misunderstanding and ill feeling.
Unregulated canoe access could be very damaging to local economies reliant on income from angling, which is worth £3bn each year to the UK economy. It would also impact on the riparian rights of angling clubs and landowners and could damage delicate ecosystems which need to be protected at particular times. Each river has a unique flow regime, array of sensitive habitats and faces particular local issues. To legislate nationally for such a local issue would be quite wrong.
Anglers spend hundreds of millions of pounds each year maintaining and improving rivers to protect fish and other wildlife. They pay £21m in rod licences to contribute to the Environment Agency's work protecting fisheries. Angling clubs and riparian owners have spent billions buying the angling and access rights to rivers.
The BCU's demand for unregulated, free access, without making any contribution to the maintenance or improvement of the resource is unrealistic. It is an organisation that seems to be increasingly out of touch with its membership and we urge them to focus instead on supporting locally-agreed joint access agreements.
Principal angling organisations are committed to agreeing a negotiated solution to this problem and I would therefore respectfully ask you to support EDM 1331 as amended by Mr Martin Salter MP.
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to read this letter.
Yours sincerely,"
Just Google 'find my MP', follow the link, enter your postcode and paste the above template. Easy!
binner
If you are not already aware, canoeists are lobbying parliament to gain access to inland waterways. This is total access they are after, so it affects all of us. They were thwarted 2 years ago but now they have the backing of MP John Grogan, early day motion 1331 is the motion being put forward.
I was staggered to read in Tuesday's Evening Post that John Grogan currently has the backing of 67 other MP's whereas Martin Salter has the backing of only 11 currently. This needs turning round now else the canoeists will get exactly what they are after and we will have canoes everywhere.
What you all need to do is contact your local MP and ask them to oppose the early day motion 1331 and back Martin Salter. I've done this twice already, and I will hassle them until I get a reply. Some anglers are contacting their MP's to find they are already backing the canoeists which is too late I am afraid, they cannot back both!
Each and every one of us, if bothered of course, needs to contact our MP now and put our concerns to them in the hope that this motion can be thwarted again.
You are actually supporting a common sense amendment here which will ultimately be in the interests of all parties (including canoeists). This template is from the Angling Unity website:-
"Dear
Re. Early day motion 1331 river access for non-powered craft
I am opposed to EDM 1331 as originally drafted but in support of the amendment put forward on the by Mr Martin Salter MP.
Ministers have repeatedly made it very clear that the Government does not and will not support unfettered access to rivers and canals.
For example, the Environment Minister Jonathan Shaw made a statement in the House of Commons on 6 February 2008: "The Government share canoeists', and other user groups', aspirations for more and better access to inland water and have been working, through our agencies, to deliver this over a number of years. The Government's view is that a statutory right of access to inland waterways is not appropriate. The evidence indicates that the demand for access would more effectively be met by a targeted approach, which involves identifying where access is needed, and then creating access agreements with the landowner and other interested parties."
While the BCU continues to maintain a dogmatic position demanding access to all areas, at all times, free of charge, the reality on the river bank is that local joint access agreements are working and proliferating. New agreements have recently been signed on the Dee, Wye and Usk, and webcams installed to make it clear when canoeing is allowed. Anglers and riparian owners are very keen to work with local canoe clubs to draw up these agreements, but this positive work is being damaged by the BCU's stance, which is generating misunderstanding and ill feeling.
Unregulated canoe access could be very damaging to local economies reliant on income from angling, which is worth £3bn each year to the UK economy. It would also impact on the riparian rights of angling clubs and landowners and could damage delicate ecosystems which need to be protected at particular times. Each river has a unique flow regime, array of sensitive habitats and faces particular local issues. To legislate nationally for such a local issue would be quite wrong.
Anglers spend hundreds of millions of pounds each year maintaining and improving rivers to protect fish and other wildlife. They pay £21m in rod licences to contribute to the Environment Agency's work protecting fisheries. Angling clubs and riparian owners have spent billions buying the angling and access rights to rivers.
The BCU's demand for unregulated, free access, without making any contribution to the maintenance or improvement of the resource is unrealistic. It is an organisation that seems to be increasingly out of touch with its membership and we urge them to focus instead on supporting locally-agreed joint access agreements.
Principal angling organisations are committed to agreeing a negotiated solution to this problem and I would therefore respectfully ask you to support EDM 1331 as amended by Mr Martin Salter MP.
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to read this letter.
Yours sincerely,"
Just Google 'find my MP', follow the link, enter your postcode and paste the above template. Easy!
binner
