FISH
WELFARE GROUP Future
Stocking Policies and Enforcement for Recreational Fisheries - Working
Group Just
over 18 months ago the Carp Society, the English Carp Heritage Organisation, the
British Carp Study Group and the Specialist Anglers Alliance (SAA) convened a
series of meetings to air and resolve potential differences and to try to co-ordinate
a unified programme to cover all areas of carp fishing and carp fisheries. This
working group soon realised that many of their concerns on carp stock densities
applied equally to fish populations in other types of fishery. Indeed, it became
clear that there were wider concerns about various aspects of fishery management
and fish welfare. As a
consequence, other specialist angling, fishery and trade organisations were invited
to participate in talks to explore options for meaningful solutions to these problems.
Under the auspices of the SAA and the Angling Foundation, the wider audience (see
Appendix A) participated in what transpired to be the inaugural meeting of the
Fish Welfare Group. Three
meetings of this enlarged group have been held to date, and a range of actions
have been proposed or highlighted for further investigation:- - The
Accreditation of Fisheries, both club and commercially controlled. The aim is
to introduce a code of standards/practices which will enable the angler to value
the fishery as to his or her specific needs and for the fishery to measure itself
against nationally-accepted norms.
- The
Licensing of Fish Suppliers and Transporters. Fishery owners will be able to buy
fish with confidence from licensed suppliers, knowing that the supplier complies
with the regulations and is professionally accredited. The Group gave the Environment
Agency strong support for a licensing scheme.
- Effective
Bailiffing of Club and Commercial Fisheries. Increased theft of fish stocks and
fish removals from river systems requires better training for river and water
keepers. The Institute of Fisheries Management is to produce an authoritative
code of conduct covering this problematic area.
- The
published Animal Welfare Bill has excluded angling from its remit. It is essential
that further progress is monitored to ensure that adverse changes to the Bill
are not slipped in without adequate parliamentary debate and evaluation. The Environment
Agency, the Angling Trades Association, FACT and the SAA will take on this monitoring
role and report back accordingly.
- Encourage
fishery managers and owners to obtain professional qualifications in
managing
fisheries to improve standards at club and commercial fisheries.
- The
wider distribution of the IFM Code of Practice for the Management of Coarse Fisheries.
The Environment Agency has provided funding to allow a longer print run and to
cover distribution costs of this important fisheries management document to as
many fishery owners and managers as possible.
- Promote
the effective and safe disposal of unwanted aquaria/garden pond fishes and plants.
The risk of spreading disease and damaging delicate eco-systems is not worth the
risk of breaking the law or introducing alien species which have may have irreversible
consequences for native fish stocks. This action is being promoted by the Ornamental
Aquatic Trade Association.
The
Fish Welfare Group has also agreed to evaluate:- - The
current threat posed by Topmouth Gudgeon – an alien and prolific species, illegally
or accidentally, introduced into more than 20 stillwaters already, putting numerous
rivers at risk.
- An
eel restoration programme – strong endorsement of proposed changes in legislation
to protect this endangered species though the UK and Europe.
- A
barbel handling code - a draft document on how this particularly vulnerable species
should be handled has been tabled for evaluation and comment.
The
policy of the group is to only announce successful and constructive conclusions
to its deliberations. The
decisions taken are supported by FACT, which has been promoting the ideas nationally
to government. The Fisheries
& Angling Conservation Trust (FACT) was established to reduce the duplication
of effort between the various groups representing anglers and fisheries. FACT
also reaches out to organisations which can influence the future of angling.
Appendix
A: Membership of the Fish Welfare Group
Anglers
Conservation Association
Angling Foundation
Angling Trades Association
Association
of Stillwater Game Fishery Managers
British Carp Study Group
British Waterways
The
Carp Society
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
Cemex
Fisheries
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs - Fish 2
English
Carp Heritage Organisation
Environment Agency
Fisheries and Angling Conservation
Trust
Institute of Fisheries Management
National Association of Fisheries
and Angling Consultatives
National Federation of Anglers
Ornamental Aquatic
Trade Association
Premier Fisheries
Professional Coarse Fisheries Association
Sparsholt
College
Specialist Anglers’ Alliance | 