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Fishing at Shincliffe/Shincliffe Hall:
Will all members please be aware that the new owner of Shincliffe Hall is now advertising ‘fishing’ on his ‘estate’ and has been using the Club website link to advertise this. (the url of the Shincliffe Hall section has now been changed but has not affected the site navigation)
The ‘Shincliffe Hall Estate’ is saying a total of 16 can be accommodated in two properties so if they all decide to fish on the same day there should be fun and games in the Hall garden
No one from the Hall has contacted the club over this and members are asked to check the membership books of anyone fishing club waters. If they are not club members please ask anyone on the water to leave immediately.
Only Club Members (their guests/family) have permission to fish any waters leased or owned by D.C.A.C.
There is no official public right of way along the river bank above Shincliffe Hall until the river meets the woods
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ANGLERS FUME AS REGULATOR BOWS TO HYDROPOWER
The Angling Trust has reacted angrily to the Environment Agency’s massive over-exaggeration of the amount of electricity that could be harnessed from English and Welsh Rivers and its failure to act to prevent hydropower developments damaging fragile fish stocks.
The Trust is calling on its members to object to planning applications for new hydropower installations on the rivers they fish and has provided a guide to making an objection here.
The Agency recently commissioned a survey to map opportunities where run-of-river hydropower could be developed. This identified nearly 26,000 possibilities which their Consultants estimated had a “realistic” total potential of 580 MW, which is just 0.5% of the current demand for electricity. However, the Agency has chosen to promote in recent press statements the absolute maximum figure of three times this amount. Achievement of this amount would depend on using all the possible water flow at every possible site.
This is obviously both unattainable and unsustainable, and is yet another example of the Agency actively promoting an activity which will make no difference to our energy needs or to global warming, yet has the potential to result in irreparable damage to the Nation's fish stocks, including threatened species such as salmon, sea trout and eels.
The Angling Trust has also learnt that the Environment Agency is allegedly considering issuing “gagging orders” on its staff in the Fisheries Department to stop them giving their expert advice to local councils about how to mitigate the impact of hydro-electric plants on fish and objecting when these are not acceptable. Anglers were astounded to hear that the fisheries staff paid for with rod licence fees might be told not to do their job. The Agency is a statutory consultee on planning matters.
Furthermore, in a paper to the recent Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreational Advisory Committees (RFERACs), the Environment Agency implied that there may be schemes that will be approved that have ‘acceptable’ impacts on fish stocks. The Angling Trust believes that allowing these to be developed would be in contravention of the Environment Agency’s statutory duty of maintaining and improving fish populations and complying with the EU’s Water Framework Directive, which makes any deterioration of ecological status (including fish stocks) illegal.
The Angling Trust will be e-mailing all its members and encouraging them to object to any hydropower development on their rivers on the grounds of insufficient information being available and that they cause danger of unsustainable damage to fish populations. This applies to at least 95% of the planned developments the Angling Trust’s technical advisers have looked at. A list of developments is available on the Agency's website (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/consultations/65560.asp x).
The Angling Trust’s legal arm in England, Fish Legal, is investigating whether legal actions might be brought against the Environment Agency on behalf of its member riparian owners and clubs whose property rights are damaged by hydropower developments approved by the regulator.
Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd said:
“The Environment Agency is not only overstating the value of run-of-river hydropower it is also apparently stopping its own staff advising developers and planners how to reduce the impact of these developments on fish. The Angling Trust is exasperated with the Agency’s flagrant promotion of this damaging industry which is being developed at the expense of sustainable fisheries. We call on the nation’s anglers to stand up and be counted to defend their fish and their fishing by objecting to any schemes near where they fish today. Details of how to do this are on the Angling Trust’s web site.”
Angling Trust Technical Director Dr Alan Butterworth, who recently retired after a long career with the Agency, latterly as their national expert on the impacts of hydropower on fisheries, reacted angrily to the Agency's position:
“It is very clear that English and Welsh rivers are simply too small to make any difference to the Country's energy needs. But the Agency continues to encourage this type of ‘run-of-river’ hydropower which can do a massive amount of damage to the ecology of our rivers and block the migration of fish.
“Much of Europe and the United States have learnt this lesson the hard way and are dismantling even much larger schemes in order to save their rivers, yet the Agency continues to spread the red carpet for hydropower developers irrespective of the risk of ruining ours. A small amount of hydropower generation is perfectly possible, but it must only be allowed where it causes no damage to our fragile fish populations.”
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LAKESIDE
A STATEMENT FROM THE TYNE ANGLERS ALLIANCE : Feb 2010
As some will know the TAA have been in discussions with the latest owner of the Lakeside complex at Fellgate regarding his decision to halt angling on the site
Although both our secretary Stan Henderson and I (David Hall) and The Environment Agency have talked to him, and explained the need for local angling at Lakeside, we have been unable to persuade the owner to reconsider. We are therefore obliged to inform all TAA members and affiliated member clubs that the decision to cease ALL angling at Lakeside is now absolute and in force.
For the avoidance of any doubt please be advised that the TAA now have no control over the two ponds what so ever. Also we had it put to us that ANYONE fishing in future will be liable to prosecution, so please inform all members of this fact, and remove the waters from your club books.
We understand that the owner would like to develop the site, and if that happens and the ponds are filled in, The Environment Agency will help rescue the fish, but as things stand at present no fish are to be removed.
Over the years Lakeside has been the subject of complaints regarding irresponsible anglers leaving litter and behaving badly, and whilst it would be wrong to say that their actions were the reasons that caused angling to be lost, it is true that we would have had more local support to keep angling open had our behaviour been better. Perhaps all clubs should learn from this
Whilst disappointed at the outcome on Lakeside the TAA however remain optimistic about coarse angling in the region. The new fishery at Hexham’s Wydon Burn which has seen Hexham AA join the ranks of the TAA is a positive step, and they are other opportunities in the pipeline as we speak.
The two Lakes at Killingworth, the two stretches of the tidal Tyne at Newburn and the much improved Throckley Reigh are of course unaffected by what has happened at Lakeside, and remain open to all TAA members.
Thank you for your support.
If anyone ever wishes to attend a TAA meeting they are more than welcome. They take place on the third Tuesday of every month in the Empire CIU Club on Salters Road off the High Street, Gosforth.
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D.C.A.C. Membership:
Membership of D.C.A.C. now represents probably the best value club fishing to be found anywhere in the area.
Whilst some clubs are increasing subscriptions and/or giving up waters, D.C.A.C. has maintained its membership fees at the same level for the third successive year,£50 for a Senior Member, does not have a joining fee (some clubs charge £50 for this alone) has added to waters available to members and has in the Brasside West lake a water some specimen anglers would pay several times more than our current £50 YEARLY Senior membership fees just to fish this water alone.
D.C.A.C.
A club run by Anglers for Anglers
Game, Pleasure, Match & Specimen Anglers
River Wear: Croxdale Water Maps.
Maps and water rules for the Croxdale water will be available shortly. If possible they will be included with the 2010 membership information, for those members not receiving the maps please apply, enclosing a S.A.E. to:- D.C.A.C. PO Box 508, Durham, DH1 9BP
“E” type Club newsletter:
At the A.G.M. Held November 2009 it was decided that the Club would produce an on-line newsletter; some members may remember the previous printed “Tight Lines”
For this to happen the committee would need information and feedback from members so if you have a particularly good catch, some good photographs of special fish or just an account of a recent fishing trip or some thing that you would like to see/change with the club, then please let the us know either by e-mail to:- info@durhamanglers.co.uk
or post to PO Box 508, Durham, DH1 9BP
Croxdale Water - R Wear:
Please note; This water is not available to D.C.A.C. members BEFORE 01-02-2010 and not until the 2010 membership subscription has been paid. Any member fishing this water without renewing could be asked to leave.
Please note there is a one rod only rod rule applying to this water, also all coarse fish have to be returned and keep-nets and carp/keep-sacks are not allowed
R Wear Coarse Fishery Development:
An open workshop is to be held by the EA Saturday 6th February, 9:30-14:00 Lindisfarne Centre, St Aidens College, Windmill Hill, South Road, Durham. DH1 3JL
A buffet lunch will be provided.
Anyone wanting to attend please contact Paul Frear at the EA Newcastle Tel: 0191 203 4321 BEFORE 31st January 2010
Paul.frear@environment-agency.gov.uk
The good news is there is no waiting list for membership of D.C.A.C. The subscriptions for 2010 remain unchanged for the third year running and are:-
Senior..................£50
Retired ................£35
Disabled...............£35
Student...............£35 (To be in full-time higher education)
Intermediate.........£20 (those between the ages of 17 and 21)
Junior...................£10 (11 to 16 years of age)
Visitor..................£25 Available to anglers from outside of post codes CA, DH, DL, NE, SR, TD and TS
Please read membership notes HERE
Members renewing before the 1st February will not have access to the new water on the R Wear at Croxdale before that date.
ALL WATERS: Those not renewing will not be able to use the 2009 membership receipt as proof of Club membership AFTER 15-02-2010.
Members wishing to renew before the forms are posted out can print off the 2010 application form by clicking HERE
New member application forms can be printed off by clicking HERE
For the visiting angler (info on application form) print the application form from HERE
The meeting mentioned below duly took place on Tuesday 13th November at Lumley Castle.
Although poorly attended I think some progress was made.
It was resolved that, with the EA's help, areas to concentrate on are the be: Identifying habitat improvement on areas of the river suitable for coarse angling; identifying areas where stocking would help i.e. where damage has been done by predation and/or the result of poor recruitment; obtaining, with the help of land and riparian owners, more access to the river for coarse angling activity and creating better access to those areas of the river already used by coarse anglers so as to encourage more use of the river by anglers, i.e. creating vehicle access and closer to the river car parking.
Although there were the usual ‘this is and always has been a game river' there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The project is the 'baby' of EA Fisheries Specialist Paul Frear, who incidentally was involved in the very successful River Swale Preservation Society. Paul intends to produce a flyer to go out with club membership renewals in the New Year, with an open workshop being held in the Durham City area early February 2010. Paul indicated that substantial funding will be available.
It is 'do-able' ... with the help of like minded anglers.
However, just sitting back thinking that other will do the work, it will fail.
As I said in the previous post; It has taken decades to get anything officially organised to improve the lot of the Wears’ coarse angler,
If it doesn’t happen now, it probably wont ever, at least not in my life time
October 24th 2009
Paul Frear from the EA is trying to set up a committee to try to improve access and fishing for anglers who fish the river Wear for coarse fish
Paul said “As part of the project I'd like to organise an open workshop for as many Wear anglers as possible to get direct feedback to our proposals. There is a chance we can bid for a substantial pot of money for 2010/11 to take our ideas forward”
Paul is hoping to arrange the first meeting the early part of November. Please contact Paul at the EA if you’d be interested in becoming involved with the project Tel:- 0191 203 4321
E-mail:-paul.frear@environment-agency.gov.uk
It has taken decades to get anything officially organised to improve the lot of the Wears’ coarse angler, please give Paul your support.
