Hi guys

Received a memo today reminding about only 11DAYS left for responses

Noting that only 3 Rivers Trusts have submitted so far(plus ART).....that's terrible
Those with a clear conscience are Calder and Colne, Ribble and South Cumbria ......well done for SOME of us northerners

Know anyone at an RT?????....give em a prod

I'm sure it will be a hot topic at tomorrows ART's AGM

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Two things to have in life - A good bed and a good pair of boots -and if you aren't in one you should be in t'other

I'm surprised to hear that Ian, hopefully some are just leaving it late putting in the finishing touches?

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Ten minutes from Tweed, Teviot, and Kale.

Wiltshire Fisheries submitted today I believe. So that's the Wiltshire chalkstreams taken care of.

It was such a buggers muddle of a consultation though that it wouldn't surprise me if people didn't meet the deadline. I've worked on all sorts of consultations over the years and this was the most poorly laid out, bungled pile of poop I've ever dealt with.

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ugly casts catch fish too
http://nadder-diary.net

Don't over estimate the ability of the Agency to carry out the wishes of consultees. This is one hell of a project and I wonder if they have the man-power to carry it out. As this in a European directive, I would be interested to know if other EU countries, and their Agencies, are embracing the WFD?

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http://141207.blogspot.com/
http://www.haddonestate.co.uk/rivers/rivers.php
http://www.thepeacockatrowsley.com/fishing.html

Hi' Warren. Where on the internet can one find the terms laid down in the European Directive? It is a result of its introduction that United Utilities and the Environment Agency will be working on an improvement to a spawning beck that was wasted by diverting much of its flow into Thirlmere Reservoir, in the early 1900s. Many thousands of salmon parr may have been lost over almost a century due to irregular flows. It is a tributary of the Derwent system, known as Helvellyn Gill, and it flows, or did flow, down the back of Helvellyn. Cheers TC

We were really, REALLY excited when we got our first look at the Directive and digested its aims. Terms like ‘not affected by the hand of man' lept out at us and we salivated at the thought of sewage outflows and the like being finally ripped out and proper storage facillities being installed to take their place. Our EA, in their favour, realise that such demands, placed upon the utilities, will send them off to OFWAT, crying ‘not fair’...and OFWAT will simply agree.

For the last 20 years we have suffered from one particularly nasty CSO feeding raw sewage and rags into a small, spring fed river. The Agency have claimed time and time again that the stream remains unaffected by the sewage, a fact we always found hard to believe.

Last October a survey was carried out by a fisheries scientist working for the EA, without me knowing. The results of that survey found the CSO WAS having an impact on the river. The report was kept in-house until it was leaked to me last week.

Why did our Environment Agency keep this report from the fishery manager and the fishery owner? What message are we to derive from this practise?

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http://141207.blogspot.com/
http://www.haddonestate.co.uk/rivers/rivers.php
http://www.thepeacockatrowsley.com/fishing.html

The WFD was created as a Europe-wide initiative. Our EA has cobbled together their interpretation of it.

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http://141207.blogspot.com/
http://www.haddonestate.co.uk/rivers/rivers.php
http://www.thepeacockatrowsley.com/fishing.html

HI', Warren, and thanks. I know some very nice, competent and dedicated people in the EA. I used to be an honorary bailiff for them and three of their predecessors in Cumbria; but I feel that they can't always do, or can't often do, what they as individuals would like to try. I think that with a fair number of them the spirit is willing, but the corporate body is weaker than it should be in order to achieve what we, as anglers, would like to see. Cheers, TerryC

I too know some fantastic people in the EA. It really does hold some real proffesionals and people totally devoted to their work. You summarise it very well Terry.

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http://141207.blogspot.com/
http://www.haddonestate.co.uk/rivers/rivers.php
http://www.thepeacockatrowsley.com/fishing.html

I think I should be absolutely clear that I don't work for the EA but for their sister organisation SEPA North of the border. I also can't and don''t offer authoritative policy for either organisation. I can speak from my experience to date but (like most people) answer to a boss and follow their lead. Sorry for the blather but it really needs to be said if I'm going to post on the subject below...

That the EA has to remain impartial and can't "canvas for complaints" or be seen to be pursueing it's regulatory agenda through 3rd parties rather than dealing with regulated business head on. With most information being public in statutory terms and much of the remainder being available under FOI you can have all the information that you want from the EA, but you need to ask for it first. Loads is published on the web all you have to do is look.

Consider the milage a defence brief (for industry) could get out of the EA volunteering unrequested information to 3rd parties or pointing its location to the attention of a specific rivers trust. They could easily claim victimisation and often do... on such things hinge successful prosections/enforcement.

The EA won't jeapardise <sp?> their regulatory position and it's not actually in anglers interests for them to do so.

Learn to play the game and you can be as well informed as the EA themselves (better if you have other avenues to pursue as well).

1. Arrange a 6mthly meeting, the EA will find it difficult to deny you this and won't usually want to anyway.
2. Ask if there's any new information/surveys relating to your interests since your last meeting.
3. Follow this up with a formal letter asking for the name/title of any surveys/monitoring results relevant to your stretch of river since your last meeting/letter. This will force a more detailed search by the EA and they are less likely to miss anything.
4. Wait the statutory 28 days as a maximum then - having found out what these surveys/monitoring results are and are called request copies in writing.
5. Within a further 28 days you'll typically get all the information you ask for.
6. If you don't drop me a line and I'll suggest other approaches.

Well OFWAT will certainly agree if there's a weight of evidence that the EA has posted unsolicited reports to fishery interests that the utilities can cite when they cry "not fair". However if the EA can demonstrate that it was simply published for everyone or that the information was provided only in response to a request they can demonstrate objectivity.

That the EA are much more aware of their regulatory liabilities than you (as it should be) and are acting accordingly.

Surely it's not a lot to ask of an informed focused RT that they request a regular meeting and write a letter to find out what information may be relevant and ask for copies? Get it sorted once and you need only change the dates on the first letter and add the new reports to the second.