SC(3) - AIW192

Sustainability Committee

Inquiry into access to inland water in Wales

Dear Ms Hawkins
I am sending this mail to inform you of my views on the petition from canoeing organisations to allow open access to Welsh rivers.

Firstly, let me state that I have been an angler for over 40 years, including a club bailiff and a river authority (Before the Environment Agency was set up) Honorary Bailiff. In this time I have witnessed many incidents when anglers pleasure has been spoiled by canoes and other craft travelling through a stretch of river (illegally at present) already occupied by anglers. This often brings confrontation.

At other times I have watched Salmon being disturbed during spawning (also illegal, see Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act(1975)) which protects spawning fish and, in the case of salmon & sea trout their redds (spawning grounds), from disturbance. by canoes and the like.
You will probably understand from what I have said, that I am against any form of open access for boating, except where it is already designated.

You may ask, why is someone based in Lancashire commenting on a Welsh matter, however, I belong to a large angling club (Prince Albert of Macclesfield) which has extensive fishing rights (purchased) in Wales, and I often fish in North Wales, obviously bringing money into the area.

The above club, either rents, or owns significant amounts of water in Wales on the Wye, Severn, Teifi, Dovey, Dee to mention just a few, and, I for one, would be unwilling to travel the distances I do, to fish, knowing it is likely to be spoiled by boating traffic passing by.

At the moment, the law is perfectly clear on the rights of canoeists etc. and I can see no reason for changing this. If canoeists and rafters want access, they can do what angling clubs have done for years, that is, approach the riparian owners and request access. This will normally involve a fee but several million course anglers pay for the pleasure of fishing (they return all of the fish that they catch.

To add to the above, the River Ribble (my local river) clubs negotiated with canoeing organisations so that they had access at set times. This however, is never honored by canoing organisations. Having said that, I would be perfectly happy with voluntary agreements involving canoeists, Riparian Owners and angling clubs, providing these were enforced by the organisations involved.

I would also like to say, that canoeists have extensive areas of access, for instance, coastal water, tidal stretches of rivers etc. and Welsh rivers have the second highest tidal reach in the World.

To sum up, Riparian owners and angling clubs have to endure almost constant trespass by canoeists who seem to think that they should be rewarded for
their unlawful behaviour by the law being changed in their favour.

Welsh anglers put a significant amount of both work and finance into Welsh rivers to improve the habitat and water quality which seems to have gone almost unnoticed. Anglers pay twice in order to fish: once to the EA (£68 per annum for a migratory fish rod licence) and again in club
fees or whatever to be able to fish a certain river or stretch of river (my club fees come to over five hundred pounds a year).

Anglers don't pay to be able to take fish (which canoeists constantly maintain); they pay for the enjoyment of using someone else's asset. This is proved by the fact that coarse fishing clubs who return 100% of their catch still pay an annual rental to the riparian owner.
Their members would think it very strange if they were given this water for free (now there is an idea, would you support that?).

Canoeists and now the Petitions Committee point to Scotland where the Scottish Land Reform Act (2003) gave open access to rivers and say that this would work in Wales. I, and many others it would not work and that it would be quite wrong to impose something similar here for the following, and many other reasons:

1) Scottish rivers are on the whole much bigger than Welsh ones, so a group of maybe ten rafts going down a river say 3m wide is bound to have a much greater ecological effect than if the river is 10m wide:-
2) The numbers of major conurbations (L'pool, Manchester & Birmingham) a couple of hours away from north & mid Wales is much greater that similar sized urban areas to the Scottish Highlands, so far more canoeists/kayakers/rafters/gorge walkers would access smaller rivers.
3) The main game fish in Scotland, the salmon, is much less wary than sewin, which are so important to Wales both economically and culturally. Anglers from England and mainland Europe will not come to Wales andsupport local economies if big sea trout have been scared by canoeists above them and are therefore uncatchable.
4) I understand that the amount of confrontation between anglers and canoists  that there has been on Scottish rivers since the Land Reform Act was passed has been grossly downplayed. We hear from one correspondent that the upper Tay is "nothing but a war zone" with commercial rafting companies making angling virtually impossible.

To change the law to allow unrestricted access on Welsh rivers would be a direct parallel to allowing the 'right to roam' on a shoot or a golf course.
These areas were specifically excluded from the CRoW Act as they are commercial enterprises - but so are rivers.

If the law was altered as canoeists wish , riparian owners and angling clubs would quite rightly require very large amounts in compensation from the Assembly for the reduction in value of their assets and the derogation of their leases respectively.

I hope that you take these points into serious consideration when deciding upon this issue and do not bow down to those who shout loudest.

Angling participation in the UK is around 4 million and, although a quite majority, there views should be seriosly considered..

Sincerely,