Fishing News

The Clubs Annual Presentation Night is Tonight starting at 8pm. Please would all club members make a special effort to attend, as the fishing committee puts in a lot of hard work in their spare time throughout the year to make this event an enjoyable evening.
The next competition for your diary is on Sunday 22nd February 2009, fishing for best salachii. A freshwater competition has been organised for Sunday 8th March 2009 at Newbarn Farm. Any interested parties who would like to fish please see our freshwater rep. - Chris Harris for details. There are only 12 pegs so Hurry!! its first come first served. Please pay your entry fee behind the bar.
A new club record was recorded by Dave Pakes who weighed in a wreck Pollack of 25-2-3 on the 10th January 2009.

The merger of six angling and conservation bodies creating the Angling Trust, the new voice of angling, was completed to plan on Monday, January 5 2009.
�It is an organisation angling has needed for many years,� said Stephen Marsh-Smith, the first chairman of the Trust.  �It represents more than a million regular coarse, game and sea anglers in England.  Angling contributes �3.5 billion to the economy and supports 37,000 jobs.�
Embodying all the assets and staff of the legacy organisations, the trust will be publicly launched at 10 am next Wednesday, January 14 at the Fishmongers� Hall, London Bridge.
Among the guests will be Martin Salter MP, the government�s spokesman for angling and shooting.

Dr. Marsh-Smith said nearly 2,500 individual anglers and clubs had already signed-up to the trust which would �run a forthright campaign to conserve marine and freshwater fisheries, promote and protect all recreational angling against commercial overfishing, habitat destruction, poaching and disease.
�We also plan to develop coaching and education for new and experienced anglers, increase participation in national and international competitions and tackle the growing problem of the predators which attack our fisheries.

�It is an ambitious programme but we believe anglers will support us and we are encouraged by the supportive messages we have already received,� Dr. Marsh-Smith added. individual currently stands at �20 per year.

The European Commission has proposed the EU Member States to adopt a new Control Regulation, with an Article 47, which could have a devastating impact on angling, tackle trade and other angling dependant businesses. The proposal might push Member States to introduce licenses for boats and anglers and to include anglers in the quota schemes.

West Country MEP Neil Parish (UK, Conservatives) - has written to both the EU Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg and Hilary Benn, the DEFRA Minister - expressing his concerns and asking for clarification as to whether sea anglers will be included in these proposals. He wrote: "To single out anglers and subject them to this kind of bureaucracy threatens the viability of a sport which contributes significantly to the West Country economy and will do nothing to address the current problems with fish stocks.

"Quite why anglers have been targeted is beyond me. Instead of targeting an innocent recreational activity, the European Commission should be looking at the real cause of the crisis in commercial fishing, namely the monstrosity which is the Common Fisheries Policy."

Irish politicians are up in arms, too. Fine Gael Tourism Spokesperson, Olivia Mitchell TD said: "EU proposals to impose catching quotas on pleasure angling will have zero impact on sustainability but are a direct attack on the Irish Angling Tourism Industry that is worth a bare minimum of �66 million."

Sinn F�in Spokesperson on Fisheries Martin Ferris TD accused the EU Commission of 'losing the plot' on the management of fisheries. "It begs the question as to how the EU proposes to monitor the new measure. He said: "Will every angler be issued a quota of two trout or four pike every year? How many inspectors will monitor each angler? Will anglers be subject to the criminal sanctions imposed on commercial fishermen?".

"It is yet another example of the petty intrusion of the EU into people's lives in this country and another measure further calculated to damage the entire fishery sector both commercial and recreational."

Secretary

Please note that the clubs annual AGM is on Monday 23rd February 2009 with doors open at 7.30pm. Please support the club at this meeting and have your say in how the club is run. There are a few postions still yet to fill,

Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer,Assistant Secretary, if you are interested in one of the vacancies please see Les Harding.

Entertainment

Next Saturday 31st January 2009, Paul is holding a Quiz night starting at 8pm. FREE entry with prizes to be won!

Saturday 7th February 2009, watch LIVE Rugby ENGLAND v ITALY starts at 3pm. Beer Promotion 3pm-7pm.