News - MARCH / APRIL / MAY

Well, it has certainly been an interesting and challenging time since our last newsletter! Some of the items which have caught the eye are as follows:

Llyn Brenig Ospreys.
It is hard to express the disgust, which has been echoed universally, for the unbelievable environmental crime which saw the stand holding the active osprey nest at Llyn Brenig cut down by a chainsaw! This, the day after the first egg of the 2021 nesting season was laid.
Whilst earnest investigations are under way by all the relevant authorities, one has to wonder what kind of sick mentality can do such a deplorable thing and with what aim in mind?
Following expert advice, the Dŵr Cymru staff and North Wales Wildlife Trust have attempted to activate the second nest, which had seen the ospreys near it before they laid.
I am certain that you would wish me to wish all concerned the very best wishes in their endeavours to salvage the situation.

Wild Trout Trust
The 2021 WTT Auction has resulted in an outstanding result as Director Shaun Leonard says:

“We are utterly overwhelmed by the support shown by our donors, bidders, members and supporters in raising a staggering £81,200, money that we’ll put to good use for wild trout and our rivers and lakes.
Thank you so much to everyone for being with us through these toughest of times.”

 

Want to Try a Cane rod?
The “barbless fly company” has an offer on cane fly rods.
www.barbless-flies.co.uk – gear – specialist fly rods
If you have longed for one of these, now is your opportunity to buy one. The other attraction is the cost. The prices are far, far less than you would anticipate, this whether you go for a new Maxia rod or a reconditioned French cane rod.

French Cane Rod

Maxia

 

Welsh Slurry Regulations.
Last minute efforts to derail the commencement of the new Welsh Slurry Regulations, by the two major farming unions in Wales, went all the way to the Senedd, where it ended in a nerve racking the debate. These regulations were initially delayed by the Minister from their intended operational date in 2020, until the 1st of April 2021. Whilst the date might seem appropriate to some, it was met with fierce resistance by the farming unions. Passionate it might have been, inaccurate in places it might have been but, at the end of the day, the motion was lost by 27 votes to 30. This will no doubt have been welcomed by the 185 angling clubs in Wales.
Now the excitement really begins! There is no point in having the regulations if they are not policed and enforced. If you are concerned as to the legality of what you see happening in slurry spreading contact NRW on the hotline 0300 065 3000 to report the matter. It comes under the heading of “Incidents we deal with” on the NRW website.

Welsh Dee Trust.
This small independent charity currently has a job vacancy:
Post - Restoring River Habitat– Programme Manager
Location: Llangollen, North Wales.
Salary: £28- 32,500 p.a. subject to experience.
Pension: Option of the Rivers Trust pension; Employees contribution of 4% and Employers contribution of 9%.
Holidays: 25 Days + Bank Holidays.
Contract: Full time (37.5 hours per week). Fixed-term 2 Year Contract with possible extension subject to future funding opportunities.
Reports To: Chief Executive
For full details of this Job visit: www.welshdeetrust.com
Closing Date: Noon, May 11th, 2021.
Interviews: Week commencing the 17th of May in Llangollen or online.

Pink Salmon arriving in a pool near you?
In the last few years there have been instances of pink salmon arriving in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. NRW issued advice in July 2019 giving details on what you should do. That advice reads:-
“We are concerned about the state of our native Atlantic salmon stocks and urge all netsmen and anglers to return all native salmon. However, those who catch a non-native pink salmon are asked not to return the fish to the water. Instead they are asked to dispatch of them humanely and, if possible, make the fish available to the NRW for inspection and further analysis.
- Keep the fish and do not release it back into the water (even in rivers only open for catch and release angling)
- Record the date & location of capture, length and weight of fish
- Take a photograph of the fish
- Report it to NRWs 24-hour confidential hotline number 03000653000 without delay.
NRW will then arrange collection of the fish for further examination. This will help establish the abundance and extent of distribution of the species in Welsh waters.”
Pink salmon.
In order to brief yourself on the characteristics of these alien visitors vist www.shutterstock.com or www.gettyimages.com

 

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