Month: September 2017

With the salmon fishing season due to close in the Trent catchment area from Sunday 8 October 2017 to Wednesday 31 January 2018 inclusive, the Environment Agency is reminding anglers that failure to comply with statutory rod fishing byelaws could result in prosecution in court and a fine of up to £50,000.

Rod fishing byelaws are statutory rules put in place by the Environment Agency to protect fish stocks and apply to all waters in England, whether they are owned by angling clubs, local councils or private individuals. The close season aims to protect fish stocks from the impacts of angling during the fish breeding season.

Matt Buck, Fisheries Specialist at the Environment Agency, said:

We would like to remind anglers that the salmon fishing season is due to come to a close and they should refrain from fishing for salmon until the start of February next year. This allows the impacts of angling to be minimised in order to protect fish stocks at a time when the fish are breeding.

If anglers catch any salmon by mistake when fishing for other fish throughout the salmon close season, they should allow the salmon to recover by handling them with great care so as not to damage the fish before allowing them to swim off upstream.

Survival rates for salmon are greatly increased if the appropriate angling techniques and equipment are used, and best practices for catching, handling and releasing angled fish are adopted. Between 1 February and 15 June, any salmon caught from any waters should not be removed and must be returned to the water with the least possible injury. Other restrictions also apply during this period and anglers must only use artificial fly or artificial lure to ensure the fish can be returned alive.

Anyone fishing with rod and line in England and Wales must hold a rod fishing licence and comply with the byelaws that cover the waters where they are fishing.

A special salmon and sea trout rod fishing licence is required for anyone wishing to fish for salmon and is available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. The licence covers one rod for salmon in freshwater. Any salmon taken by rod and line may not be offered for sale.

Catch and release is vital to help protect and restore salmon stocks in our rivers – read our guide for anglers.

Around 800 school children are better prepared for flooding following vital Environment Agency information sessions.

Community Engagement Officer for Cleveland, Sarah Pearce, led assemblies at schools across the area last week to help pupils understand flood risk and know what to do in a flood.

The schools involved were Handale Primary School at Loftus, Rift House Primary School in Hartlepool and Oxbridge lane Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees.

She was joined at Rift House by Coun. Marjorie James, Hartlepool Council’s representative on the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

Sarah also launched a competition for school pupils to design a new logo which will be worn by Community Flood Wardens throughout the North East.

Awareness raising

Sarah said:

It’s hoped that through these sessions with children I will raise awareness of flooding and issues associated with flooding and will be able to pass on key safety messages to young people.

Working with schools means children can be educated about what it means to be flood resilient and ensure the messages delivered have a long-term impact in flood risk areas.

It’s absolutely vital that future generations understand flooding, what we do during a flood and what they can do to stay safe.

The Flood Warden Logo competition is being run right across the North East with schools taking part from the whole area. Once the winning design has been selected this will be printed on to the new Flood Warden jacket which will be presented to all flood wardens to wear during a flood incident.

Helping communities be resilient

Sarah is one of four Community Engagement Officers for the North East appointed by the Environment Agency to help communities to be more flood resilient.

Funded by the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (NRFCC) for the next four years, the officers are working alongside partner organisations to help support communities.

Sarah works closely with Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit, and her work includes helping businesses and residents to understand their risk of flooding and ensuring those in flood risk areas are signed up to receive free flood warnings.

She’s also helping communities prepare themselves for flooding, such as supporting them to develop community flood plans and recruit volunteer Flood Wardens in at risk communities.

To find out more about your local flood risk and sign up to the Flood Warning Service Visit the gov.uk website