23.06.06
POLUTION INCIDENT AT THAMES WATER'S SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS
Some of the contaminated water used to clean up the Buncefield fuel depot stored at a Thames Water sewage treatment works has been accidentally released into the River Colne. It is believed that 800,000 litres of the clean-up water escaped from a storage tank at the Blackbirds sewage treatment works.......
[Read More]

20.06.06
PULBOROUGH ANGLING SOCIETY UPDATE
This weekend very few anglers ventured out to fish at Goose Green. Paul "Pixie" Cripps fished an early morning session on the venues number 3 lake. he reports the capture of seven carp in the 3lb to 8lb bracket, all caught on float fished corn......
[Read More]

15.06.06
ANGLERS URGED TO REPORT FISH DEATHS AS SUMMER HEATS UP
Thousands of fish have died in waterways across England over past few days in the lead up to tomorrow’s opening day of the coarse fishing season, with freshwater species failing to cope with plunging oxygen levels in the hot weather......
[Read More]

13.06.06
MAY ROD PROSECUTIONS
More than 400 anglers were prosecuted by the Environment Agency in May for fishing without a rod licence.....
[Read More]

13.06.06
EA ENSURES POLLUTING COMPANIES FACE COURT
Companies across England and Wales were fined and charged more than £100,000 by magistrates courts in April and May for pollution incidents which killed more than 5,500 fish. The prosecutions were brought by the Environment Agency.....
[Read More]

12.06.06
FISHERIES TEAM SEIZE ILLEGAL NET IN KENT RIVER
Environment Agency Fisheries Officers have recently seized an illegally set fishing net from a river in Kent. A member of the public had found the net set parallel to the bank and fixed with stakes to the bed of the River Beult. Due to environmental concerns the net was removed immediately....
[Read More]

09.06.06
GET A LICENCE OR GET HOOKED !!
Although most of the country will be probably be in the grip of World Cup fever during June and stuck in front of the television, some people will still be out fishing illegally. However, they face a possible fine of £2,500 and a ban as the Environment Agency prepares to crack down on people fishing without a valid rod licence across England and Wales from June 16 to 25....
[Read More]

05.06.06
NATIONAL FISHING WEEK, 2006
National Fishing Week is an annual celebration of one of the country’s favorite pastimes. Every year, millions regularly fish the nation’s sea, shores, rivers, lakes and canals. National Fishing Week is your opportunity to join in! Planned events take place between 19th and 28th August....
[Read More]

04.06.06
PULBOROUGH ANGLING SOCIETY
All the latest news from Pulborough Angling Society which offers some excellent coarse fishing on the rivers Ardur, Arun and Rother as well as offering stillwater fishing at 4 locations throughout West Sussex.....
[Read More]

01.06.06
THATCHAM ANGLING ASSOCIATION'S OPEN DAY IS GREAT SUCCESS
Thatcham Angling Association had it's open day on Saturday 27th May 2006 at it's lake complex in Lower Way, Thatcham. Four times world Angling champion Bob Nudd attended and brightened up what turned out to a wet and muddy day. He took time out to meet and talk with many of the estimated 300-400 people who turned up at the event and made a great impact with the junior anglers, some which took part in a Junior Match held on Jubilee Lake....
[Read More]

Some of the contaminated water used to clean up the Buncefield fuel depot stored at a Thames Water sewage treatment works has been accidentally released into the River Colne. It is believed that 800,000 litres of the clean-up water escaped from a storage tank at the Blackbirds sewage treatment works, near Radlett, Herts.

Shortly after notification the Environment Agency began an extensive sampling programme along the length of the River Colne, and these results are expected to be available from Environment Agency laboratories in Leeds early next week. Three Valleys Water Company does not take water from the River Colne for drinking supplies but has been informed of this incident.

The Environment Agency believe the contaminated water was pumped through the sewage treatment works, which may have removed a large amount of the contamination. Environment Agency staff have not discovered evidence of any impact on the fish or other fauna within the river so far, but will continue to investigate.

The cause of the incident is still unknown and will form part of an ongoing investigation. It is the responsibility of the oil companies [Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited and British Pipelines Agency] to find a safe and environmentally sound solution to the 26million litres of firewater stored since the explosion on December 11 2005. We await their formal submission of their preferred disposal option.

Source: The Environment Agency - June 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Catch Report
* Goose Green - This weekend very few anglers ventured out to fish at Goose Green, Paul "Pixie" Cripps fished an early morning session on the venues number 3 lake, he reports the capture of seven carp in the 3lb to 8lb bracket, all caught on float fished corn, Fishery Manager Ray Clark was to be found on Deep Lake, fishing the Pole with pellet and corn on the hook, Ray latched into a succession of skimmers and a few proper bream plus a couple of tench, he also hooked into, but did not land one of the lakes resident carp, the only thing Ray has to show for his battle against the unseen monster is a broken number 2 section on his pole, fishing on the opposite bank to Ray, was Tony of the clan Tester, Tony fishing pellet on the hook, was seen to be constantly pulling out the lakes resident bream, tench & crucians, at the end of the day Tony had put together a highly respectable net of approx 50lb.

Fishing in Crucian Corner on New Pond was Society webmaster, Mark "Spike" Emery, fishing the short pole and alternating pellet and corn on the hook, Mark caught Crucians, Skimmers and Roach for net of 15-0-0. Earlier in the week, Paul "Pixie" Cripps fished a short evening session, once again on Lake 3, fishing floating pellet, Paul reports 9 Carp, the being a 10-8-0 Mirror and a 9.0-0 Common, also included in his haul were four bream caught on ledgered corn.

*River Arun - Paul Hazeldine, fished the Arun at Parham on the opening day of the season before heading off to work, he reported that all he could see on the river were masses of spawning bream, who, with other things on their mind, didn't want to feed.

Annual Teach In
This is an annual event at which we give one to one tuition to novice anglers, preference is given to juniors. Methods used are Pole, Whip or Waggler with all tackle being supplied by the tutor, all of whom are experienced Pulborough AS members. We have a lower age limit of seven years for safety reasons. There is a morning and afternoon session, each lasting three hours, with tackle prizes being awarded for each session, in addition each pupil is given a small goodie bag containing useful tackle items. Hot food - burgers, hot dogs and bacon butties are served at breaks throughout the day, together with tea, coffee and cold drinks.

This years event has been scheduled to take place at our Moor Farm Fishery on 1 July, to reserve your place at this years event telephone Sheila Olliver on 01903 213968 (evenings after 6pm) or visit our website, places are offered on a first come first served basis and sell out very quickly, BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment, further information about the Teach In can be found at www.pulboroughas.com

Work Parties
For the benefit of those who wish to come and help "the few", we hold working parties at Goose Green every Saturday, starting at 0900hrs, all assistance gratefully accepted, even if you can only spare an hour - as the television advertisement states "Every Little Helps....."

Angling Training
Pulborough AS offer a comprehensive training scheme to those who wish to take up angling as a sport/pastime, we offer three levels of training from novice to advanced, further information is available on our website www.pulboroughas.com or from the Society Training Officer " Steve Moulding", who can be contacted on 07762 019636.

The training scheme offered by Pulborough AS is highly successful, with some of our former pupils now representing the Society in matches at both regional and national level.

Match Results
Result of the 2nd evening match fished at Moor Farm bottom lake on 15/6/06 by 12 anglers.
- 1st Pip Pranskus 16.6kg (41lb) mainly carp to method feeder and maggot.
- 2nd Nigel Aldridge 14.85kg (32lb 12oz) mainly carp to feeder and worm.
- 3rd Trevor Mordle 10.55kg (23lb 4oz) carp to feeder and corn.
- 4th Glen Riley 10.4kg (22lb 15oz) 10 carp to feeder and pellet.

For full club details of Pulborough Angling Society click here.

Thousands of fish have died in waterways across England over past few days in the lead up to tomorrow’s opening day of the coarse fishing season, with freshwater species failing to cope with plunging oxygen levels in the hot weather.

The Environment Agency deployed aerating machines on four separate watercourses in the North-west, Anglia and the Midlands in a bid to reduce fish fatalities, and is calling on England and Wales 1.25 million licensed anglers to alert the Agency if they see fish in distress this summer.

More than 5,000 dead fish have surfaced so far in Cuckoo’s Hollow, a lake near Peterborough; 3,000 were killed on a commercial coarse fishery in Worcester; Captains Pit in Wirral experienced over 1,500 fatalities; and Old Bedford counter drain in Cambridgeshire had over 1,000 fish.

"In hot weather, fast growing freshwater algae increases its activity which can exhaust much of the dissolved oxygen in streams, ponds and lakes, depriving fish species of the oxygen they need to survive,"
said Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency, Dafydd Evans.

"During daylight hours when photosynthesis proceeds rapidly, plants and algae release surplus oxygen and dissolved oxygen concentration in the water may be around 100 percent. However, at night photosynthesis reverses and algae become a net consumer of oxygen leading to severe depletion of dissolved oxygen concentration."

Most fish kills occur during the early morning hours when dissolved oxygen is at its lowest. With Cuckoo’s Hollow in East Anglia dropping to just five percent oxygen concentration, where normally it resides between 80 and 100 percent. In addition, rapid changes in weather conditions from hot days to rain storms can also cause fish kills. Pollutants and run-off result in poor water quality, while cloudy, cooler weather can cause algal blooms to die, with the composing plant-life releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the water.

Mr Evans said drought conditions in the South-east may also make waterways in that region more susceptible to fish kills this summer.
"The combination of hot weather and low water levels can make fish distressed and lead to death. It’s usually ok to fish during a drought, but anglers should pay careful attention to how the fish are behaving. This might mean fish staying in one place near the surface of the water, gasping for air; swimming very slowly in large groups, and obvious over-crowding. Dead fish are easy to spot, as they float on the surface of the water."

"Fish are a vital part of the ecology of our rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, and their health affects other wildlife. Dead or dying fish can pollute water and the fish themselves experience distress."

Mr Evans also urged managers of commercial fisheries to be proactive by planning for hot weather during summer.
"When fish become distressed during hot periods, Environment Agency resources can often be stretched between a number of waterways."

Cuckoo’s Hollow in Werrington, Peterborough, saw dissolved oxygen levels drop to five percent, resulting in over 5,000 fish mortalities - including roach, pike eels and other coarse species. Old Bedford near Welney in Cambridgeshire saw over 1,000 fish mortalities - including roach, perch, and tench. Aeration work by Environment Agency raised the dissolved oxygen levels to between 50-70%. Captains Pit at Wallasey near Wirral, saw dissolved oxygen levels drop to between 11-18% as the water temperature reached twenty-seven degrees, resulting in over 1,600 fish mortalities. - including roach, perch, and tench.

The Coarse fishing closed season runs from March 15 - June 15 during fish spawning times and applies to all rivers, streams and drains in England & Wales, but does not apply to most still waters.

If you see dead, dying or distressed fish, call 0800 80 70 60

Source: The Environment Agency - June 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

More than 400 anglers were prosecuted by the Environment Agency in May for fishing without a rod licence.

"Fishing without a licence is an offence and those caught fishing illegally face tough penalties, including fines of up to £2,500 and a ban from fishing. This time around the courts fined the illegal anglers a total of more than £30,000 and charged them an additional £25,000 in costs,"
explained Environment Agency Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans.

"People who fish without a licence are cheating the system and their fellow anglers. Around £19m is raised through rod licences and invested in fisheries work that benefits all anglers, fish stocks and the waterside environment. Last year more than 4,600 anglers paid almost £600,000 in fines and costs. We expect more prosecutions following the June blitz."

Some anglers believe a licence is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. This is not the case. All rod licences expire on March 31. So, if you have taken a break from fishing to watch the World Cup remember to check your licence is valid before going back to the riverbank.

Buying a licence couldn’t be easier - there are around 15,000 Post Offices and other outlets which sell them direct; and for a small additional charge they can be purchased over the phone (0870 1662662) or from the EA web site - www.environment-agency.gov.uk/rodlicence any time, day or night.

Source: The Environment Agency - June 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Companies across England and Wales were fined and charged more than £100,000 by magistrates courts in April and May for pollution incidents which killed more than 5,500 fish. The prosecutions were brought by the Environment Agency.

Spread along waterways in Wales, the Manchester region, the Thames catchment and southern counties, the six most serious pollution prosecutions attracted £78,000 in fines and £28,456 in court costs. While the majority of fish killed were non-target species, up to one thousand were brown trout.

The pollution incidents included:

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water was fined £10,000 after sewage leaked from a public sewer, contaminated a surface water discharge and then entered the Nant Mychydd watercourse at Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf. More than 800 fish were killed. Llwynypia Magistrates’ Court also ordered the company to pay full costs of £6,686.

Cable and Wireless Plc, based in Swindon, was ordered to pay more than £29,500 by Swindon Magistrates Court on 10 April after polluting a 14km stretch of Westlea Brook, the River Ray and the River Thames on 23 January 2005, with eight tonnes of red diesel. More than 2,000 fish died.

Lectros International Limited, a chemical company, was fined £10,000 (plus £4,354 costs) by Pennine Magistrates’ Court on 8 May for polluting the River Irwell and Langwood Brook with a mixture of fungicide and insecticide. Thousands of minor species and 47 brown trout died.

United Utilities Water Plc was prosecuted for the third time this year after admitting to polluting Rochdale’s River Beal with sewage on Saturday 30 July 2005, killing hundreds of brown trout. The company was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £4,673 costs by Rochdale Magistrates’ Court.

Southern Water Services Ltd was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs by Lyndhurst Magistrates Court on Friday 12 May 2006, for a sewage leak that killed hundreds of fish in the Lymington River on Sunday 17 July 2005.

Southern Water Services Ltd was again prosecuted for causing raw sewage to pollute nearly 2km of Sunnyside Stream in East Grinstead on 5 September 2005. The company was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay £1,190 costs at Haywards Heath Magistrates Court. About 466 brown trout, 20 minnows, seven stoneloach and one stickleback died.

Source: The Environment Agency - June 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Environment Agency Fisheries Officers have recently seized an illegally set fishing net from a river in Kent. A member of the public had found the net set parallel to the bank and fixed with stakes to the bed of the River Beult. Due to environmental concerns the net was removed immediately, as this river is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also a conservation area.

The discovery of the net in Kent follows the seizure of over £2,000 worth of Dutch fyke nets from the River Meon at the Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve in Hampshire over the weekend.

Chris Conroy, Environment Agency Fisheries Technical Specialist for Kent said:
"The Environment Agency regulates all methods of fishing in inland waters by a system of licensing. This double-ended fyke net was unlicensed and the owner had failed to fit an otter guard or to mark the location of the net. The Environment Agency will have no hesitation in prosecuting any person responsible for illegal fishing. Our Water Bailiffs are patrolling hotspots on a regular basis and anyone found in contravention of the regulations could face arrest, seizure of equipment, prosecution and fines of up to £2,500."

If members of the public have any information relating to illegal net fishing, they are requested to phone the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060.

Source: The Environment Agency - June 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Although most of the country will be probably be in the grip of World Cup fever during June and stuck in front of the television, some people will still be out fishing illegally. However, they face a possible fine of £2,500 and a ban as the Environment Agency prepares to crack down on people fishing without a valid rod licence across England and Wales from June 16 to 25.

Dafydd Evans, Environment Agency Head of Fisheries explained:

"anglers must ensure they have a valid licence before they start fishing, or face the prospect of prosecution. Our fisheries officers have access to databases at the touch of a mobile phone button and can verify address and licence details on the riverbank. Anglers who evade the licence fee are not only breaking the law but also cheating their fellow anglers and we will leave no stone unturned in tracking them down."

"Most anglers understand that rod licence fees are necessary and know the revenue goes towards maintaining and enhancing fisheries and fish stocks. The work includes disease detection, fish rescues, monitoring fish stocks and developing angling opportunities. Nearly 700 people were caught fishing without a rod licence over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. Some anglers believe a licence is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. This is not the case. All rod licences expire on March 31."

Buying a licence couldn’t be easier - there are around 15,000 Post Offices and other outlets which sell them direct; and for a small additional charge they can be purchased over the phone [0870 1662662] or from the Environment Agency web site - www.environment-agency.gov.uk/rodlicence any time, day or night. More than 100,000 anglers now net their rod licence on line.

Source: The Environment Agency - June 2006.
Contact: Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

National Fishing Week is an annual celebration of one of the country’s favorite pastimes. Every year, millions regularly fish the nation’s sea, shores, rivers, lakes and canals. National Fishing Week is your opportunity to join in! Planned events take place between 19th and 28th August. Over the coming months organisers of fishing events around the country will enter events on the FISH4U events finder. By the summer you will be able to find a comprehensive list of National Fishing Week events.

Do You want to organise an event during National Fishing week?
If you want to organise an event for National Fishing Week or want more details of events already planned, visit this page. Here you can sign up as an organiser, download an organisers pack with all the information you will need to organise an event or register an event. Many of the events will provide expert tuition from the country’s leading licensed coaches. The majority of events will offer easy access from road and public transport and many cater for people with disabilities.

Catch Report
Webmaster Spike was to be found sitting on his favourite swim at Goose Green this weekend taking a break after an exhausting work party at the venue on Saturday, fishing the short pole with corn on the hook fished over loose fed pellet, he amassed a net of 70lb, comprising 5 carp to 7-0-0, skimmers, bream to 4-0-0, roach to 0-8-0, tench to 1-8-0 and a solitary Crucian, all caught in a five hour period.

Fishery Manager Ray Clark was also to be found taking a break at Goose Green, Ray fishing the short pole on Lake 4 with pellet & corn on the hook over groundbait, put together an all bream net for approx 45-0-0, fishing opposite Ray was Tony from the Tester Clan, Tony fishing Carp Vader pellets, put together a highly respectable net of bream for approx 40-0-0.

Annual Teach In
This is an annual event at which we give one to one tuition to novice anglers, preference is given to juniors. Methods used are Pole, Whip or Waggler with all tackle being supplied by the tutor, all of whom are experienced Pulborough AS members. We have a lower age limit of seven years for safety reasons. There is a morning and afternoon session, each lasting three hours, with tackle prizes being awarded for each session, in addition each pupil is given a small goodie bag containing useful tackle items. Hot food - burgers, hot dogs and bacon butties are served at breaks throughout the day, together with tea, coffee and cold drinks.

This years event has been scheduled to take place at our Moor Farm Fishery on 1 July, to reserve your place at this years event telephone Sheila Olliver on 01903 213968 (evenings after 6pm) or visit our website, places are offered on a first come first served basis and sell out very quickly, BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment, further information about the Teach In can be found at www.pulboroughas.com

Work Parties
For the benefit of those who wish to come and help "the few", we hold working parties at Goose Green every Saturday, starting at 0900hrs, all assistance gratefully accepted, even if you can only spare an hour - as the television advertisement states "Every Little Helps....."

Angling Training
Pulborough AS offer a comprehensive training scheme to those who wish to take up angling as a sport/pastime, we offer three levels of training from novice to advanced, further information is available on our website www.pulboroughas.com or from the Society Training Officer " Steve Moulding", who can be contacted on 07762 019636.

The training scheme offered by Pulborough AS is highly successful, with some of our former pupils now representing the Society in matches at both regional and national level.

Open Match
Pulborough AS are holding an Open Match at Moor Farm on Sunday 11-6-06, to book your place please contact Barry Ginnaw on 01903 725495.

For full club details of Pulborough Angling Society click here.

Thatcham Angling Association had it's open day on Saturday 27th May 2006 at it's lake complex in Lower Way, Thatcham.

Four times world Angling champion Bob Nudd attended and brightened up what turned out to a wet and muddy day. He took time out to meet and talk with many of the estimated 300-400 people who turned up at the event and made a great impact with the junior anglers, some which took part in a Junior Match held on Jubilee Lake. Thatcham Angling Associations President, Labour MP Martin Salter, (Reading), partnered Bob Nudd in a fishing cricket match against Carpology anglers and needless to say it was a carp caught in the dying seconds of the match that won it for Bob and Martin.

The event was the first of it's kind to be held in the area and plans are being made to make it a regular event. The two photographs show [on the left] Bob Nudd with 8 year old Ben Blackmon who won the Junior Match with 27lb5oz of fish and [on the right] Bob Nudd and Martin Salter with the winning carp from their fishing cricket match.

For full club details of Thatcham Angling Association click here.