LOBBYING AND CAMPAIGNING

The Angling Trust Stands up for Anglers with new Fisheries Minister
Angling Trust representatives met this week with Richard Benyon, the Environment and Fisheries Minister, to set out our agenda for the future of fisheries and fishing. We stressed that freshwater anglers pay £26 million in rod licence fees and own billions of pounds worth of angling property rights, as well as contributing billions to the economy. We discussed our joint Judicial Review (with WWF-UK) of the Water Framework Directive implementation, transparency and accountability of rod licence funds, the status of marine fisheries and access to senior civil servants. More details of the meetings available HERE.

Fish Legal negotiates rescue of specimen fish
Fish Legal solicitors have stepped in and successfully brokered a deal between British Waterways and member club the Moss Side Social Angling Society to save specimen fish in the Toddbrook Reservoir and to restock on a like-for-like basis all medium-sized fish removed from the waters as the reservoir is drained to carry out essential maintenance work. Read the full story HERE.


Our Rivers Awards 2010
The Our Rivers partnership, backed by the Angling Trust, RSPB, WWF and S&TA was launched last year to campaign for clean, healthy rivers. Now in 2010 we’re launching a major search across England and Wales for the best and worst rivers, and we need your help. Please visit www.ourrivers.org.uk to nominate your favourite river, or the one with the most problems.

Tees Barrage
The Angling Trust has raised concerns about the new developments to the Tees Barrage canoe slalom course in the wake of research finding that not one of the 72 salmon and sea trout tagged in the Tees estuary successfully navigated the existing fish pass. More details HERE.


MEMBERSHIP AND FUNDRAISING
Fish of the Season
Please send a picture of the best fish you’ve caught so far in 2010, and a short story about the capture, to [email protected] and we’ll feature the best shots in our next newsletter and on our web site. The top ten photos and stories will win a free Angling Trust enamel or cloth badge.

Angling Trust Auction
If you can donate fishing, tackle or anything else to help us raise money in our autumnal auction, please e-mail [email protected] by the end of the month at the latest. NB: Sea Angling donations welcome too!

New Member Benefits
Angling Trust members now qualify for exclusive discounts with Quiller Publishing, OnlineFishing, Mainoaks Farm Holiday Cottages and V2V's exclusive Will Raison Emags, DVDs and Academy Days. More news on these and an announcement about a very exciting and significant new member benefit in our next printed newsletter which will arrive with all our members by mid-October.

Can you or your company offer an Angling Trust member benefit too?
We will feature your company and logo on our website, in our printed newsletters and in emails like these. Get in touch with Will Smith – [email protected]

Angling Trust Badges – Now available to buy online
Did you know the Angling Trust have quality cloth and enamel badges for sale? Buy one for yourself or for a present HERE.


COMPETITIONS
World Carp Championships
The Angling Trust is hosting the World Carp Championships in England this year. More than 100 anglers from 20 countries will fish continuously for 72 hours at Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire from 7th to 10th October. Come and watch the world’s best carp anglers in action – entry FREE. More details HERE.


Specimen Awards Scheme
The Angling Trust Specimen Awards Scheme for sea angling individual members and members of affiliated clubs is going strong. Check out the rules on our web site HERE so that you know how to claim your medal and certificate when you land a specimen fish from the sea.

Individual Coarse Angling National
The individual coarse Angling Nationals were held on Saturday 11 September and were fished by 127 anglers, most of whom had a good time. Stephen Broome from Highacres, Dudley, took home the trophy, with a winning weight of 11Kgs 610 grams from peg 91, narrowly beating Ritchie Reynolds from Leicester by 10 grams. Unbelievably, a canoe regatta was also arranged on one of the sections on the same day, which completely ruined the experience for a number of the competitors. The Angling Trust has refunded the anglers’ entry fees and has taken the matter up with British Waterways.


FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Fish For the Future
The Environment Agency has produced a helpful newsletter setting out recent and planned changes to laws relating to angling and netting. It’s available for download HERE.

Angling Plings
Plings is an online tool developed by Substance and supported by the Angling Trust that helps people discover trusted information about places to go and things to do for young people, who can find it on hundreds of websites and via their mobile phones. Thousands of events are listed from across the country for young people to access. Our members can now put their events for young people onto this unique network free of charge and easily. Please click HERE for more information.


RESEARCH & SURVEYS
Alien Species
DEFRA has asked the Angling Trust to find out how much work angling clubs and river associations do to remove non-native invasive species like giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam. If you can give us an estimate of the amount of time you spend helping control these pests, please contact [email protected].

Join a Focus Group and Earn £50
The Angling Trust is conducting market research to explore possible services that we can provide to our members in the future using mobile phones. We will be holding focus groups and would like to invite you to take part. We'd enormously appreciate your help and hope it will enable us to continue improving our offer to all members. All groups will be held in central London, W1. Details of the groups are below:

-5th October, 6pm – 7.30pm
-5th October, 8pm – 9.30pm
-6th October, 6.30pm – 8pm

Members who attend will be paid £50. Refreshments will be provided. If you would be interested in attending please contact [email protected] for more information.

Win a new Angling Board Game!
Camolin Designs are working on a new angling board game and need some help developing it. Complete the 3 minute questionnaire HERE and you could be the first person to own and play this exciting new game. Camolin have promised to use the game to raise funds for the Angling Trust.


If you are already a member:
CLICK HERE to forward this email on to a fishing friend, colleague or family member and encourage them to join. REMEMBER - if you are a member they should be too and for just 39p a week there is no excuse not to join!

If you are not a member:
JOIN THE ANGLING TRUST NOW online at www.anglingtrust.net or call 0844 77 00 616. All our work depends on the support of our donors and members.