The Anglers’ Conservation Association (ACA), the unique organisation setup in 1948 to use the law to make polluters pay for damaging the nation’s fisheries, has recently launched a new facility on its website www.a-c-a.org for anglers to sign up for membership, make donations and buy merchandise using a credit or debit card. The facility is safe and secure, managed by Pay Pal, one of the web’s leading payment service providers. It is also possible for anglers to download a subscription form to print out and complete. Now there is no excuse not to be a member!

The ACA legal team takes on legal cases against big business on behalf of its members and wins. All of the compensation reclaimed is put straight back into restoring the affected fisheries, benefiting the natural environment and safeguarding the future of many waters. The ACA also lobbies government and its agencies to protect freshwater in the UK.

Since October 2006, the ACA has settled 14 separate cases and secured damages of £ 96,000 for its members. These cases have involved food oil spillages, sewage discharges, cement pollution, farm waste, persistent detergent discharges, red diesel escapes and abattoir waste flowing into rivers, lakes and canals. It was a lead organisation in the Blueprint for Water campaign which is proving a powerful tool in forcing the government to take action to protect the water environment. The ACA has also now extended its remit to the whole of the UK, following its expansion into Scotland earlier this year.

The work of the ACA is funded entirely through membership subscriptions and donations. Without the support of anglers, the ACA would not exist today. Fewer than 1% of the UK’s anglers are currently members. Full annual individual membership is just £ 20 and there are reduced rates for juniors, senior citizens and members of member clubs. Clubs, riparian and fishery owners pay more to benefit from the unique legal protection offered by the ACA.

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