FishingMagic Supports the ACAFishingMagic is a great supporter of the Angler’s Conservation Association and has been running adverts, free of charge, for some months. The ACA is very grateful to Graham and FishingMagic for promoting our work.
We rely heavily on the support of the angling trade, and media, to make sure that anglers are aware of our existence. We hope that once they hear about our work they will feel inspired to join the organisation, which will cost them just £ 20 a year. Graham has asked me to write a few paragraphs about the work of the ACA, and to give you an update about our recent successes. For those of you who don’t know of us, the ACA is a unique organisation established in 1948, which uses the law to fight pollution and other damage to water environments throughout the UK. Rivers and stillwaters are under threat from pollution, water abstraction, escaped farmed fish, weirs and flood defence works. The ACA aims to stop this damage, and to seek compensation for our members, when it does occur. We are currently fighting 60 legal cases on behalf of our members. We make polluters pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation every year and secure injunctions to stop further damage.
The ACA legal team also offers advice to hundreds of member clubs and riparian owners each year, about a wide range of angling and related law, completely free of charge. We also lobby government for legislation (and enforcement of existing laws) to protect fisheries. I took over the running of the ACA in March of 2005 and with the support of our board, have been making a lot of changes to the way the organisation is run. We have put the poor financial performance of the last decade behind us and are now in a position where we have been able to recruit new staff and expand the service we provide to clubs. We have settled 10 cases this year already, winning nearly £ 100,000 in compensation for the members whose water was affected by pollution or other damage. If you would like any more information about our work, then please do not hesitate to contact us at the ACA office or look at our website for the latest news. In July 2004, a discharge of farm slurry into Coombes Brook, caused a huge plume of polluted water, going straight into the Churnet and Cauldon Canal, killing thousands of adult fish and fry including: dace, roach, perch, bream, pike, carp, gudgeon and bullheads. The Environment Agency investigated, but the farmer was let off with a formal caution. There was no prosecution and no fine. Fortunately the Potteries Angling Society (PAS), and indeed the owner of the fishing rights affected, are both members of the ACA. We were therefore able to step in and hit the farmer with a civil claim for damage to the fishery and we secured £ 15,000 for the Potteries Angling Society.
In another case, we secured £ 8,500 in damages following the discharge of gallons of water from a burst water main into Brick Farm Lake, near Battle in East Sussex in April 2005. The chlorinated mains water carried sediment and pollutants from the road surface, into the feeder stream for Brick Farm lakes, causing a significant number of fish to be killed. The owners of the lakes immediately contacted the ACA, of which they are longstanding members. Acting through its loss adjusters, South East Water denied liability. The ACA was left with no choice but to issue an application at the County Court to force the utility to release relevant documents concerning the burst. South East Water then agreed to settle the claim. Recently, we have issued a £ 1,000 reward for information leading to the prosecution of a lorry driver who dumped several tonnes of oil into the Barrow Beck and then Swanside Beck, killing thousands of fish in the River Ribble, in July this year. Two of the angling clubs on whose behalf we are acting have generously offered to match this reward and therefore there is £ 2,000 available. This new way of finding information reflects our new, proactive approach. These cases not only hit polluters where it hurts (in their profits), but they act as a deterrent to other would-be polluters and benefit the whole sport of angling, and the wildlife of our rivers and lakes. At a national level, we have been campaigning hard with other organisations to improve the management of our fisheries. The fact that we represent 10,000 members and 1,000 angling clubs, opens doors in government. But we know we could be so much more effective if we had more members and more money. We can only do that with the support of people like you. As we are completely independent, we rely entirely on the subscriptions and donations of our members for our income. This is the way it has been ever since our formation in 1948. If you’re not a member, for whatever reason, I hope very much that you will see that the ACA is doing a great job to fight for the interests of anglers and fisheries. I really hope that you feel inspired now to go to www.a-c-a.org and download a membership form, or give us a call, to discuss membership. If you can sign up by Direct Debit that would be even better, as it saves us money in administration and means that we don’t have to remind you to pay your subscription each year. However if you choose to support us, we promise to spend your subscription wisely in our fight to make polluters, and anyone else who harms our fish stocks, pay for the damage they cause. Individual membership is just £ 20 a year, less than most anglers spend on equipment in one visit to a tackle shop. If you belong to a club which is a member of the ACA, it is only £ 12 a year, just £ 1 a month. Club, Riparian owner and commercial fishery membership rates are detailed on the membership form. If you are interested in signing up your club for the unique legal protection we offer, then please contact us to discuss this. If you have any questions about membership, or about anything to do with our work, then please get in touch on 01568 620447, by e-mail to admin@a-c-a.org ACA, Eastwood House, 6 Rainbow Street Mark Lloyd, Executive Director Fight for Pure Waters. Make Polluters Pay. |
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