Don't we already have that baseline or how are our rivers judged to be clean or not? A baseline that this country has failed to get anywhere near with around just 17% of our rivers meet the very modest "good" target of the WFD 17% in 17 years not much of an achievement imo.
No Graham we don't have that baseline data via the WFD not to the level I'm talking about. It doesn't look in detail at water chemistry and pollutants, all it does is look at NPK and the level contained in the test water once or twice a year. Under the type of baseline study data I'm referring to, that 17% would be lucky to make 2%
In her speech on the environment a couple of weeks ago the prime minister affirmed that all environmental measures from the EU will be kept, I take that to include the water framework directive although without the will to improve our rivers to the WFD standard it means nothing.
And you believe that? Only last week this government vote to drop the Human Rights Charter when we leave the EU. Now what did they say only a few months ago? All EU law/ regs/directives will be transposed into UK. HRC didn't last long did it? In fact it didn't last until we left before they voted it out and every other law, reg,directive they don't like will go the same way. And mark my words, Environmental law is right up in the firing line.
I don't believe that the government have the will to force water companies to clean up the water they put back into our rivers nor will they change the law allowing raw sewage to be pumped into the rivers at times of flood, they have had many years to change this and haven't.
I don't disagree with what you say here but nobody gave a rats ar*e about plastics in the oceans 12-18 months ago. This government couldn't act quick enough to be seen to be doing something about it to try and entice the young environmentally aware voters. Oh and where does most of the plastics in the UK come from that enters our coastal water? Oh yeah down the rivers!
Some of the organisations you mention do have experience in campaigning on these types of matters, if they are so good at campaigning why are our rivers still polluted? I believe its because the general public have no idea what is in our rivers and if there are no votes to be had why bother should government bother doing anything about it?
Like all national/global bodies they have a limited pot of money to use on campaigns one things clear by hell have they made a difference as far as oceanic plastic is concerned. Correct the general Public don't and why we need those alliances and skills with those bodies to bring it into the public's mindset.
I don't think that the BS have blamed otters for all that ails our rivers they will be just as aware of all the other problems, problems that all the campaigning has all but failed to rectify since WFD in 2000, if any government took the state of our rivers seriously they would have reached better than 17% although they did reach 29% at one time for it only to drop back to 17%. to believe that anglers only see part of our rivers problems is to suggest that they are not informed enough to see the big picture, I think that most are well aware of the problems.
If the BS are well aware of the other problems then they've done ****** all about them. Out of 21 points listed in their conservation, research and lobbying it isn't until 3rd and 4th from the bottom before they address it 20% is banging on about Otters. I have to say Graham a large part of Anglers don't know about the threats of desecrate pollution to rivers and stillwaters and that's based on talking to anglers when out bailiffing. The vast majority give you the 10 mile gaze, as if you've got a second head grown on your shoulders.
I don't think this petition is putting anything at risk, we anglers are far to afraid of others and what they think of us and remember this petition is calling for none lethal methods of control which is very different to the Badger culls that took place with thousands of Badgers slaughtered ( they are just as protected as the otter) that the public soon forgot about not that the petition is calling for a cull it isn't.
I disagree entirely with statement! We have already none-lethal measure at out disposal and I've been a pains above pointing them out. So if the BS weren't aware of them then they are even more misguided in starting this petition than even I thought. And if they were why start it? Unless there is and ulterior and misleading motive to it. And there Mr Breakspear by his posting on Facebook (as quoted above) may have given the game away.
The public have not forgot about the badger cull, there are Badger groups out every night during the culling period to try and disrupt the shooting of them.
If this petition achieves one thing that being the wider realisation by the public of the state of our rivers it will have achieved something, it may fail to get anything done about controlling otter numbers but at least they will have tried which imo is a lot more than some are prepared to do and better than doing nothing.
Yes at the cost of the loss of that public support for angling, that as far as I and many others are concerned is a price we are not prepared to pay as it make us a sitting target for the antis and a banning of the sport I love and have done for 60 years.
River pollution will never become the "next plastics bombshell" the reason for that I believe is because all the public see is a clear river they think its clean they haven't a clue about all the diffuse pollution in our rivers and their drinking water whereas plastic is tangible it can be seen it can be touched, diffuse pollution cannot.
Rather a defeatest point of view there Graham! It will and can with the right tactical campaign! The threats to human health will only get greater as the population hits 70 million over the next 10 years and that population become even more reliant on extracted river water. Polluted water that they technologically have great difficulty in purfying and extracting many of the pollutants from. It is the gift that will keep giving to the right tatical canpaign.
