The Environment Agency announced earlier this week that the coarse fish close season on canals in England had been lifted, following approval of a new byelaw by the Fisheries Minister, Elliot Morley.
In the Agency’s Anglian Region this will enable anglers to fish on the Grand Union Canal and parts of the Grantham Canal (subject to local club rules).
Some Waterways are called canals, but are actually rivers and the close season will continue to apply to these waters. Within Anglian Region these waters are:-
* The Fossdyke Canal
* The Louth Canal
* The Horncastle Canal
* The Dilham and North Walsham Canal
The close season will continue to apply to any rivers, streams and drains not named and has been retained at some wildlife conservation sites.
The new byelaw for England dispenses with the statutory coarse fish close season on any canal that:-
* Has an artificial channel (cut);
* Has artificially maintained water levels with negligible flow over majority of its length (other than that derived from water resources and navigation);
* Has a towpath over the majority of its length;
* Has a length in excess of 250m, and
* Is not a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Please Note:
* The statutory close season for coarse fish applies under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 and runs from15 March to 15 June inclusive, unless byelaws are made to specify a different period or to dispense with it on some waters.
* These proposals will not reintroduce a close season on any canal or canal SSSI where this has already been removed
* At present over 30% of the 2631km of canal network does not have a coarse fish close season. This has led to confusion about where the close season does and does not apply.
* The Agency commissioned research on the benefits of the close season to canal fisheries following requests from the angling community that current inconsistencies be resolved. The conclusion of the research project was that “on the grounds of fish stock protection and conservation, the evidence examined has indicated that there would not appear to be any justification for maintaining a close season for coarse fish angling on canals”.
* Research was also carried out on behalf of the Agency by the British Trust for Ornithology to examine the possible impact on birds. This research concluded, “neither the historical data nor the newly collected counts provide evidence that counts of breeding birds differ systematically between canals with and without a close season for fishing”.
* The research conclusions and the Agency’s proposals were supported by all eight Regional Fisheries Advisory Committees and a consultation exercise on the proposals was carried out by the Agency from October 1997 to January 1998, yielding 275 responses.
* Proposals for the byelaw were advertised last November and anyone wishing to object was given a month to do so. In total 31 letters of objection were received, of which 3 were withdrawn before the closing date.
* Separate byelaws have been made for England and Wales. While the byelaw covering England has been confirmed by MAFF, the Welsh byelaw requires the approval of the National Assembly for Wales.
