Don’t be a Christmas Turkey!It is pleasant, in the course of a day’s fishing, to observe the various creatures we share the waterside with. Perhaps that is why so many anglers are also bird-lovers. And what better way for them to show their commitment to the bird world than to join the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
A relatively high proportion of UK anglers are RSPB members and supporters. Sounds cosy, doesn’t it – anglers yet again showing their commitment to the environment in a practical way, and by the donation of hard cash. But what almost no anglers realise, and indeed no members of the RSPB amongst the general public seem to know, is that the organisation they belong to is effectively waging war against anglers. Angling, the hierarchy of the RSPB have decreed, is detrimental to birds. And so they want to see anglers off any land they own. Surprised? You may well be, because the RSPB does not declare this view as part of its official policy. It has not even seen fit to tell its own members. The RSPB was recently determined to ban angling on land it had acquired on a large proportion of the River Yar on the Isle of Wight. If they had succeeded, it would have left coarse fishermen on the Isle of Wight with practically no freshwater river to fish. In the end, the RSPB climbed down. But that is not the end of the story. The RSPB has recently bought Burton Mere on South Wirral, a noted day-ticket coarse fishery for thirty years with an enviable record of producing specimen fish, built up by anglers of course, and a venue which incidentally has grown into a noted haven for wildlife, including birds. And guess what – the RSPB’s very first move on purchase was to ban angling there with effect from 16 January 2008. NUBA was the first organisation to highlight this secret RSPB agenda of banning angling on land and property they own. May I suggest that if you are an angler, you should cancel your RSPB membership immediately? Fortunately the RSPB is not the only organisation which caters for bird lovers. I would recommend any bird-loving angler to join instead the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), a serious organisation which is very keen to have anglers as members. You can find them at www.bto.org or write to them at BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU. Their telephone number is 01842 750050. Otherwise, by belonging to the RSPB you’ll be like a turkey voting for Christmas.
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