FISH ON!
The Wild Trout Society
by Charles Rangeley-Wilson
About a year ago Richard Slocock and I started talking about the idea of forming a society which would campaign specifically for the cause of wild trout and cater for the needs of those who value wild trout fishing. We were inspired by the fact that in many different ways, some obvious and some subtle, the wild trout is a threatened species in Great Britain.
A number of threats are what might be called large scale: abstraction, dredging, eutrophication and afforestation. The subtler threats often come from ignorance within the angling world. The greatest of these is our growing dependence on stocking in rivers and stillwaters which, if they were more sensitively managed, are capable of supporting good stocks of wild trout. Overall we felt that there was a strong need for education and for raising the profile of the wild trout.
We sat down and sketched out a rough outline for a Wild Trout Society that would campaign for both the protection and improvement of our wild trout waters. We then phoned around the country, canvassing support and opinion and enrolling Regional Secretaries; these included REFFIS members Lesley Crawford (North Scotland), John Todd (Northern Ireland) and Andrew Ryan (Eire). We found that many other people were thinking along the same lines, all enthusiastic and busy figures in the wild trout world but very interested in the idea of a unifying organisation. Lastly, we needed a chairman and who better than Mike Weaver, a prominent figure and long-standing ally of wild trout.
So what will the Wild Trout Society do? Well, firstly, we believe that because we are catering specifically for the needs of the wild trout we will be able to focus accurately on particular issues. The emphasis is on active involvement, indeed several projects are already being discussed throughout Britain.
The preparation of guidelines on the management of wild trout waters has a high priority. The WTS will provide a pool of information on river restoration and enhancement including the very latest research. Also planned is a list of waters prepared to offer a limited amount of day tickets to WTS members, whether run by clubs, associations or individual riparian owners.
That's just the beginning. We are a new organisation and we are open to ideas and new members, who, for a modest sum (£10 this year), can look forward to access to an increasing amount of WTS waters.
To find out more call Mike (01647 281671), Charles (01738 880243) or Richard (01305 848460).