The Scottish Government has requested consultation responses to the Wild Fishery Review to be with them
no later than the 2nd May 2016. This potential legislation will have a dramatic impact on our sport should it be enacted. It will prevent access and become a barrier to entry for youngsters keen to enjoy the pastime we have all been privileged to participate in.
The first link below is to a PDF file of template which addresses the main points relating to the proposal. This bill will make it a criminal offence to fish without the express written permission of an Owner however it does not place an obligation on an owner to provide reasonable access as per the current system of Protection Orders. If this Bill is enacted as drafted then access to Non Atlantic Salmon Fisheries will be seriously curtailed.
Whilst the letter is addressed specifically to the Scottish Government we would also urge you also to consult with your MSP’s to ensure they know your feelings on this subject.
When you send in the response to the Scottish Government you must also comply with Chapter 8 of the Consultation to ensure your response it properly dealt with. For ease of reference a copy of this section is linked to as a PDF - the fourth link below. A failure to comply with this could invalidate your response so please take time to get this right.
If writing to to your MSPS this is a useful link listing them. Just put in your postcode.
https://www.writetothem.comThe original consultation solicited around 200 responses from mainly Salmon interests so it is important we get as many responses as possible. Should you wish to alter the template response then a Word version of the document is also provided (second link below) and a plain unformatted text document (third link below) . Otherwise just print off the PDF version put your name and address at the top and send it to the Scottish Gov as directed by Chapter 8.
Thank you to those of you who take time to do this. For those of you wavering then just think about what you’ll do when access to your favourite loch or river has been taken away from you. Starting smoking again and going to the football on a Saturday afternoon are two pastimes I’d not recommend.
It is in all of our interests to get families and friends to respond as well. Please pass on the link to this forum page.This page is open to all, no registration on this forum is required to read this or to access the documents.
PDF of response template. http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/wfr/Wild_Fisheries_Reform.pdfEditable MS Word document of response template. http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/wfr/Wild_Fisheries_Reform.docEditable unformatted text document of response template. http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/wfr/Wild_Fisheries_Reform.txtPDF of Scottish Government's response guidancehttp://www.wildfisher.co.uk/wfr/Scot_Gov_Guidance_on_WFR_response..pdfYour response can be easily submitted herehttps://consult.scotland.gov.uk/wild-fisheries-reform-team/draft-wild-fisheries-strategy
There are lots of text boxes where our own response doc (above) can be pasted in. It really is very easy.
