At the LDAC AGM The Secretary noted that the Committee had met 6 times in the year and that their attendance had been excellent. Much time and effort had been spent at these meetings trying to find the right balance between managing external relationships (with the EA/FRA), protecting river stocks and supporting the members’ sport.
Whilst this had not always been easy it is a credit to the Committee that consensus was reached and that the EA had been supportive of the Club’s position. This was reflected in the successful negotiations over the new NLO for the Fowey and no immediate threat of bye-law introductions.
The (voluntary) catch/release and restrictions/rules put in place for 2018 would now extend into the 2019 season and if any changes were proposed after the FRA/EA 2019 meeting had taken place then membership would be informed. In the meantime copies of the rules were made available at the meeting for those seeking a copy.
It was noted that there was an error in the December newsletter…..barbless hooks to be used after 31st August, not before June 16th as stated.
Other key issues in the year have included –
Protecting the fishing owned by the Club
- Ownership of and access to fishing rights on the stretch above the road bridge (Newbridge, River Lynher) was disputed by the new owners of Turnpike Cottage. The Committee stepped in and successfully resolved the dispute without resorting to costly litigation. New access points had been created and the membership are encouraged to access and fish the stretch.
- The Secretary noted that fishing rights and access issues were critical to the Club’s future and asked members to immediately make the Committee aware of any attempts to close off/change access or to try to dissuade the Club members from fishing our beats. The sale of any property adjoining fishing should also be advised as such changes often led to difficulties over ownership and access.
Additional fishing rights at Newbridge (River Fowey) came to the market during the year. The Club attempted to purchase these but the sale fell through before contracts were exchanged. More details can be found in the Treasurer’s report.
Work parties had started again and the Secretary reminded all members that it was important that they signed the risk assessment form before starting work. Failure to do so could negate both personal and Club insurances.
The Secretary reminded members to advise of any address or email changes asap. Failure to do so would inevitably result in lost contact.