WEED CUTTING & EXTRACTION

WEED CUTTING & EXTRACTION – URGENT NOTICE – Dated 24.05.23

Environment Agency gives notice of cessation of weed boom extraction operations on the River Avon and Wylye with immediate effect.

The Wiltshire Fishery Association committee has received notice from the Environment Agency that, for Health & Safety reasons, they will no longer be able to operate their weed extraction booms at Chilhampton on the River Wylye and/or Salisbury on the River Avon. A copy of the letter received from Jim Flory (EA) is shown below.

Without having the EA’s booms installed, the WFA cannot meet the conditions of its existing weed cutting exemption. It therefore falls upon members (and non-members) to make their own arrangements for weed cutting and/or weed extraction for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Legal Position

It is an offence under Section 90 of the Water Resources Act 1991 “to cut vegetation in inland waters without taking reasonable steps to remove it”. If you cut or uproot a substantial amount of vegetation in any inland freshwater (or so near that it falls into an inland freshwater) and don’t take reasonable steps to remove the vegetation from the water, you are undertaking a water discharge activity and may be committing an offence.

You may be exempt from the requirement to hold a permit if you can meet the following conditions:

  1. Vegetation removed from the water is disposed of safely and in accordance with Defra guidance.
  1. If it is necessary to allow vegetation to pass downstream –
    • You give prior notice of the activity to anyone that may be affected.
    • There is sufficient flow to convey the vegetation.
    • You register the exempt activity with the Environment Agency.
    • The activity does not cause pollution.

The WFA committee are only well-intentioned intermediaries in this matter and cannot be held responsible for any damage resulting from weed cutting and/or weed extraction. Riparian owners and lessees allowing weed cuts within their waters should obtain the appropriate permit or exemption from the Environment Agency.

The WFA committee continues to work closely with the Environment Agency to try resolve these issues.

If you have any questions, please contact me by email (see below) – and I will respond as soon as I can.

Yours sincerely,

Bob Wellard –
robertwellard@btinternet.com

On behalf of Wiltshire Fishery Association

By |2023-05-27T18:51:27+00:00May 27th, 2023|News, Weed Cutting|Comments Off on WEED CUTTING & EXTRACTION

WFA 2023 AGM & Newsletter

The Wiltshire Fishery Association AGM with be held on Wednesday 25th Febuary 2023 at Enford Village Hall starting at 10:30

AGENDA
1 Apologies for absence
2 Approval of the minutes of the 2022 AGM
3 Matters arising from the 2022 AGM minutes
4 Financial report on accounts for 2022/2023
5 Chairman’s and Officers’ reports
6 Swans and piscivorous birds
7 Election of Officers and Committee
8 Water Quality Group report
9 Any other business.

Following the formal AGM, at approximately 1200 there will be a talk on river water quality issues by Fergal Sharkey.

By |2023-01-17T17:00:38+00:00January 17th, 2023|News|Comments Off on WFA 2023 AGM & Newsletter

Wiltshire Fishery Weed Cutting Dates 2023

Wiltshire Fishery Association Weed Cutting Dates 2023

Read below or download HERE

River Wylye – Bathampton to Chilhampton No
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN Days
Free weed cutting period – Thurs 14th to Wed 27th April 3
Sat 13th – Tue 23rd May Wed 24th & Thur 25th May 13
Wed 28th June – Thur 13th July Fri 14th & Sat 15th July 18
Wed 16th – Wed 23rd Aug Thur 24th & Fri 25th Aug 10
44
River Wylye – Below Chilhampton
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Free weed cutting period – Thurs 14th to Wed 27th April 3
Tue 16th – Fri 26th May Sat27th & Sun28th May 13
 Fri 30 Jun – Sat 15th July Sun 16th & Mon 17th July 18
Fri 18th – Fri 25th Aug Sat26th & Sun 27th Aug 10
44
River Nadder
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Free weed cutting period – Thurs 14th to Wed 27th April 3
Sat 13th – Tues 23rd May Wed 24th & Thurs 25th May 13
Wed 28th June – Thurs13th July Fri 14th & Sat 15th July 18
Wed 16th – Wed 23rd Aug Thurs 24th & Fri 25th Aug 10
44
River Avon – Above Crossing ‘C’
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Sun 23rd April to Sun 7th May Mon 8th & Tues 9th May 17
Mon 12th to Sat 24th June Sun 25th & Mon 26th June 15
Mon 24th July to Wed 2nd Aug Thurs 3rd & Fri 4th August 12
44
River Avon – Below Crossing ‘C’
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Thurs 27th Apr to Fri 11th May Sat  12th & Sat 13th May 17
 Fri 16th to Wed 28th June Thurs 29th & Fri 30th Jun 15
Wed 26th July to Fri 4th August Sat 5th & Sun 6th August 12
44

*Free Weed Cut – River Wylye & Nadder

                                                                                                                                    

Allows for a Maximum 3-days light cutting (by hand only) from 14th to 27th April, which includes clearing down. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down. Clubs should try to remove cut weed where possible only allowing the minimum amount to travel downstream. Representatives from EA, NE & WFA will continue to monitor weed cutting.

*EA weed booms will not be deployed during the period of the Free weed cut.

*Areas where there are salmon and trout redds and a potential for juvenile fry emergence, especially after a cold winter/early spring, should be left uncut.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 – ‘Exempt Water Discharge Activity’ – The Environment Agency allows members of the Wiltshire Fishery Association to cut weed on the agreed dates and in accordance with the conditions of the exemption.

This programme of dates is now agreed for 2022 and there is no intention to amend it, unless circumstances arise when this is necessary. In that event, the changes will be posted on the this site under “NEWS” and circulated to River Email Groups. Before you cut weed, it is your responsibility to check both the website and your email group.

  1. With the exception of the *Free Weed Cut in April on the Wylye and Nadder (see separate notes above), cutting MUST start at the beginning of the dates allowed.
  2. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down and of any subsequent problems.
  3.  Regular communication with your upstream and downstream neighbours is essential to ensure trouble-free weed cutting and clearing down.
  4. Cutting of weed outside of the authorised dates, without the Agency’s consent, constitutes an offence under Section 90 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
  5. Unauthorised cutting should be reported immediately to the Environment Agency using their Pollution Hotline Tel: 0800 80 70 60 – Note the exact location (grid reference), date & time & take photographs. Do not enter neighbouring property unless you have permission to do so.
  6. Weed cutting should be undertaken in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of the river habitat. Overzealous cutting of in-river weed or marginal vegetation can significantly reduce water levels, which can have a negative impact on invertebrates, fish and other wildlife.
  7. In all cases the final two days, as shown separately in the table above, MUST be regarded as ‘clearing down’ days and any weed not cut before these days, left uncut. In some circumstances, especially in low water periods, you may need to extend the period of clearing down beyond two days, to ensure there’s plenty of time for cut weed to move through the system.
  8. Report all blockages and any other weed related issues immediately to the WFA Hon Sec:

For WFA membership and other enquires contact: Martin Browne – Honorary Secretary

Mobile:  07768354788          email:  Please use sire contact form.

 

By |2022-11-02T08:08:07+00:00October 26th, 2022|News|Comments Off on Wiltshire Fishery Weed Cutting Dates 2023

Gordon Mackie

The WFA is sad to announce the death of Gordon Mackie, author and long term member of both the Wilton and Salisbury & District Angling Clubs.
His funeral will be held at the West Wilts Crematorium Semington on Thursday 30th June at 1;45pm.

The Committee of the WFA send condolences to the Mackie family.

Martin Browne

By |2022-06-21T06:47:13+00:00June 21st, 2022|News|Comments Off on Gordon Mackie

WFA AGM 2022

Wiltshire Fisheries Association – Annual General Meeting.

The 2022 AGM of the WFA will be held via zoom on Friday the 18th of March 2022 at 10:30 am

To attend this virtual meeting please email the Honorary Secretary  wfa.honsec@gmail.com for meeting Link,  ID and Passcode

By |2022-03-08T16:30:41+00:00March 8th, 2022|News|Comments Off on WFA AGM 2022

Weed Cutting Dates 2022

Wiltshire Fishery Association Weed Cutting Dates 2022

Read below or download HERE

River Wylye – Bathampton to Chilhampton No
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN Days
Free weed cutting period – Thurs 14th to Wed 27th April 3
Fri 13th – Mon 23rd May Tues 24th & Wed 25th May 13
Tues 28th June – Wed 13th July Thurs 14th & Fri 15th July 18
Tues 16th – Tues 23rd Aug Wed 24th & Thurs 25th Aug 10
44
River Wylye – Below Chilhampton
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Free weed cutting period – Thurs 14th to Wed 27th April 3
Mon 16th – Thurs 26th May Fri 27th & Sat 28th May 13
     Thurs 30 Jun – Fri 15th July Sat 16th & Sun 17th July 18
Thurs 18th – Thurs 25th Aug Fri 26th & Sat 27th Aug 10
44
River Nadder
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Free weed cutting period – Thurs 14th to Wed 27th April 3
Fri 13th – Mon 23rd May Tues 24th & Wed 25th May 13
Tues 28th June – Wed 13th July Thurs 14th & Fri 15th July 18
Tues 16th – Tues 23rd Aug Wed 24th & Thurs 25th Aug 10
44
River Avon – Above Crossing ‘C’
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Sat 23rd April to Sat 7th May Sun 8th & Mon 9th May 17
Sun 12th to Fri 24th June Sat 25th & Sun 26th June 15
Sun 24th July to Tues 2nd Aug Wed 3rd & Thurs 4th August 12
44
River Avon – Below Crossing ‘C’
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Wed 27th Apr to Wed 11th May Thurs 12th & Fri 13th May 17
 Thurs 16th to Tues 28th June Wed 29th & Thurs 30th Jun 15
Tues 26th July to Thurs 4th August Fri 5th & Sat 6th August 12
44

*Free Weed Cut – River Wylye & Nadder

                                                                                                                                    

Allows for a Maximum 3-days light cutting (by hand only) from 14th to 27th April, which includes clearing down. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down. Clubs should try to remove cut weed where possible only allowing the minimum amount to travel downstream. Representatives from EA, NE & WFA will continue to monitor weed cutting.

*EA weed booms will not be deployed during the period of the Free weed cut.

*Areas where there are salmon and trout redds and a potential for juvenile fry emergence, especially after a cold winter/early spring, should be left uncut.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 – ‘Exempt Water Discharge Activity’ – The Environment Agency allows members of the Wiltshire Fishery Association to cut weed on the agreed dates and in accordance with the conditions of the exemption.

This programme of dates is now agreed for 2022 and there is no intention to amend it, unless circumstances arise when this is necessary. In that event, the changes will be posted on the this site under “NEWS” and circulated to River Email Groups. Before you cut weed, it is your responsibility to check both the website and your email group.

  1. With the exception of the *Free Weed Cut in April on the Wylye and Nadder (see separate notes above), cutting MUST start at the beginning of the dates allowed.
  2. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down and of any subsequent problems.
  3.  Regular communication with your upstream and downstream neighbours is essential to ensure trouble-free weed cutting and clearing down.
  4. Cutting of weed outside of the authorised dates, without the Agency’s consent, constitutes an offence under Section 90 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
  5. Unauthorised cutting should be reported immediately to the Environment Agency using their Pollution Hotline Tel: 0800 80 70 60 – Note the exact location (grid reference), date & time & take photographs. Do not enter neighbouring property unless you have permission to do so.
  6. Weed cutting should be undertaken in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of the river habitat. Overzealous cutting of in-river weed or marginal vegetation can significantly reduce water levels, which can have a negative impact on invertebrates, fish and other wildlife.
  7. In all cases the final two days, as shown separately in the table above, MUST be regarded as ‘clearing down’ days and any weed not cut before these days, left uncut. In some circumstances, especially in low water periods, you may need to extend the period of clearing down beyond two days, to ensure there’s plenty of time for cut weed to move through the system.
  8. Report all blockages and any other weed related issues immediately to the WFA Hon Sec:

For WFA membership and other enquires contact: Martin Browne – Honorary Secretary

Mobile:  07768354788          email:  Please use sire contact form.

 

By |2021-12-09T10:08:51+00:00November 17th, 2021|Weed Cutting|0 Comments

Beaver Consultation – WFA Response

On 25th August 2021 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a public consultation seeking views on its proposed approach to beaver reintroduction and management in England. The consultation is still active but closes shortly on November 17th.  Having been involved in this subject to date and having particular concerns within the chalkstream environment the WFA committee has discussed, drafted and submitted the following response.

Beaver Consultation – Wiltshire Fishery Association (WFA) Response

Click HERE to Read.

By |2021-11-16T19:49:26+00:00November 15th, 2021|News|0 Comments

Weed Cutting Dates 2021

River Wylye – Bathampton to Chilhampton No
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN Days
Free weed cutting period – Wed 14th & Tues 27th April 3
Thurs 13th – Sun 23rd May Mon 24th & Tues 25th May 13
Mon 28th June – Tues 13th July Wed 14th & Thurs 15th July 18
Mon 16th – Mon 23rd Aug Tues 24th & Wed 25th Aug 10
44
River Wylye – Below Chilhampton
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Free weed cutting period – Wed 14th & Tues 27th April 3
Sun 16th – Wed 26th May Thurs 27th & Fri 28th May 13
Wed 30 Jun – Thurs 15th July Fri 16th & Sat 17th July 18
Wed 18th – Wed 25th Aug Thurs 26th & Fri 27th Aug 10
44
River Nadder
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Free weed cutting period – Wed 14th & Tues 27th April 3
Thurs 13th – Sun 23rd May Mon 24th & Tues 25th May 13
Mon 28th June – Tues 13th July Wed 14th & Thurs 15th July 18
Mon 16th – Mon 23rd Aug Tues 24th & Wed 25th Aug 10
44
River Avon – Above Crossing ‘C’
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Fri 23rd April to Fri 7th May Sat 8th & Sun 9th May 17
Sat 12th to Thurs 24th June Fri 25th & Sat 26th June 15
Sat 24th July to Mon 2nd Aug Tues 3rd & Wed 4th August 12
44
River Avon – Below Crossing ‘C’
CUTTING CLEARING DOWN
Tues 27th Apr to Tues 11th May Wed 12th & Thurs 13th May 17
 Wed 16th to Mon 28th June Tues 29th & Wed 30th Jun 15
Mon 26th July to Wed 4th August Thurs 5th & Fri 6th August 12
44

IMPORTANT NOTICE: EA WEED BOOM DEPLOYMENT DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

We are continuing our discussions with the Environment Agency and are hopeful they will be able to install their booms in Salisbury & Chilhampton in 2021, however, this has NOT yet been confirmed. Further updates will be posted on the WFA website as soon as we have more information. Thank you for your continued support.

*Free Weed Cut – River Wylye & Nadder

Allows for a Maximum 3-days light cutting (by hand only) from 14th to 27th April, which includes clearing down. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down. Clubs should try to remove cut weed where possible only allowing the minimum amount to travel downstream. Representatives from EA, NE & WFA will continue to monitor weed cutting.

*EA weed booms will not be deployed during the period of the Free weed cut.

*Areas where there are salmon and trout redds and potential for juvenile fry emergence, especially after a cold winter/early spring, should be left uncut.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations, 2010 – ‘Exempt Water Discharge Activity’ – The Environment Agency allows members of the Wiltshire Fishery Association to cut weed on the agreed dates and in accordance with the conditions of the exemption.

This program of dates is now agreed for 2021 and there is no intention to amend it unless circumstances arise when this is necessary. In that event, the changes will be posted on the WFA website http://wiltshirefisheryassociation.org under “NEWS” and circulated to River Email Groups. Before you cut weed, it is your responsibility to check both the website and your email group.

  1. With the exception of the *Free Weed Cut in April on the Wylye and Nadder (see separate notes above), cutting MUST start at the beginning of the dates allowed.
  2. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down and of any subsequent problems.
  1. Regular communication with your upstream and downstream neighbours is essential to ensure trouble-free weed cutting and clearing down.
  2. Cutting of weed outside of the authorised dates, without the Agency’s consent, constitutes an offence under Section 90 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
  3. Unauthorised cutting should be reported immediately to the Environment Agency using their Pollution Hotline Tel: 0800 80 70 60 – Note the exact location (grid reference), date & time & take photographs. Do not enter neighbouring property unless you have permission to do so.
  4. Weed cutting should be undertaken in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of the river habitat. Overzealous cutting of in-river weed or marginal vegetation can significantly reduce water levels, which can have a negative impact on invertebrates, fish and other wildlife.
  5. In all cases the final two days, as shown separately in the table above, MUST be regarded as ‘clearing down’ days and any weed not cut before these days, left uncut. In some circumstances, especially in low water periods, you may need to extend the period of clearing down beyond two days, to ensure there’s plenty of time for cut weed to move through the system.
  6. Report all blockages and any other weed related issues immediately to the WFA Hon Sec:

For WFA membership and other enquires contact: Bob WellardHonorary Secretary

Office: 01747851418 Mobile: 07872583910 Email: wfa.honsec@btinternet.com

 Website: http://wiltshirefisheryassociation.org

 

By |2020-11-26T14:58:50+00:00November 26th, 2020|Weed Cutting|0 Comments

Weed Cutting Update

I can confirm that for the remainder of this summer WFA members may continue weed cutting in the upper Hampshire Avon catchment (includes all Avon tributaries upstream of Salisbury) without an Environment Agency permit or exemption as long as the following conditions are met:

  • Weed cutting is kept to the minimum amount required to allow angling to take place. Where possible this should be a hand cut only.
  • All cut weed is to be removed in situ and must not be allowed to drift downstream.
  • Any boom or structure used to catch weed that is installed into the river should have a permit where it is not an existing structure or set of hatches for example.
  • Weed should be left to rest for a short time on the bankside to allow invertebrates to re-enter the watercourse, before being removed to a sufficient distance to ensure nutrients from the breaking down weed do not enter the river.

Message ends.

23.07.20

Bob Wellard – WFA Hon Sec

By |2021-12-19T12:07:50+00:00July 23rd, 2020|News|0 Comments

Weed Cutting Update – 21st July 2020

The latest update from the Environment Agency received today, 21st July 2020, is that they have confirmed they will not be able to deploy the boom at Salisbury or Chilhampton. The guidance they have to follow has not changed and despite reviewing a number of options for deploying the boom they have not been able to identify a safe alternative method.

See also notes from the Zoom meeting held between the WFA & Environment Agency on 25th June, which gives a little more detail.

Attendees:
Jim Flory – Environment Agency Area Environment Manager (Avon)
Jim Wreglesworth – Environment Agency Flood & Coastal Risk Manager (Avon & Stour)
Tom Davis – WFA Chairman
Bob Wellard – WFA Hon Sec
Andreas Topintzis – WFA Hon Treasurer
Stuart McTeare – WFA Committee
Martin Browne – WFA Committee (Chairman Wiltshire Keepers)
Martijn Antheunisse – CEO Wessex River Trust
Chris Hodder – WFA Committee
Brigadier Iain Reid – WFA Committee

Meeting Summary

Our meeting focused on two main questions – 1) EA weed extraction boom operations – Salisbury and 2) Illegal weed cutting on the River Avon.

EA’s Weed extraction / boom operations – Salisbury

Q1. With regards to social distancing and working safely during Covid-19 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5eb961bfe90e070834b6675f/working-safely-during-covid-19-construction-outdoors-240620.pdfWill the EA weed extraction team be able to install the booms at Salisbury ahead of the next agreed weed cutting dates, scheduled to start on 25th July?

The short answer to this question, regrettably, there’s NO CHANGE, for the reasons outlined below.
The EA has held a number of meetings with several members of their Ops teams who have many years’ experience installing booms, and many other in-channel works, where they discussed at length the issues for the team associated with working in close proximity.
Whilst most parts of the boom installation process are possible by social distancing, and through hygiene/cleaning measures, it appears they are still unable to come up with a suitable work-around for the process of actually securing the boom (usually achieved by driving long scaffold bars into the river bed), or indeed securing the boom poles themselves into position (which is necessary to keep the boom pins orientated into the correctly elevated position).
The bottom line is the EA requires four members of staff to be in the same boat to complete these tasks, and under current Gov’t & HSE guidance they are not happy they can meet the necessary Health, Safety and Wellbeing standards to manage that risk. Additionally, as part of a government department, the EA are following the same strict guidance for outdoor construction businesses.

How is it the EA can operate its boom on the River Test at Timsbury but not in Salisbury?
The EA’s boom construction and setup process at Timsbury is a relatively low-risk operation compared to the one in Salisbury. The Timsbury boom is a civil engineering construction using a modular platform design and is just 23m long. There is no comparison with the Salisbury boom, which is comprised of an inflatable deflector boom with primary and secondary catching booms, and much bigger at 159m. The Timsbury boom has seen significant investment in recent years, which allows the extraction process to be carried out with fewer people.

Why doesn’t the EA invest in a long term, Hi-Tech solution?
The EA does not have a legal duty to extract cut weed. Whilst the Salisbury boom is ‘low tech’ compared to the one in Timsbury, it did work extremely well before the C-19 pandemic. The cost of the boom operation is shared 50/50 between the EA & WFA owners/ clubs who cut weed. The EA’s contribution comes from Rod Licence fees, which has reduced significantly in recent years. Hence, there’s limited funds for further development of the site. However, it’s worth noting, the cost of the EA’s installation, operation, disposal of the weed and dismantling of the boom and is only ever charged at cost, with no additional ‘profit’ margin, as would be the case if using an outside contractor.

If the EA cannot operate its boom in Salisbury, why not extract the weed at a different location?
Alternative sites have been considered and trialled in the past, but with limited success. Having the boom located in Salisbury allows the capture of weed from the whole of the upper Avon catchment, including the Wylye and Nadder.

What should we do if the C-19 pandemic continues into 2021 and the EA’s position remains unchanged?
We will continue to review the challenges we fact with C-19, however, we have limited options at this stage so we will continue to work with the WFA to support individuals with small-scale, weed cutting and extraction operations as best we can. We will continue to look at affordable technology.

Conclusion
The situation therefore remains un-changed in that, members of the WFA who cut weed will need self-extract, removing all cut weed within the fishery, until further notice.
The WFA will continue to explore opportunities for small-scale extraction and to support clubs/ owners with the process.

Tom Davis expressed his thanks to the EA for joining the zoom meeting, and for being very clear about the situation with the Salisbury boom and for explaining the challenges being faced with the current Covid situation to provide proper protection for EA staff. The WFA is fully supportive of that and that the safety of the weed boom operators remains of paramount importance, whether they be staff or outside contractors.

Illegal Weed Cutting

Q2. The WFA has received reports of illegal weed cutting activity on the Upper Avon. This appears to be an ongoing problem, having been reported to the EA on several occasions. What action is being taken?
It was agreed the WFA & EA would follow up on reports of illegal weed cutting. Specific details have been withheld for legal reasons.

Message Ends

Bob Wellard MIFM – Hon Sec
T: 01747 851418
M: 07872583910
E: wfa.honsec@btinternet.com

By |2020-07-21T16:35:55+00:00July 21st, 2020|Weed Cutting|0 Comments
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