Angling club condemns Wye pollution plan

Club condemns pollution plan as inadequate

The Ross on Wye Angling Club (RoWAC) has expressed “bitter disappointment” with the Environment Agency’s Diffuse Water Pollution Plan for the River Wye Special Area of Conservation, calling it “totally inadequate to effectively address and reverse the pollution crisis the River Wye now faces”.

Issuing a statement on behalf of the club, secretary Dr Peter Richardson said: “We join a growing chorus of voices in calling for the urgent declaration of a cross-border Water Protection Zone now to save the River Wye, and the strongest programme of measures to be implemented in the upcoming revisions of the River Basin Management Plans for the Wye in England and Wales that will specifically target and reverse agricultural and waste-water pollution. We also call for enforcement action against polluters breaking the law, and financial support for those farmers keen [to] transition to river-friendly, regenerative farming along the Wye.”

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Century of stewardship on the Wye

The club has cared for 5.5 miles of river near Ross-on-Wye for over a century, providing angling for hundreds of members and attracting day-ticket anglers. Dr Richardson highlighted the visible impact of pollution: “We see and smell the pollution on a daily basis – and it hurts our hearts.”

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Salmon decline on club waters

He also noted the decline of Atlantic salmon on club waters: “The last ‘good’ year for the Club was 2017 when 44 salmon were caught, but last season was the first on record that our salmon anglers failed to land a single ‘King of the River.’ This most recent season was marginally better, with four salmon having been landed in the club waters by season end in October.”