Hi Glowworm
After receiving a VERY frosty reception from the Wild Life Trust man when we launched at Kimmeridge on Saturday, I agree something needs to be done. He acted as if we were going out to kill everything in our path, plus he didn’t bat an eye lid at a couple of anglers launching at the same time!
All I can do is relate to you how the game fishing world organises itself.
We have a national association that looks after all things fishy, the Salmon & Trout Association, they have very good connections with lawyers, MP’s etc. They also have area branches (Wessex) so members can get together etc. and sort out any local problems should they arise.
This seems to work well and if there is any problem on a Dorset River, we can very quickly through the area branch get it raised nationally if need be.
Their BIG push at the moment is education and they have sent out packs to ALL junior schools to teach the children the life cycle of the salmon and how fisherman are guardians of the rivers.
Education is the key - All my angler friends think spearfishing is barbaric, until I explain that all I spear is what I’m going to eat, no hooking small or unwanted species etc. They then start to agree that it is actually the most sympathetic forms of fishing,
So to your original question – yes a local Club would be a great idea, but it would have to belong to a national association, so I guess that would be the British Spearfishing Association.
There would be a need to tell the public the good side of spearfishing, the skill required to dive 30m (I wish!) and how we don’t kill everything that swims in front of us and we do care about our fisheries etc. etc.
Light bulb moment!! I wonder if Tanya Streeter
was asked to host a TV program on spearfishing in the UK if she would do it???????????
