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www.rspb.org.uk
Visit the R.S.P.B website for more information
on our native species.
it's your countryside, so look after it
You Brought your
litter with you , now take it home
The underside of a Pike's jawbone, you can see clearly the cells
that detect small electrical impulses from their prey and enable
them to strike with unbelievable accuracy at slow or sickly fish,
these cells are also present on the sides of the fishes skull,
on the upper jaw, gill covers and general head area, see below
Please use
the information provided on the useful links page to report any
infringement on our fisheries or call the number listed below to
report an
environment agency emergency if you find pollution or dangerous
threats from any source whilst fishing.
Environment agency 24 hour pollution hotline
(0800
807060)
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The Scunthorpe
Police Angling Club follows a keen conservation path determined by
the relevant authorities with strict guidelines in place for the
conservation of waterways and surrounding countryside as well as all
of it's inhabitants, we act swiftly on any information received
concerning its abuse or detriment, all wildlife should be cared for
and protected against those whom wish to harm or abuse it as much of
the surroundings and wildlife have become damaged throughout the
years from those whom are careless and thoughtless, we are proud of
our conservational efforts and try hard to ensure that the waters
that we keep are not only clean but safe for the angler and wildlife
alike, we would hope that our efforts make the impact from anglers
enjoying their sport minimal on the surrounding countryside , the
erection of fishing platforms ,if any, and the trimming of natural
weed and plant growth is done as sympathetically as possible with
little or no effect on the appearance and inhabitants in the areas
being trimmed or pruned, we work hard to keep these areas litter
free and maintain a hard and fast rule for anglers that may abuse
the countryside or leave litter, if you are caught , you are out of
the club forever !, Anglers go fishing not just for the catching of
fish, although this dose help, but they also wish to enjoy the
natural surroundings in which they participate in this great sport
and most of them will tell you that the catching of the fish is only
a small part of a good days fishing, The environment agency dose a
terrific job keeping the banks and general habitat of all animals
and water creatures safe so that they may thrive, they also work
hand in hand with the river authority and other governing bodies to
ensure that the angler has their share of this countryside usage, if
it were not for the environment agencies
work lots of water and riverside would have been closed to the
angler and the fish stocks depleted through miss management or
pollution, every angling club has a duty to support these agencies
for the good of all things piscatorial, fishing and the continuation
of the countryside's beauty and longevity, if every angler across
the country took heed to the preservation of our countryside and
waterways it would be a better place for them and others to visit
and use, please make a concerted effort to safeguard it's future not
only for yourselves but for all.
(please read the 10 simple steps for looking
after your catch by clicking here)
Friend Or Foe
(not all conservation issues are towards the protection of a
species)
Not all creatures or animals are our
friends , especially those which are uncommon to this particular
area of the country or world , conservation is a fine balance ,
things that should be native to a certain area and appear naturally
and things that most definitely should not , the S.P.A.C has found
itself in such a dilemma in the past , finding that one of it’s
lakes has a stock of amphibious creature that do not appear
naturally in this area or even country and could spell disaster for
many of our great natural species that live within the lake.
With a more than keen conservation mind set within the club we were
faced with some what of a double edged sword , on the one hand we
loath the wanton destruction of anything that appears naturally and
will go to any lengths to conserve our natural environment including
everything that lives within it , but on the other we found that we
had an infestation of a totally foreign creature which had the
potential to harm this fine balance that we try to maintain , this
creature is the African clawed frog (xenopus laevis) , unlike our
common frogs and toads these amphibians can cause quite a stir in a
small lake or pond as they have an unusually large appetite , in
many cases eating large amounts of fish eggs , snail eggs, smaller
frogs and toads that are native to this country.
On the discovery of this uncommon frog that was caught on a regular
basis by the anglers that fish the lake , being taken on almost
every bait you can imagine and treated with great care then returned
unharmed to the water , the anglers began to talk amongst themselves
as to its origins , with it having strange markings, claws and a
jelly like feel , obviously realizing that this was a frog that had
no relative place in this country , except in a tank perhaps , this
conclusion was then confirmed by a professor down south somewhere ,
whom became “most exited” by the fact that these African frogs had
not only survived but bred in great numbers and that they were very
bad news indeed for the lake and its natural inhabitants , however
we did not share his enthusiasm for these frogs and sought an in
depth investigation on the subject from those in the field whom new
about the effects of such an alien invasion , it was pondered and
investigated to an exhausting end , having many freshwater and
marine type biologists come to the lake with a whole manner of traps
and gizmos to try and establish the number of frogs and their
apparent effects upon the lake , eventually arriving at the same
conclusion , which was , “get them out” and make sure they stay out
, so as many of the said beings were taken by these biologists as
they could trap until the traps lay empty for a period of time , as
to ascertain the complete removal of these amphibians.
So as you can obviously gather these frogs were in direct conflict
with our own finely balanced conservation mindset and were most
definitely a threat from a keen conservationists point of view ,
even if it meant the eradication of these frogs altogether this
would be the correct coarse of action it seems , so in conclusion it
is not just the conservation of our natural creatures and
surroundings but the eradication of the threats to our natural
inhabitants that is also of vital importance , one can but wonder
how they came to their conclusions on the great Cormorant debate ?
if these birds have threatened our natural fish stocks it must have
had a diverse effect on the native wildlife.
“They
say that on a clear day you may see a shape beneath the water or
hear a distant croak , “then this would fall in line with the
monster fish that have been seen but not caught , for us anglers are
a very inventive lot” , “but keen conservationists all the same" !
Continued
below
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The Kingfisher
(Alcedo Atthis)
The Kingfisher
has long been noted for its association with the angler with it's
unrivalled ability to catch fish, shrill voice and vivid colours
This little bird does not migrate and
chooses to stay within the countryside during the winter months
searching out waters that do not freeze, i.e. flowing rivers and
streams
During the breeding
season this bird will venture onto small ponds and lakes as long as
they have some areas of high banking for them to make their nests ,
these being around one and one half to two feet in depth and just
large enough for them to fit in with a nesting chamber at the end of
the tunnel like structure, a task which is undertaken by both birds
male and female.
These pairs normally lay two sets of eggs , laying six to seven eggs
each time , the first of these occur from April to June and then
again June to July of which the female incubates whilst the male
takes care of the food but it is not uncommon for the male to give
the female a rest from the incubation so that she may stretch her
wings and wash nearby.
The young will usually hatch eighteen to twenty one days after and be looked after by
both parents for twenty five to twenty seven days until they have
fledged although further food may be brought to the young birds
until they venture further from the nest , their diet mainly
consists of small fish , crustaceans and insects although they may
take other food as and when the opportunity arises.
The Kingfisher will grow to a
size of 16.5 cm and lays a pure white egg , both male and female
have the same plumage and colorations and are excellent anglers , a
truly remarkable bird. |
