On October 26th I Joined representatives from several local angling clubs at a March For The Torridge. Over sixty from various organisations gathered to demonstrate their support for efforts to work together for the long term health of North Devon’s rivers. It is very apparent that there is a great deal of passion for our rivers with many working to get the issues that are impacting upon their health higher onto the political agenda. The Taw and Torridge Estuary Forum work with the North Devon Biosphere on a catchment based approach. It is essential that all parties put aside their differences and unite in the interest of the rivers that are the vital arteries of the land.
I was asked to say a few words and told of how I had witnessed the dramatic decline of salmon in the Torridge a river that a few decades ago saw catches in the hundreds. This years total rod catch is less than a dozen. Surely a symptom of a wider ecological issue?