The ACA, the unique organisation set up in 1948 to use the law to make polluters pay for damaging the nation’s fisheries, has recently launched a new facility on its website (Welcome to the ACA) for anglers to sign up for membership, make donations and buy merchandise using a credit, debit card or Paypal account. It is also possible for anglers to download a subscription form to print out and complete.

Now there is no excuse not to be a member!

are the ACA fighting a case against Birmingham City for removal of coarse fish and the non removal they where left in the mud to die..just interested thats all

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probably the biggest wind up artist in Birmingham

Dear Larry,
Sorry not to have posted until now on this.
We would be able to act in this case if the fishing club or lake owner had been a member of the ACA. As far as I am aware, we have not been contacted by either regarding the removal (and non-removal) of fish from this lake.
We can only act for our members - please encourage your club to sign up.
We also need more individual members to help us lobby government at all levels to stop this kind of thing happening in the first place.
Sign up now at Welcome to the ACA
Many thanks and all best wishes,
Mark

Mark Lloyd
Executive Director, ACA

Been a member for a long time. A lot of changes to the ACA in the last few years. It seems at last the organisation is being run in a more 'business ' like manner. I was sad when Chris Tarrant resigned ( A while ago now) as he was very high profile with regard to promoting both the ACA and Angling in general.

However the excellent Annual report that recently dropped through the letter box shows the ACA are doing a great job.

Join today u know it makes sense ..........................

Just joined up today. I've been a bit ignorant of the ACA to be honest, having known about it for a while and not done anything about it. Shame on me.

thanks Mark

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probably the biggest wind up artist in Birmingham

Wigan Dan - many thanks for signing up. Don't beat yourself up about not doing so before. We should have done a better job in the past of promoting the important work we do. We're working on doing this now.
Please help spread the word!
Cheers
Mark

Sorry james, but where does the E.A come into this. Aren,t they responsible for pollution issues, effluant discharges, upkeep of watercouses etc. I mean this in the nicest way but please answere me this, as i know there are a few out there that would also enjoy the enlightenment.

1, What am i paying the E.A for.
2, Are the E.A falling short of their responsibilities.
3, Are we as anglers having too pay twice for the same service.
4, Is the E.A sitting back and watching the ACA do their job.
5, Is the ACA making a positive impact.

With regard to law enforcement, the EA only prosecutes within the laws of the land. Therefore the punishment often falls way short of the crime in terms of the fine . Any fine levied are paid to the Treasury not to the club or individual who has had their waters polluted.
An ACA action is fought through the civil courts were the damages can be much more substantial and the most important thing is any damages are paid to the club or person being represented by the ACA.

Over 3000 cases have been contested and only 3 have ever been lost. Over £400,000 in damages have been won for clubs or owners to repair the damage. A token standard fine to the treasury wont help your club get it's fish back but a civil lawsuit which costs u the price of a yearly subscription to the ACA might!

Paul is absolutely right on that point; the damages we win go to the angling clubs and fishery owners who were affected. Last year we recovered over £140,000 in 18 cases, for clubs and owners who suffered pollution, abstraction and damage to habitats on their rivers, lakes, canals and private fisheries.
We also use the law to fight for anglers' interests more generally. The EA has to balance its fisheries duties with flood defence, water resources etc. The money paid in the licence goes to support its fisheries work, which involves stocking, habitat management, etc. Despite the fact that this income has been growing in recent years, the government grant which supports fisheries from general taxation has been falling, so anglers are paying more and more for the work done by the fisheries department, which has benefits for everyone. We have been lobbying government to reverse this decline, which looks as if it might be successful.
The ACA also campaigns to change government policy (see Blueprint for Water for an example of a recent campaign we were involved in). This isn't something the EA can do. This campaign has been very successful and we have had meetings with the head of the EA, the Water Minister, the head of OFWAT and numerous other government officials.
Again, this is not something the EA can do - it is guided by DEFRA policy, but isn't meant to lobby government like this.
The ACA does work alongside the EA in some cases, for example where our civil claim would back up a criminal prosecution. We have a good working relationship with the fisheries department. However, we also monitor their work and where they cause damage to fisheries, we will take action against them.
Are we making a positive impact? Certainly where we have members who own or lease fishing we can act, but tragically far too many pollution incidents occur and we are unable to act as the clubs/owners affected were not members. We have limited funds to act, as only 10,000 anglers are members, compared to the 1.3 million who buy a licence. If more anglers could spare just £20 a year to support our work, we would be able to do far more.
Hope this helps!
Sign up now at Welcome to the ACA

Mark Lloyd
Executive Director, ACA