17/03/2006 - As Spring
approaches and wildlife gets busy in the
Lincolnshire countryside, the REEL project
team has also been busy making improvements
for fishing and quiet recreation. Money
from Lincolnshire County Council the European
Regional Development Fund and the Environment
Agency is funding the REEL Project.
The main objectives are to improve habitat
for fisheries and quiet recreation, improve
access to watercourses for all anglers and
increase the number of people taking part
in the sport of angling.
Last year local people had the chance to
say what they would like done with the £500,000
available and as a result several projects
are now under way or finished.
Habitat Enhancement
In Boston a reed bed has been improved at
Cowbridge Drain, off the Maud Foster just
north of the town. This silted up channel
has a reed fringe which is important habitat
and locally rare. Without management the
drain would become choked by weeds and trees
and lose its ecological value.
Environment Agency Fisheries Officer Reuben
Page had the idea to excavate an area through
the reed bed to create an offline channel
with pools.
‘Enhancing the reed bed will provide a
fish refuge during high water flows when
fish could be washed out to sea,’ said Reuben.
‘This area now provides excellent habitat
for fish to feed, rest and breed, it will
improve fish survival and increase fishing
potential in the area’.
REEL is hoping to provide a viewing platform
for bird watching at Cowbridge Drain.
The site is owned by Witham Fourth Internal
Drainage Board, who will manage and maintain
the area.
Access Improvements
Twenty new fishing platforms have already
been installed on the Maud Foster drain
near Boston. These will improve access to
the water and enhance match angling in the
area.
Design work is underway on other platforms
to make access to the water’s edge easier
for all anglers including wheelchair users,
in the Lincoln and Boston areas. Several
sites are being considered and access to
the best locations will be improved.
The platforms are also useful for formal
and informal coaching, as they are large
enough for two people to stand side by side.
This will hopefully encourage more people
to ‘have a go’ at freshwater fishing.
Boston & District Angling Association
(BDAA) have been given safety equipment,
training and a strimmer to manage weed growth
around their platforms. Lincoln & District
Angling Association (LDAA) are waiting to
complete the training and then they will
receive their strimmer. This package has
also been offered to Scunthorpe & District
Angling Association and Witham & District
Joint Angling Federation to maintain banks
in their patch.
Angling Participation
In line with REEL’s objectives to increase
angling in the area a junior angling event
with Lincoln Get Hooked on Fishing was held
at Burton Water fisheries near Lincoln where
55 youngsters had a go at fishing for the
first time.
Equipment and prizes have been given for
junior members of Boston & District
(BDAA) and Lincoln & District Angling
Associations (LDAA) for their summer events
in 2005 and REEL has provided leaflets and
posters to help advertise Boston Youth Angling
Team summer events. As a result they gained
22 new members.
The Environment Agency is providing coaching
training, through the National Federation
of Anglers, for four members of LDAA and
two members of BDAA. When the coaches are
qualified later this year they will each
give one hundred hours of coaching back
to the community.
There will be more fishing events this
summer. If you live in the Lincoln or Boston
area and are interested in ‘having a go’
at fishing for the first time, whatever
your age, then please get in touch with
Amanda Jenkins at the Environment Agency
on 08708 506506.
The REEL Project is funded by Lincolnshire
County Council, the European Regional Development
Fund and the Environment Agency.
Notes to Editors:
The REEL (Recreation and Environmental Enhancements
in Lincolnshire) project is part of the
Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership initiative
to regenerate Lincolnshire through its waterways.
The Environment Agency is the leading organisation
for protecting and improving the environment
in England and Wales. We are responsible
for making sure that air, land and water
are looked after by today’s society, so
that tomorrow’s generations inherit a cleaner,
healthier world.
