RORY IS SHOWN CHALLENGES OF PROTECTING THE LUNE

Rory met this week with local anglers, on the banks of the river Lune,  at Tebay to understand their concerns over the health of the River Lune, and measures that could be put in place to better protect native fish species on the river.

Meeting down on the river itself, the group of anglers, convened by local district councillor Adrian Todd, raised concerns with Rory over the difficulty they had getting relevant agencies and public bodies to understand the threats local fish species were facing on the river, and the difficulty they had reporting incidents of malpractice. The Lune River has seen a dramatic decline in the number of salmon and sea-trout over the last few years. Rory agreed to write to the Environment Agency to ensure a more effective complaints hotline be established, as well as Defra ministers to raise wider concerns about the health of wild salmon on the Lune.

Rory said: “This was once one of the greatest rivers in England, and it’s recent decline has been very sad. We must do all we can to address it. The angling community have always played a hugely important role in understanding and monitoring the health of our rivers. Tebay anglers are an amazing part of our history – a local club who over decades have taken over one of the most special stretches of a national river and continue to work, day in day out, to protect it. Many of the anglers have known the river over decades, will hold a deep, local knowledge about its wildlife and wider ecosystem, and care deeply about its preservation. It is really important that we have the necessary structures and systems in place to ensure that any complaint or concerns are properly and quickly addressed. I am very proud to have been given the opportunity to work with Tebay anglers to protect the Lune.”