Switzerland is a strange country famous for cuckoo clocks, leather shorts, a knife that has destroyed more trouser pockets than any other and making money laundering an art form.  Now news reaches me of a potential threat to angling as we know it coming out of Switzerland and I don't mean a legion of redundant clock makers wearing cow hide trousers wielding spoons attached to small red pocket knives.  It would seem that there is currently legislation passing through the Swiss parliament that will have the effect of making it a criminal offence to practise catch and release on the Swiss rivers.  This is a clause buried away in a new animal welfare Bill which states that it will be an offence to fish with the intention of releasing a fish once caught.  The clause will make it mandatory to dispatch every fish with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument.

Now I'm not aware that Switzerland is a must go destination for many UK anglers, but that's not the point.  The real threat here comes from our own animal welfare lobby who I'm sure are watching the passage of this legislation with interest and already drawing up plans to lobby for similar legislation in the UK.  The effect of such a law would be catastrophic for our conservation programmes.  Just imagine the impact on native fish stock on heavily fished rivers where every fertile hen fish is removed from the gene pool.  It will be short order before the only way to maintain an adequate fish stock will be by constant stocking with reared fish, course and game fish alike.

We need to watch this one and stay ahead of the game.

I was cheered up considerably yesterday morning by a conversation with a member who called to collect a guest ticket.  He had been a member of MAA for many years, but left when the fish cage at the Tarn took its toll on both water and fish quality.  He rejoined last year and now tells me that he had the best days dry fly fishing on the Tarn last week he has had in his entire life.  Thanks Peter, it's good to know that all our efforts are producing results that members appreciate.

It's not a bad morning.  It's warm with a light breeze, a lot of high cloud and some sunny breaks.  So a good day for wetting a fly.

Ian