The weather here on Friday was truly appalling.  It rained hard from early morning right through to late evening and by the afternoon the river was in full spate.  Yesterday was drier so the level has dropped off considerably, but today has begun wet with an increasing cloud cover so river levels are set to rise again.

We put some fine looking fish into the Tarn yesterday to complement the remaining residents so fishing here should remain good for the next few weeks.  Once again I am impressed with the quality of the stock that Dunsop Trout Farm are providing.  These are perfect fish, fully finned with no sign of ragged or stunted tails.  They will take well and fight the line.

Turning to things crayfish related.  Paul B ran a crayfish course at the Tarn yesterday and though I could not stay to see all the traps retrieved first impressions are that our population remains strong and healthy.  I will get the results of the trapping from Paul over the next few days.

The strategy workshop at Malham ended with some real progress made and in a very positive atmosphere.  I absented myself from the field visits in the morning as I have seen most of the sites and have a healthy aversion to getting pointlessly wet.  I arrived at the Centre in time for a massive buffet lunch and a very useful conversation with a member of the new Angling Trust.  We talked at length about fishery conservation, sources of funding  for further habitat work and some practical steps that we can take to further promote the recruitment of wild trout.

After lunch there were a series of presentations from EA regional teams outlining their crayfish work and the challenges that they face in controlling the spread of non natives and preserving remaining native populations.  Some of this was quite depressing.  The maps showing the decline in native crayfish distribution are quite alarming and clearly show that we here in the north west are right on the front line of the battle to ensure the survival of our white clawed crayfish.

The final session was extremely positive.  We pulled together all the thinking that had gone on over the two days with a focus on how to use existing powers to firstly limit the spread of non native crayfish and secondly preserve remaining populations of white claws.  The outcome was a set of action points that will be used to draw up a national crayfish strategy that clearly identifies the steps that must be taken by various public bodies to protect and preserve our ecology from the threat posed by non natives and how we can all work together to promote the well being of the white claws.  Education will be a prime element of this strategy and engaging fishermen will be crucial.  When you have seen the evidence that I have of the impact of American signal crayfish on the viability of a fishery, doing everything possible to prevent their arrival on your waters becomes a no brainer.

All in all a very positive outcome.  I was very impressed with the passion and commitment demonstrated by all delegates.  If only a fraction of this can be harnessed to implement the actions then real changes will take place.  Quickly!

Ian