Environment and Legislation

Rivers are home to many types of wildlife which can be particularly vulnerable to human activity during their breeding seasons. Please avoid sudden or excessive noise or unnecessary disturbance to bankside vegetation.

Gravel beds are often used by fish for spawning and, at certain times of the year, the spawning fish can be disturbed and eggs damaged by trampling. Wilful disturbance is an offence and if you are asked to move on by the EA bailiff please observe any instructions. Ask for identification if you are in doubt.

Use recognised access and landing points and take care not to damage the river bank.

Other River Users

• Show consideration for the local community when parking vehicles; do not obstruct gates and roads.

• Pass other users quietly and quickly and respect their rights to use the river.

• Keep away from banks where angling is taking place.

• Canoe in small groups whenever possible and avoid loitering in pools if anyone is fishing there.

• Give larger craft more room as they are often less able to manoeuvre.

• Do not drop litter or discard unwanted food - take your rubbish home with you

Legislation

SSSI's (Sites of Special Scientific Interest)

SSSI's are designated where a site is acknowledged to have special features of scientific interest. Approximately 300 sites in Wales have been identified as existing or potential canoeing sites.

Sites are identified by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and are designated under the terms of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981). Each SSSI is carefully surveyed and a full description of the site and the reason for its designation are recorded by the CCW. Ownership of the sites is unaffected, but the site is managed under the terms of a specific agreement.

National Parks and the Countryside Act (1949)

The land in National Parks is privately owned. Each Park has a National Park Authority which is charged with ensuring that the purposes of the Park are met. These committees are largely autonomous on most planning matters and policy within the Parks. There are three National Parks in Wales: the Snowdonia National Park, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The European Habitats Directive (1992)

The European Habitats Directive meets the commitments made by the member states at the Biodiversity Convention of the Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992. The Directive gives Europe-wide protection to a range of sites and species, designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC's)

Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975)

This Act imposes a general duty on the Environment Agency to maintain and develop fisheries.

Section 2 (4) makes it an offence for any person wilfully to disturb spawn or spawning fish, or any bed, bank or shallow on which there may be spawn or spawning fish. Unless fish are actually spawning their disturbance is not an offence - though physical disturbance to spawning beds is.

Section 12 (d) makes it an offence to scare or hinder salmon or trout passing through a fish pass and section 17 makes it an offence to scare or disturb salmon or trout within 100 yards below or 50 yards above any obstruction that hinders the passage of such a fish. Natural falls and weirs are included within this category.