Riverwatch - your rivers need you more than ever

They say anglers are the eyes and ears of the aquatic environment. Our rivers and drains need us all to keep an eye on them more than ever, both during the close season and over the longer term.

While most of us have now hung up the pike rods, not everyone's stopped fishing for the three-month lay-off after March 14. Pike anglers have reported three incidents of people fishing illegally within the first 10 days of the close season on the Twenty Foot, the Ouse and the Cam.

The Environment Agency has changed its focus from part-time bailiffs checking rod licences to full-time enforcement officers tasked with cracking down on illegal fishing. To do this, they need intelligence regarding trouble spots and likely offenders, anglers attending the Angling Trust's Regional Forum in Huntingdon were told on Saturday..

E-mail us if you're willing to keep an eye on waters and we'll pass your details on to the people who've set up a Riverwatch scheme to co-ordinate efforts.

If you see anything suspect, please phone it in on the EA's emergency number 0800 80 70 60.

Keep a note of where and when you saw people fishing illegally, their descriptions and vehicle details. Please also e-mail these through to us, with details of the incident, so we can follow up your call.

Click here for a report on Saturday's meeting, which also discussed the impacts of drought and predation on our waters.