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We use the law on behalf of anglers to fight polluters and others who damage or threaten the water environment

Three large Combined Sewage Overflows

We fight for transparency in the water and sewage industry

Low flows

We challenge Government and regulators when they fail to protect fisheries

We secure compensation for our members to help restore polluted waters

Pollution on water

We are a not-for-profit membership association and together we make polluters pay

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LATEST NEWS

 
 

Landmark wins against polluters

 

Fish Legal has successfully fought everyone from rogue farmers to multinational corporations on behalf of its members while in many cases the government and statutory bodies have done little or nothing.  We win pollution cases against companies large and small, allowing compensation to be put where it is most needed – to the angling clubs and fishery owners affected, so that they can restore their waters.  We have only been able to do this thanks to the loyal support of our members.

 

 

 

How Fish Legal helps you

 

Fish Legal was set up by a barrister who knew that anglers’ private rights and the civil law could be used to take direct action against polluters.

Fish Legal is a unique, membership association and everything its lawyers do is funded collectively by members’ subscriptions, donations and legacies.  Funds are effectively pooled so that no member has to foot the costs of taking action.

 

 
 

What our members say

 

Alison Davis

Parkwood Trout Fishery

“I cannot praise the work of Fish Legal enough. Over the past 4 years, their legal expertise and support has been key to helping me to successfully defend our fishery from several sources of pollution into the chalk stream that is the lifeblood of our trout fishery. These include treated foul sewage systems from proposed local developments and a neighbouring large business and SUDS systems from 2 large housing developments bordering our fishery. A total of 4 damaging cases stopped to date. But the threats continue as our local water company are now planning to abstract water from the small chalk stream that feeds our fishery.”
David Curtis, Director of BASS

David Curtis, Director

Save Our Sea Bass B.A.S.S. Restoration Officer

“Fish Legal are helping the Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society and Save Our Sea Bass, hold UK regional sea fishery managers to account on a wide range of issues including: non-enforcement of byelaws, freedom of information requests, byelaws introduced without proper consultation, wrasse being taken for Scottish salmon farms and protection of juvenile bass from netting. Our experience is that the UK regional sea fishery managers don’t listen to sea anglers until they are threatened with legal action and so Fish Legal’s support is invaluable. Fish Legal are passionate about protecting sea angling and our marine environment and have an excellent track record in winning cases."
Afan Valley Angling Club members

Len Powell

Afan Valley Angling Club

"The Afan Valley Angling Club was established in 1951. Fish Legal has represented the Afan Valley Angling Club on many occasions over the years. Their expertise and advice have been invaluable in opposing local authority planning decisions, run of river hydropower, unconventional gas extraction and mine water pollution, all of which threaten or damage fisheries. In all these matters Fish Legal has always acted in a highly professional manner and provided the club with support and sound advice. Over the last 5 years Fish Legal have been advising the club and their colleague club Pontardawe and Swansea Angling Society (PASAS) in opposing the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon because of the threat to migratory fish species. The proposed lagoon project including the determination of the Marine Licence is complex and detailed and Fish Legal have given us their full support."

Working with the Angling Trust

 

Fish Legal is a not-for-profit membership association which promotes and encourages the conservation and sustainable management of UK rivers, stillwaters and coastal waters and the role of angling within this. We use the law to fight pollution and other damage and threats to the water environment on behalf of anglers, consistent with these objectives. 

We are united in a collaborative relationship with the Angling Trust, a representative body for anglers and angling in England and Wales.  The Angling Trust is the only organisation that lobbies for all anglers on issues affecting salt and freshwater and the fish and angling activities of each of these environments.  They are recognised by Sport England as the National Governing Body for angling and work in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Visit Wales to deliver the Fishing in Wales programme.