An occasional look at the ebb and flow of the Thames
My readers never cease to amaze me with their enthusiastic responses to this column. Last week, I wrote about the diversity of wildlife on our stretch of the Thames and ever since the paper came out, I’ve been bombarded with people telling me their stories about their encounters with wildlife.
Although I’ve never been a fishermen, several of my friends who are tell me that I’m missing a great way to relax and unwind – and given that fishermen spend a lot of their lives gazing at a float on the surface of the river surrounded by beautiful countryside and the sound of the birds singing, I can certainly understand the attraction.
I never cease to be amazed by the wonders of Mother Nature. Just when you think you understand her whys and wherefores, she does something completely unexpected. Take the population of eels inhabiting the River Thames, for example.
I’m still receiving feedback following my columns about apparent problems with eastern European fishermen taking too many fish from the river – including an acknowledgement from the Environment Agency that this really is an issue.
Several readers have been in touch following last week’s column about illegal fishing on our stretch of the Thames – and the one thing that most of you have told me is that it appears to be people of eastern European origin who are ignoring the rules.
The one thing that the majority of people who use the river for recreation have in common is a sense of responsibility – a desire to preserve the Thames and to safeguard its beauty for future generations.