EAST LOTHIAN ANGLING ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HELD ON WEDNESDAY 23rd JANUARY 2019
IN THE TOWN HOUSE, HADDINGTON
1) Apologies:- C Thomas(President), G Meikle, A Love-Rodgers
2) Present – 26 present including bailiffs and representatives from the Forth Rivers Trust and Musselburgh Angling Club.
3) President’s Welcome. Vice-President Clive Baker welcomed those present to the meeting.
4) Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on Monday 24th January 2018. These had been distributed. Their acceptance was proposed by Hugh Dignon and seconded by Will Shaw.
5) Matters arising from previous Minutes – None.
6) Review of the Past Year. Clive Baker gave a review of the activities of the
Association over the past year. Many of the items had been highlighted in the
Newsletter but Clive expanded on some of them. He also read out extracts from
an email from Anna Griffith, River Basin Manager with S.E.P.A. in which she
described the work that was being undertaken with regard to the weirs and diffuse
pollution.
The Association had been involved in getting the local MSP to ask questions
in the Scottish Parliament re the weirs on the Tyne. It had also supported the Fish
in the Classroom project organized by the Forth Rivers Trust, and had held a
stand at the Haddington Show. The fly tying sessions would start again in
February.
Newsletter. Clive was thanked for producing another very interesting Newsletter
again this year.
7) Treasurer’s Report – John Medley went through the Accounts for
the year to 31st December 2018. The number of permits sold (205) was well down
on the number sold in 2017(290), probably largely due to the low water level and
poor season. As a result income was much reduced this year.
The adoption of the Treasurer’s report was proposed by Sam Mutters and
seconded by Tom Cooper.
8) Catch Returns. Steven Dora had prepared the Catch Returns for the season. It had been a very poor season with no reports of any sea trout or salmon being caught, and only 68 brown trout. Only 26 members had sent in Catch returns, even though those submitting a catch return received a £5 voucher off the following seasons permit price.
9) Election of Office-bearers. Chris Thomas was re-elected as President (proposed by Tom Cooper and seconded by Sam Mutters.)
Clive Baker was re-elected as Vice-President (proposed by Peter Hastings and seconded by Sam Mutters).
10) Election of Committee.
The Secretary explained that committee member Mrs. Sam Mutters had completed
her four year terms of office. She was prepared to stand again and she was duly
elected back onto the Committee having been proposed by Clive Baker and seconded
by Steven Dora.
The secretary explained that there was one vacancy on the committee to be filled.
No nominations were received.
11) Permit Prices – The Committee had discussed the price of permits for the 2019 season and recommended that the permit prices should stay the same as for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 ie. for the Full permit £35, Junior £17, OAP £22, and Day Permits £8. The Under 12 would continue to be free but they would have to obtain a permit.
The voucher given to members sending in a Catch Return having purchased a Full, OAP, or Junior permit would remain at £5. This was agreed by the meeting.
The acceptance of the suggested permit prices was proposed by Sam Mutters and seconded by Tom Cooper.
12) A.O.C.B. Discussion on poaching activity took place and members were asked
to report any poaching activity that they see to the police.
Pollution problems were also discussed and members were asked to report any
pollution problems that they see to the S.E.P.A. emergency line and also to the Forth
Rivers Trust.
The East Lothian Countryside Volunteers are starting a project to tackle Giant
Hogweed on the river banks. They have asked that anglers report any plants they see.
Reports are to be sent to the Association’s secretary for him to forward to the
Volunteers.
13) Date of next Annual General Meeting – Wednesday 22rd January 2020
14) Speaker:- Craig Macadam, Conservation Director, Buglife- The Invertebrate Conservation Trust. He described the life cycle of various types of mayfly that could be found on the River Tyne and how important good habitat was to their success which would prove beneficial to the river and the trout in it.