Countryside Alliance welcome news that angling is set to return to Malham Tarn

The Countryside Alliance has welcomed the news that angling is set to return at the Malham Tarn, after a four-year hiatus.

The National Trust, which owns over 7,000 acres of the Malham Tarn Estate in the Yorkshire Dales, closed the lake to fishing during the first year of the covid outbreak and said in 2021 that whilst it was not "currently our intention to stop angling" that it was going to take time to consider the future of fishing.

The ability of the Trust to facilitate fishing was obviously limited by the pandemic and staff shortages, but it also referenced concerns that fishing posed a high risk in relation to the introduction of invasive non-native species and diseases. This statement triggered alarm bells with both local fishermen and those from further afield.

The Trust carried out a consultation in 2021, which generated over 300 responses, including from the Countryside Alliance's Chief Executive, Tim Bonner. It announced in February that is has decided to seek a third party to run the fishing with strict biosecurity procedures in place to counter concerns about the potential introduction of invasive species into the Tarn's pristine waters.

Anyone will be able to book day tickets with this group directly and the pricing structure will remain similar to previous years. Because it is being run by a small group there won't be fishing available every day during the season, prebooking will be necessary. Further details about how anglers will be able to book fishing days are expected to be published online shortly.

Reacting to the good news in a column for the Yorkshire Post, Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance wrote: "The news about the reopening of the fishery has come as a relief to fishermen and has also helped to assuage wider concerns about the National Trust's attitude towards some traditional rural activities. Fishermen are the most effective force that can be deployed in the promotion and protection of rivers and lakes.

He added: "It is fishermen who have taken the lead in highlighting the damage being done to our waters by the dumping of raw sewage by water companies and lax regulation and millions of pounds go directly into river and still water conservation from angling licences alone. In the same way livestock farmers, especially in the uplands, need to be seen as the solution to environmental concerns, not the problem".

A full copy of Tim Bonner's lead opinion piece, which was published in the Yorkshire Post on 2nd March 2023, can be found below:

Those of us who harbour an obsession with the wild brown trout know that they inhabit the most wonderful places in our islands. I have been lucky enough to fish for them from lochs on the northernmost island of Shetland to the chalk streams of Hampshire and, of course, in the great trout rivers of Yorkshire. One place I have not yet fished, however, is the fabled Malham Tarn high up in the Southern Dales between Wharfedale and Ribblesdale. Because of its situation in limestone country Malham Tarn is a rare example of a highly alkaline, fertile lake with a prodigious population of insects which means its fish grow big. Trout of well over 10lb, which are absolute giants of the wild trout world, have been caught in the tarn and it is also well known for producing large perch.

I have gazed longingly at the waters of the tarn as I walked the section of the Pennine Way which skirts its North and Western shores, but have never cast a fly into its waters and whilst I have wanted to solve that omission for a number of years that has not been possible. In fact, nobody has fished the tarn since 2019. The National Trust, which owns over 7,000 acres of the Malham Tarn Estate closed the lake to fishing during the first year of the covid outbreak and said in 2021 that whilst it was not "currently our intention to stop angling" that it was going to take time to consider the future of fishing. The ability of the Trust to facilitate fishing was obviously limited by the pandemic and staff shortages, but it also referenced concerns that fishing posed a high risk in relation to the introduction of invasive non-native species and diseases. This statement triggered alarm bells with both local fishermen and those from further afield. Fishing is increasingly an international activity with anglers searching out their quarry in destinations all over the globe. That brings risk, but it also brings experience and fishermen are now well practiced in addressing bio-security and checking, cleaning and drying their equipment. Meanwhile, the Trust has certainly taken its time to consider the future use of the Tarn. It carried out a consultation last year which generated over 300 responses and as a result decided that it would seek a third party to run the fishing with strict biosecurity procedures in place to counter concerns about the potential introduction of invasive species into the Tarn's pristine waters.

Last week the Trust confirmed that they have reached an agreement with a group which will be taking on a lease to run the fishing at the Tarn and that anglers will be able to book day tickets for the new season. This news has led to sleep interrupted by dreams of giant Malham trout and a scrabbling for diaries in search of dates to visit the Dales. The chances of landing a Malham monster are not high – big trout tend to be clever trout – but the opportunity to cast a fly and hope is something that hundreds of fishermen like me will take over the coming years.

The news about the reopening of the fishery has come as a relief to fishermen and has also helped to assuage wider concerns about the National Trust's attitude towards some traditional rural activities. In many ways the Trust has an impossible job in assimilating the views of its millions of members, but activities like fishing and shooting have always been central to many of the estates that it runs and conserving those activities is part and parcel of conserving and continuing their culture. The challenges the Trust faces in relation to land management and farming over the coming years go far beyond whether an optimistic fisherman can go in search of a trout, but the issue of culture is critical. For instance, conserving the culture of livestock farming that has shaped the countryside of the Dales and much of the rest of Yorkshire is a vital part of the National Trust's role to promote and preserve places of natural beauty. The Trust, other landowners and politicians are all wrestling with the pressing challenges of tackling climate change and biodiversity decline, whilst continuing to produce food and provide access and leisure opportunities. One key element of any successful strategy will be to work with the rural community to deliver those goals. Fishermen are the most effective force that can be deployed in the promotion and protection of rivers and lakes. It is fishermen who have taken the lead in highlighting the damage being done to our waters by the dumping of raw sewage by water companies and lax regulation and millions of pounds go directly into river and still water conservation from angling licences alone. In the same way livestock farmers, especially in the uplands, need to be seen as the solution to environmental concerns, not the problem. Institutional landowners and government, in particular, have the opportunity to engage the farming community and direct the future of agriculture in a way that preserves the culture of the countryside whilst delivering for the whole country.

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