Cumbrian MP raises concerns after proposals to ban small boats from smaller lakes
Markus Campbell-Savours, MP for Penrith and Solway, has said he is concerned that a new byelaw being proposed by the Lake District National Park Authority could see fishermen who use small powerboats banned from some of the smaller lakes.
Markus Campbell-Savours said: 'I think this proposed byelaw is a mistake with the potential to unfairly hit fishermen, many of whom have been responsibly fishing the lakes and rivers of Cumbria for generations.
'I want members of the LDNPA to meet me at Bassenthwaite so they can see that any fears about noise, safety, or the environment, in relation to small Lakeland fishing boats with electric motors are misguided. This proposed byelaw will unfairly impact people who the national park should value as an important partner.
'It was in fact the late Bob Smeaton and other fishermen who alerted Dale Campbell-Savours MP to the perilous state of Bassenthwaite in the 1990s, which ultimately secured the upgrade of the sewage treatment works at the east end of the lake.
'I say to the national park authority - far from being a problem, fishermen are our eyes and ears – or as one Keswick fisherman put it to me – 'we are your canaries in the coalmine.''
Concerns have previously been raised around the new by laws by anglers who believe the proposed by laws are 'discriminatory'.
The Lake District National Park Authority have previously said that the 'informal consultation' is the first step in 'a lengthy process' to amend the Small Lakes Byelaws.
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