A ban on landing salmon from the river Wye in both Wales and England has been called "better late than never" by the head of the river's watchdog.
The by-law means anglers must return catches of salmon and sea trout or face a substantial fine.
Environment Agency Wales said the rule would help more fish to survive and boost the declining population.
Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, of the Wye and Usk Foundation, said salmon numbers had been recovering for 10 years.
The by-law approved this week by the Welsh government and Defra could be in place for up to 10 years.
“Start Quote
End Quote Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, director Wye and Usk FoundationIf we had done this 10 years ago, we might be looking at removing the restriction now”
Environment Agency Wales' Pete Gough said: "The majority of anglers are very responsible and do release the salmon and sea trout they catch.
"However, there are some that continue to kill the fish before they have a chance to spawn upstream."
Began to plummet
The agency said with its main partner, the Wye and Usk Foundation, it had built fish passes and removed barriers to improve access for migratory fish and improve water quality.
The new by-law follows on from a ban on landing catches which ended this month
It aims to address the collapse in fish stocks on the Wye, formerly one of the best salmon fishing rivers in Europe, said Dr Marsh-Smith.
Dr Marsh-Smith, Wye and Usk Foundation director, said its work with anglers had already seen fish numbers rise steadily since the species' lowest population figures were recorded in 2002.
Salmon numbers in the river began to plummet in the mid 1970s, he said.
"It's never been a great sea trout river but if you examine the way salmon was falling, they would have been extinct by 2005.
"This year is very much a recovery year. We are seeing encouraging numbers of very big fish."
Dr Marsh-Smith said the foundation had proposed the catch ban in 1996.
"If we had done this 10 years ago, we might be looking at removing the restriction now."
However, he welcomed the by-law as a way of being fairer to the 80% of anglers who already safely return their catch to the river.
"If you get a situation where 80% comply and 20% don't, then it's very unfair on those who do comply."
He estimated that the angling industry on the Wye generates about £5m a year, half of what he said it should be.
Natural beautyThe Wye, the fifth-longest river in the UK, was voted the public's favourite river in England and Wales in 2010.
Running some 153 miles (246km) from its source on the slopes of Plynlimon to the Severn Estuary near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, it winds its way through or past Rhayader, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Symonds Yat, Monmouth and Tintern.
The river is a site of special scientific interest (SSI)and much of the lower Wye valley is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Legally blonde: Beautician who toppled building giants in legal battle celebrates top honours in her law degree - Daily Mail
- Georgina Blackwell had no formal qualification when she won a High Court battle with Bellway Homes in a bitter access dispute
- The 26-year-old had given up dream of studying law in order to help at the family-owned beauty salon after her mother broke her wrist
- But the unlikely success enabled her to go to university to study lawyer
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Georgina Blackwell is celebrating securing a First Class Honours law degree
She may be a young blonde beautician from Essex but Georgina Blackwell certainly does not live up to any of the usual stereotypes.
Miss Blackwell first hit the headlines when, aged just 23 and with no formal legal qualification, took on one of the country’s biggest homebuilders in the High Court - and won.
And that proved to be a turning point for the 26-year-old who had almost given up on a dream of becoming a lawyer to work in the family-owned salon in picturesque Halstead, Essex, after her mum broke her wrist.
After the stunning success against Bellway in 2009, Miss Blackwell was offered a law scholarship at BPP University in London.
She is now celebrating again after securing a First Class honours in her law degree, the top grade possible.
A delighted Georgina said: ‘Just over two years ago I was working in the salon and I would never have dreamed that I would complete a law degree and get First Class Honours.
‘If someone had told me that, I would not have believed them.
‘It all has happened too quickly, I don’t feel as though I have had time to take it all in. The past couple of years have been a complete whirlwind for me.’
The qualified beautician, who will start training to become a barrister later this year, added: ‘I was waiting for my results to arrive on e-mail and I must have refreshed the inbox a thousand times before they arrived.
‘When I saw that I had got a First, I was running around the garden, screaming my head off.
‘The neighbours must have thought I was completely crazy but I don’t care - I was just so relieved as I was totally focused on getting a First.’
Georgina added: ‘If it had not been for the legal battle against the developers, I am not sure I would have been where I am today, so it was a blessing in disguise.
‘I would have still be in the salon, like I had been for the previous six years, and this might not have ever happened.’
Georgina Blackwell is as comfortable in the beauty salon as she is presenting complex legal cases before a High Court judge
Miss Blackwell, from Colchester, Essex acted as a lawyer for her mum Sandra, in a bitter battle against Bellway Homes after it had filled the garden next to their beauty salon with scaffolding and debris.
The beautician was dubbed ‘Legally Blonde’ after she secured an unlikely victory against the wealthy developers.
She said her dad, Clive, 72, had been a massive inspiration for her.
She said: ‘Dad knew how upset I was when I could not take my original place to study law, so when I phoned him and told him the news, he was so happy for me and was choked up.’
Georgina’s success means she has been lucky enough to secure a scholarship which will pay for the majority of the 16,000 costs of her nine-month course to become a barrister.
Georgina had almost given up on fulfilling her dream of becoming a lawyer after ditching the chance to study law in order to work in the family's beauty salon to help her mother Sandra, right, who had broken her wrist
However, the costs of her commute into London from her home in Essex means that she will still be doing a part-time job to help fund the costs.
And she said, time allowing, she will always be happy to help out her mum, Sandra, 55, at her salon, House of Beauty.
Georgina’s legal journey started when her mum bought a Grade II-listed 600-year-old home - a former school and tailor’s shop - to set up her beauty salon.
But soon after moving in, Bellway Homes purchased an empty factory which backed onto the salon’s garden with the intention of building 43 homes.
Her mum had been taken to court in July 2009 after she refused builders access across her garden to demolish two factory walls which formed part of Bellway’s Church View development.
After losing the case Mrs Blackwell was faced with losing her home and business after spending 3,000 on legal advice and was ordered to pay Bellway’scosts of 22,000 as well as a ‘five-figure sum’ in damages for delays to the building work.
Georgina Blackwell took on Belway Construction after they started demolishing their garden walls and building scaffolding over their garden in Halstead, Essex
After the original case, builders moved onto the garden and filled it with scaffolding.
Bright-spark Georgina sprang into action, checking deeds and documents to the house and realised the right of access was only to reach one wall of the factory not two.
And despite coming face-to-face with the developer’s top legal team, Georgina wowed the court with her legal arguments and cross examination, going on to win the case.
In the High Court, Mrs Justice Proudman overturned the previous decision and ordered Bellway Homes to pay Mrs Blackwell 75,000 compensation.
Speaking after the original hearing, Georgina said: ‘I’m a blonde beautician from Essex. I think they underestimated me.
Bellway put scaffolding in Mrs Blackwell's garden and began demolition, which was halted after they lost the court case
‘They looked intimidating in their wigs and gowns, it was terrifying. I felt absolutely scared stiff by the huge courtroom and speaking in front of a high court judge but I got a surge of adrenalin and thought, ‘they aren’t going to intimidate me’.’
After hearing of the case, Peter Crisp, Dean of BPP Law School wrote to Georgina in November 2009, offering her a scholarship.
She completed BPP’s two-year law degree programme, which started in May 2010 and finished last month.
Georgina will receive her degree at an official graduation ceremony in London in November.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Fantastic story, her mother must be so proud, well done girl
- Anna, UK, 29/6/2012 13:34
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