A GROUP of Witney anglers hit the jackpot when they travelled down to Milford Haven in West Wales for a spot of sea fishing.

They went out with skipper Andrew Alsopp on his boat White Water 4 and landed five sharks – one porbeagle and four blues.

The biggest blue was caught by Richard Saxby, weighing in at 131.6.0.

He used a mackerel bait under a float in around 60ft of water and beat the fish on 20-30lb class tackle, taking around 20 minutes to land.

After measuring and taking photos, the shark was returned alive.

l I AM never quite sure when the Environment Agency announce what a wonderful job they are doing on our river, whether they are trying to convince us or themselves.

They have just produced a list of ten rivers, entitled ‘Back from the Brink’ which they claim have improved water quality and habit.

One of these rivers is the Thames, yet, only three months ago, there was a major leak of raw sewage into the river, killing fish.

I am no expert on water quality, but I talk to a lot of anglers around Oxfordshire and further afield and they are not impressed.

There are a number of problems facing our rivers – over-abstraction, barriers to fish migration (proposed hydro electricity plants fitted to weirs), invasive species (red signal crayfish, cormorants, mink, otters), plus pollution.

What is needed is major investment in our waterways, big fines for companies and individuals who pollute, while crayfish, cormorants, mink and otters need to be controlled, as fish stocks in so many rivers are in decline.

l IF you have any news, views or photos, you can contact me on 01865 725606 or email agw@awebber20.orangehome.co.uk