River Watch - dogs It is a mistake to tie the national
question of river pollution to the interests of fishermen, though coarse fishing is one of the most democratic (whatever the word may mean) of sports. Yet fishermen are the best watchdogs, and we should be thankful for their barking. One point that has perhaps not been very widely realised is brought out in a small pamphlet by a fishing association, the A.C.A., Lawrence Lane, E.C.2 ; it is among the oldest of fishing laws that an owner of riparian rights can insist on pure water flowing through his property and on the safe passage of fish. This right ha been obscured, but not obliterated, by more recent legislation. The one reason why it has not saved the rivers is that it costs more money than most owners can afford to secure an injunction ; and local councils are often in like case: they fear the expense. The upper reaches of the Lea (or Lee) have been recently saved—at least in prospect—by a public-spirited landowner, and his success in getting an injunction against the decanters of urban sewage is doing much to encourage the campaign against river pollution ; but it is a slow business and new examples of water-poisoning continue to be reported on rivers large and small.
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