Best practices from… Belgium!
When visiting the TU Nevada (and the Sagebrush) Chapter in Reno, René Beaumont gave several presentations. One of these focused on the efforts made in Belgium as to conserve native brown trout populations –‘les truites de souche’- in the Ardennes. Being a member of the ‘Comité Royal de l’Amicale des Pêcheurs de la Lomme et de la Lesse’ René is quite familiar with the work of this Walloon angling society and their successes in the field. The presentation was prepared with the assistance of Alain Pierret (President of the ‘Amicale’) and Philippe Monfort (European Commission, DG for Regional Policy). Both ethics and methods used by the angling society and its members found a wide approval with the audience. The resources available, however, being mainly membership contributions and manpower (volunteers), casted a doubt on how conservation as such is regarded upon in this ‘developed’ part of the world. Currently a press file is being prepared as to share experiences and considerations.
