Dear Mike,

I don’t think we need to worry about an Ebro fish cull. On recent Winter visits to Utxesa and Chiprana we noticed the following. Utxesa :- there are no small fish left in the lake as there were at least 100 or more cormorants ‘feeding’ on them for most of the winter.
Chiprana, Aragon :- I have been there fishing during every month of the Winter. I took my wife with me in January, she decided never again. it was filthy, rubbish everywhere, and the usual dead fires on the bank and carp remains everywhere. This week there were local guys going across country to the carp spawning grounds opposite Chiprana town and spearing the carp near the surface. They came past us with 6 dead ones, telling us that sometimes they can get 10 or more. We can’t blame them, as they eat them but it does’nt take much to add up the annual totals. They didn’t believe that we put fish back in the water.
I’m afraid that it is a policing problem that doesn’t seem to exist, probably due to money and the CRISIS. Having seen the size and quality of carp and cats in France and the UK in fishing mags and the quality of camp/chalet sites, it won’t take long for the VISITORS to take their money and vote with their feet.
I think that one could say that the Spanish authorities ‘just don’t get it’, a wonderful asset squandered.
P.S. At Flix on the last two trips we didn’t even have a bite! probably again due to unofficial ‘culling’ for food. I would be interested to know where is good fishing without a boat now! Regards/saludos.

Barry Humphreys.