A Fisherman's Reflection

After August's busy schedule I did manage to spend a lovely week in early September with my eldest son salmon fishing on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire.  Fly fishing does give rise to moments of reflection especially when surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world (yes, ok, I am slightly biased). So what did I muse upon this year?

For years Dee anglers and riparian owners had only one one desire - catch as many fish as possible and retain them either for eating or selling on.  The owners were happy as they could command high prices for their stretch of the river; the anglers as they caught large numbers of fish for their money.  The drop in numbers of fish caught when it came, as it must, was rather sudden and dramatic.  

After many years of tackling the problem from the wrong angle and after much input by a few visionaries, the new chairman and board members concluded that good governance in prioritising fish above the self interests of certain owners and anglers, in other words nurturing a more nature driven regime, was not only desirable but a necessity.  Happily, despite procrastination by certain individuals and groups, the revised plan properly implemented and under firm guidance has produced a more educated body of people with Salmo Salar numbers in the Dee consistently rising over the past five years (catch numbers almost doubling).

My thoughts turned to the Church and how She too had suffered, BUT more importantly, how over the past five years things are slowly being addressed by a visionary.

I shall leave you to fill in the many missing blanks of this muse as I do not wish this to turn into a N.O. style sermon.  I have neither the intellect or wish to do either.  As usual these are only my simplistic jottings; nothing theological, Christological, evangelical or any other -------ical gobbledegook from me.