A welcome return for our wildfowlers 

Long before the advent of social media, or even the internet, BASC wildfowling conferences have been a key event in the diary for club representatives to catch up and hear about the latest policy and scientific updates affecting wildfowl, wetlands and the wider community. 

The 2025 wildfowling conference took place on 29 March in Sutton Coldfield, attended by over 100 delegates with representatives from 34 wildfowling clubs. The last such conference was in 2017, with the 2018 event cancelled at short notice due to the ‘Beast from the East’ bringing heavy snow across the country. 

The key person organising this year’s conference was Chris Wright, BASC’s Wildfowling adviser. In January, when ticket sales were slow, and concerns were raised about whether the event should go ahead, Chris kept the optimism and communications going and the word went around the clubs; the trickle turned to a flood and the event was sold out. 

Chris said: “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone that attended, as well as those who supported me prior to the day, on the day, and afterwards. The conference was a resounding success. 

Valuable insights 

“The quality of the speakers and their talks was outstanding, offering valuable insights into the future of wildfowling and conservation. The generosity shown towards the raffle and auction, both by those who donated and those who placed bids, was incredible, helping us raise nearly £3,000 for the BASC Wildlife Fund. 

“It was fantastic to see so many passionate individuals from our shores and wider afield coming together to share knowledge, celebrate wildfowling and contribute to its sustainable future,” Chris concluded. 

James Green, BASC’s head of wildfowl and wetlands, was telling me about when he was a young lad finding out at his wildfowling club who was going to the conference and then hearing the reports back. 

James was at this year’s conference and explained: “The speakers offered something for everyone, from Cy Griffin’s update on flyway collaboration and the approach by FACE and the EU to Chris Kelly’s heartfelt address as chairman of Preston and District Wildfowlers. Many found Chris’s talk particularly inspiring, as it perfectly illustrated the invaluable role wildfowlers play in conserving our coastal marshes. 

“The event reinforced the importance of sustainable wildfowl harvesting and conservation, with Professor Tom Cameron highlighting the vital role of science and evidence in shaping our future”. 

Chris Barker, chairman of BASC’s wildfowling liaison committee (WLC), added: “I am grateful to Chris Wright and the team at BASC for hosting such a worthwhile, professional and enjoyable event. 

“The WLC spent many months working with staff to develop BASC’s sustainable shooting code of practice for wildfowl (both on the foreshore and inland) to understand the logic and science behind it. So it was very rewarding to see the entire process being explained so clearly and concisely to so many wildfowlers from across the UK. 

Information gaps 

“Wildfowling clubs are adopting the code of practice which reaffirms much of what we already do now. But the message from the conference was very clear, while wildfowlers are in a strong position, there is still much work to be done to fill in the information gaps, so let’s get involved and share the code across the entire shooting community.” 

Face-to-face chats and hearing directly from experts seems to be coming back in vogue. We recently held three BASC gamekeepers’ conferences. (News, p8) 

So when will the next national wildfowling conference be? And will BASC try regional wildfowling conferences again, as in 2019? That’s yet to be decided but I don’t think we will have to wait another eight years.