The survey, Sea Angling 2012, aims to find out how many people enjoy the sport, how much fish they catch, what is returned alive, and how important the sport is to the country’s economy.
UK Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, said:
“I want sea angling to have a bright future, but to achieve this we must understand what sea anglers are catching, what is being returned alive, and the economic and social benefits the sport provides. This is a chance for sea anglers to make sure their interests are taken into account when policies to improve and conserve fish stocks around our coast are developed”
Sea Angling 2012 will be run with the help of a steering group including sea anglers and sector representatives and its first meeting was held on July 6 at DEFRA HQ in London.
European legislation requires EU Member States to collect and report data on recreational catches of certain species – including bass, cod and sharks – where it is needed to give a clearer picture of how fishing activities are affecting the stocks.
If Sea Angling 2012 and similar surveys in Europe highlight circumstances where anglers should play an important role in conserving vulnerable or overexploited stocks then Defra would seek to agree voluntary measures to avoid having controls imposed from Brussels.
The data obtained in Sea Angling 2012 will allow the importance and needs of recreational sea angling to be more effectively represented in future discussions on marine management at local, national and EU level.
For more information check out seaangling2012.org.uk
The Angling Trust is sitting on the steering group for the project and state that they recognise the concerns that many sea anglers have over the use of the data that will be collected. It is understood the Angling Trust will be providing members with all of the details of the project as it progresses allowing informed and independent decisions about whether to be involved or not to be taken.
