Supplementary memorandum by the Association
of Inland Navigation Authorities (IW 23A)
ANGLING
AINA leisure and recreation aim
To optimise the use of the inland waterways
as a shared, sustainable resource for a variety of leisure and
recreation activities, and in particular as navigations.
Key relevant actions
— Provide good practice guides and
codes of practice for the major recreation and leisure uses of
the waterways.
— Promote educational information to
encourage all recreational users to value and respect waterways
as a natural habitat.
The angling market
— 5.1 per cent of the population go
fishing—2.3 million people
— 2.7 per cent of the population go
coarse fishing—0.7 million people
— Angling generally in decline adult
participation falling (6.6 per cent—1987, 4.8 per cent—1999)
— Young people participation even less
(12 per cent—1987, 6.3 per cent—1999)
— Cause in social trends and changing
lifestyles
— Within angling, canal and river fishing
is losing share to intensively stocked commercial fisheries where
less skill is required and ancillary facilities are better.
Navigation authority plans
Examples of navigation authority actions include.
The Environment Agency will:
— develop fisheries in 150km of river
each year by stocking and improving fish habitat following improvements
in water quality;
— develop pilot fisheries development
plans;
— publish a coarse fishing management
strategy, trout management strategy;
— complete the publication of salmon
action plans for all major rivers and implement those plans.
British Waterways:
— recently reviewed on-line angling
business in partnership with angling bodies;
— welcomes angling as another use of
the network;
— is committed to working with anglers
to reverse industry decline;
— has created specialist offline fisheries
which are thriving;
— carries out special stocking of waterway
lengths and sponsoring of major competition matches;
— angling strategy will ensure that:
— the awareness of the benefits
of angling and of anglers needs is raised;
— facilities are improved;
— conflict issues are resolved
as far as possible.
Dave Fletcher
November 2000
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