Memorandum submitted by Burnham Boat Owners
and Sea Angling Association (BBOSAA) (W01)
1. BBOSAA—CONSTITUTION
Burnham Boat Owners and Sea Angling Association
is based in Burnham on Sea, Somerset, and exists to promote sea
angling from smaller craft; its membership is drawn from across
Somerset and extends to include Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Currently there are 124 adult members including 10 females and
14 junior members; there are also six temporary members who are
welcomed on a temporary basis to allow them to decide if fishing
in our waters is for them.
Its constitution consists of an elected committee
of members who are charged with various responsibilities including:—administration,
finance, membership promotion and PR, competitions, fish recording,
junior section and boat safety.
BBOSAA is affiliated to the National Federation
of Sea Anglers, the Bristol Channel Federation of Sea Anglers
and the British Conger Club.
2. BBOSAA—ACTIVITIES
Club members meet monthly in Burnham on Sea
to discuss and organise many sea angling related activities including:
— Regular competitions from home and
away ports—with valuable prizes.
— Safety and training sessions—safety
is taken very seriously as the tides in our home area are among
the strongest in the UK; all boat owners are required to maintain
their craft in seaworthy condition and to carry safety items including
lifejackets or flotation suits, spare anchor and warp, in date
flares, compass, VHF radio, alternative means of propulsion etc
and to have third party liability insurance.
— Training and lectures have been provided
on many occasions by organisations such as HM Coastguard, Royal
National Lifeboat Institute, RYA approved training establishments,
Avon and Somerset Police, Channel Pilots as well as numerous other
individuals and commercial organisations.
— Away day trips to other UK ports;
regular venues include Watermouth North Devon, Weymouth, Lee on
Solent and Lyme Regis; some members occasionally travel to Swansea
and the Fylde coast. Over the last six years some members have
also travelled to Eire, to fish Irish Tourist Board events. Social
events including annual prize giving and fund raising events.
3. ECONOMIC
Of the 124 adult members 90 are boat owners;
owning, running and maintaining trailer craft is expensive and
the contribution to the boat and trailer manufacturing and servicing
economy by this group is considerable. In addition our members
spend significant sums of money in order to take part in their
chosen sport including expenditure on:
— Vessel acquisition, trailer acquisition,
marine electronics, chandlery, vessel, engine and trailer maintenance,
local authority parking and launching charges, fishing tackle,
bait, petrol, insurance etc.
Providers that benefit include:
— Boat manufacturers and suppliers;
— Engine manufacturers and suppliers;
— Trailer manufacturers and suppliers;
— Boat, trailer and engine service
providers;
— Marine electronics manufacturers,
suppliers and service providers;
— Training providers (RYA approved);
— Marine insurance providers and brokers;
— Fishing tackle manufacturers;
— Fishing tackle retailers;
— Sea fishing publishers;
— Sea fishing travel and holiday providers*;
— Bait diggers and breeders;
— Local petrol stations and shops;
— HM Treasury—as our fuel is
subject to duty;
— Accommodation providers, hotels,
B&B, campsites etc;
— Local Authority launch sites and
parking;
— Marinas and boatyards; and
*The Drew Associates report found that 217,000
people travel abroad each year to take part in sea fishing.
Some BBOSAA members responding to the Drew survey
were surprised to find that their annual spend on sea fishing
was in excess of £2,000.
These providers benefit directly from a typical
BBOSAA members spend there will of course be indirect beneficiaries
such as those that supply these providers.
It should be pointed out that not all boat going
sea anglers join clubs, there are very many more that do not join
clubs; this section of the submission only covers private boat
angling at sea, there are a considerable number of anglers that
fish from the shore and others that fish from charter boats.
4. SOME FACTS
The Bristol Channel Federation of Sea Anglers
has approximately 3,000 members drawn from 25 clubs.
BBOSAA has the largest membership of boat clubs
in the Bristol Channel Federation of Sea Anglers area 90 of the
124 BBOSAA members are boat owners.
Between the ports of Minehead, Watchet, Burnham
on Sea and Portishead there are some 15 angling charter boats;
in contrast there is one commercial operator who gill nets the
mouth of the main estuary. There are no commercial processing
plants or fish landing ports on this stretch of coastline.
In the Bristol and Somerset area there are some
30 tackle retailers many of which employ two to three people the
largest of which is Veals who employ approximately 12 staff on
sea fishing alone.
Anglers that do not join clubs and organisations
outnumber those that do by around 20 to one.
The Labour Party charter in 1997 gives an annual
spend of £1,200 per angler. The National Federation of Sea
Anglers in 1999 gives an average spend per angler of £1,000.
5. CULTURE
In addition to promoting sea angling to its
membership the BBOSAA also organises social events and forges
links with various bodies such as the Burnham Area Water Users
Group, Burnham Yacht Club and other local organisations and consults
with Sedgemoor District Council on matters affecting our members.
BBOSAA is an inclusive organisation and new
members are encouraged we are keen to take members in from all
social groups and are particularly proud of the number of female
and junior members that we have; our juniors enjoy regular competitions
and monthly junior meetings usually on a Saturday where they are
encouraged to take part in tuition on sea angling, safety at sea
and other subjects. Trips have included visits to fire stations,
Coastguard stations and fishing trips aboard charter vessels sailing
from various ports; junior members are encouraged to attend our
regular monthly meetings.
Awards For All recognised our commitment to
extending benefits to our junior members by recently awarding
BBOSAA a grant of £4,900 for this purpose.
Burnham receives visitors all year round and
on competition days the interest in the catch can attract large
numbers at weighing in time; this often gives members an opportunity
to show visitors and perhaps more importantly young visitors specimens
of a wide variety of sea fish; giving us the further opportunity
of educating them in our activities and the natural history of
our seas, something that our members are happy to do.
6. CONSERVATION
BBOSAA takes sea fish conservation very seriously
indeed; rigid size limits are imposed on all club competitions
and any member attempting to weigh a fish undersize is immediately
disqualified—thankfully such disqualifications are extremely
rare. As an example bass can only be weighed in a club competition
out of Burnham if it exceeds 22 inches (55.88cm) in length, compare
that to the Defra minimum landing size of 14 inches (36cm) and
it's not hard to see how committed BBOSAA is to conservation.
The minimum size limits for all species in club
competitions is based on the Bristol Channel Federation of Sea
Anglers limits and they all far exceed those as laid down in legislation.
Competitions are arranged as much as possible
to compete, on a "best specimen" basis, as opposed to
heaviest aggregate catch; which means that instead of heavy bags
of dead fish being brought to the scales only the biggest fish
in a given species is weighed, this greatly reduces unnecessary
fish kill and adds significantly to the conservation effort.
All anglers are encouraged to return fish alive
and only to keep enough for a meal or two if required.
7. SUMMARY
Much evidence exists to prove the high value
contribution that recreational sea angling makes to the economy
all of which is unsubsidised; in proportion to the representation
enjoyed by other stakeholders recreational sea anglers are significantly
under-represented.
We urge the committee to take into account the
overwhelming evidence supporting the economic and cultural benefits
of a thriving recreational sea fishery and to consider the increased
benefits if fish stocks of target species were improved both in
volume and size of individual specimens. This in our view would
have the effect of encouraging more people to take up the sport
and increase the number of trips sea anglers might make each year;
further adding to the economic and cultural benefits to be had.
Evidence from many other countries shows the
significant improvement in the economic contribution of a well-managed
sea fish resource that accommodates all interests and includes
all stakeholders in consultation and management processes.
Communities on our stretch of coastline benefit
only from recreational sea angling but decisions taken elsewhere
can and do affect these communities we again urge the Committee
to consider this in their deliberations. A forum allowing input
from all stakeholders can only be of benefit to both the fisheries
and stakeholders.
Whilst justifiably proud of our well-run organisation—we
consider ourselves among the UK's premier boat angling clubs—we
also recognise that all around our coasts similar boat-angling
clubs exist; add to this the legions of individual beach anglers,
charter boat anglers and small boat anglers and members of clubs
catering for these various forms of sea angling; it is not difficult
to see the impact that recreational sea angling has on the UK
economy, the potential exists to increase this contribution even
further by proper management of this valuable national resource.
We urge the Committee members to consider that
reliance on a free for all policy in respect of sea fish stocks
is simply not viable given the current rate of demand, considerably
more valuable alternatives are available and should be explored
and implemented for the benefit of all stakeholders and for the
well being of our seas themselves.
9 September 2004
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