The Angling Trust has successfully applied for £250,000 funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to campaign over the next three years on high priority conservation issues affecting marine and freshwater fish.

This award builds on a grant from the same funder over the last two years and will enable the Trust to expand its capacity to represent anglers on conservation issues at a time when many fish stocks are in decline and great political uncertainty about environmental regulations and commercial fishing arrangements after the UK leaves the European Union.

The grant will specifically fund three priority campaigns to secure:

1. new agricultural policies that benefit the water environment by reducing pollution, low flows and flooding caused by unsustainable farming practices;
2. policy changes that move inshore fish stocks towards recovery by protecting fish, nursery areas and inshore habitats;
3. greater restrictions on commercial fishing at sea to create more sustainable fish stocks.

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation requires the Angling Trust to match fund the grant with income from membership subscriptions and other income over the course of the three years. The Angling Trust is also working closely with WWF and The Rivers Trust on a partnership proposal to a number of other funders to deploy a wide range of methods to advocate for urgent action to reverse the widespread decline in the aquatic environment over recent decades.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal said: “It’s fantastic news that one of the country’s largest and most respected charitable funders has decided to increase its support for our work. We now need more anglers to support their united representative body so that we can continue to expand our work to secure sustainable fish stocks at a time of unprecedented threats and continue to develop opportunities for anglers.”