Members of parliament who debate sea fisheries on Wednesday (December 7) have been told that the £1 billion sea angling industry provides 19,000 jobs in
In a briefing for MPs with a coastal constituencies, the National Federation of Sea Anglers says the commercial industry “finds it difficult to grasp that there are genuine fishing livelihoods, other than those of commercial fishermen. “
The MPs are reminded that angling contributes to every seaside economy and that their support is wanted to force the government to ensure that anglers as well as commercial fishermen, can influence the future sensible and constructive governance of
More than a million men, women, boys and girls, including the disabled, go sea angling. The 19,000 jobs they support is about the same as the number engaged in the commercial catching and processing of
The government recognises the two sectors are economically about equally important, the anglers claim.
They say that poor management of publicly owned fish stocks to provide short-term benefits for commercial fishing leading has led, in the longer term, to serious depletion of many species of fin fish. Despite this sea angling has survived and developed.
National Federation of Sea Anglers
Hamlyn House,
Development Officer: David Rowe
Tel: 01364 644 643 Fax 01364 644 486 e-mail: ho@nfsa.org.uk
