With nearly 30,000 anglers completing the National Angling Survey in less than a month, the Angling Trust and Environment Agency have today launched the second phase of the research, this time targeting organisations.  Anyone who is involved in angling participation projects, angling clubs, fisheries, tackle shops and trade or who has worked with angling for wider social benefits is encouraged to take part.

The Angling Organisation Survey asks detailed questions of those running angling projects and will take about 20 minutes to complete.  It aims to find out what techniques have been most successful in getting more people fishing more often, and where more support is needed for the growing number of organisations involved in angling participation and social projects.  The survey remains open until the end of August and is hosted on the Angling Trust web site at www.anglingtrust.net/anglingorganisationsurvey

Angling Projects, Get Hooked on Fishing, Dreamstore, Fishing for Heroes, Fishing for Forces, Casting for Recovery and Fishing For Schools are all examples of highly successful programmes that are boosting angler numbers and also boosting health, wellbeing and community cohesion through angling.  The number of people working in this sector at a local level has exploded in recent years; now there are hundreds of people working locally and nationally to increase angling participation and to use angling to improve people’s lives.

Along with the National Angling Survey, this research with angling organisations will help inform a National Angling Participation Plan (NAPP) for England and Wales, which is being co-ordinated by the Angling Trust, as the National Governing Body for angling in England.  The Plan aims to encourage greater partnership working between many organisations taking part, and to create pathways for new anglers to follow so that when they leave one project they are able to take the next steps to taking up angling for life.  The NAPP will also create an impressive overall picture of all the pieces in the angling jigsaw to potential funders.

More than 40 professionals from the angling world, including large national organisations such as the National Trust, the Canal and Rivers Trust and The Rivers Trust met up in Birmingham with staff and volunteers from bodies such as the Albrighton Trust, the Masonic Fishing Charity, the Wheelyboat Trust and the Community Angling Regeneration Project (CARP) at an event organised by the Angling Trust last week.  At a very positive and constructive meeting, these experts provided important input to the development of the NAPP, which will be completed in the autumn.

Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust said: “We are delighted with the response to the individuals survey and also from the many people who gave up their time to support the event last week.  There is so much fantastic work going on around the country to improve and increase angling, but far too often the hard work of volunteers and staff is not reported outside angling and so it doesn’t get the support it deserves.  We want to shout about angling’s achievements from the rooftops, and this Plan will help us do that.”

Richard Wightman, Angling Manager at the Environment Agency said: “Holding such a positive, collaborative meeting as the one we had last week would have been unthinkable a decade ago.  We might have got forty people in a room but there wasn’t the agreement or capacity to deliver ambitious programmes afterwards. Angling has achieved a huge amount in recent years through the dedication and co-operation of a wide range of organisations.  The NAPP aims to continue that process and to develop a clear strategy for the future of angling for the next generation.  We are very pleased to be able to support its development and look forward to seeing the final report in the autumn.”

Notes to Editors

1.            The Survey is available here: www.anglingtrust.net/nationalorganisationsurvey 

2.            The survey is being carried out by the research co-operative Substance.  Substance carried out a three year study into the Social and Community Benefits of Angling to communities which concluded in 2012, supported by the Big Lottery Fund (see www.resources.anglingresearch.org.uk ).

3.            Individual responses to the survey will be completely confidential and participants can opt out of being contacted in future by the Angling Trust and/or Substance.

4.            Angling is one of the nation’s favourite pastimes and several million people go fishing each year.  It generates £3.5 billion for the economy and employs more than 37,000 people.  Angling is also very beneficial to health and well-being and as a diversion from anti-social behaviour.  Tens of thousands of anglers volunteer to help look after waterside environments, most pollution incidents are reported by anglers and freshwater anglers contribute £26 million a year in rod licence fees that help fund the Environment Agency’s work to improve and develop freshwater fisheries.