| Sea
anglers are natural conservationists, spending time by or on the
sea instills an appreciation of the environment and most anglers
develop commitment and respect for the wildlife and habitats around
them..
This guide is intended to help you reduce any impact your
angling activities may have on marine wildlife and habitats and
to inform those around whose actions, usually through inexperience
or carelessness, can endanger the marine environment.
This will both help to conserve the health of our coast and preserve
the good image of angling.
These guidelines have been drawn up by a partnership of sea angling
bodies and conservation organizations, and they are intended for
everyone.
We have a part to play. Be an ambassador for angling!
ACCESS TO LAND AND FISHING
Fishing from the foreshore is a right enshrined in Magna Carta.
However, this right does not permit you to walk on private land
to reach the foreshore without permission. If in doubt, keep to
recognised rights of way. Access may also be limited in some areas
- for instance on military sites.
If driving to your venue, keep to established roads and tracks.
Park sensibly, preferably in a recognised parking area.
Do not block access points for landowners, farmers and emergency
vehicles.
Launching of boats should be from an approved location.
FISHING IN THE VICINITY OF OTHERS
Try not to inconvenience or endanger other users of the shore. Remember,
they probably have as much right to be there as you do!
BUYING AND COLLECTING BAIT
Many anglers collect or dig for their own baits. Following the points
below will help to ensure future bait stocks and protect other wildlife.
When digging bait ensure that all holes and trenches are completely
backfilled. This will help restore the habitat and minimise casualties
of other animals found in the spoil. It also reduces the risks to
other beach users and retains the area's landscape value.
Do not dig within the vicinity
of conservation areas or moorings and slipways.
Many shores have designations that indicate their high conservation
value. Be aware of these and help to protect them. Avoid digging
around moorings and slipways to ensure the safety of boat and other
foreshore users.
Minimise disturbance to feeding or roosting birds, particularly
over winter.
Disturbance can prevent birds from feeding and delay or prevent
recovery from arduous migratory flights. Birds will also waste energy
trying to avoid you.
Gather only what you need for a planned fishing trip. Take any unused
bait home for disposal or store for next time.
This will avoid wasting a resource important not only to the angler,
but also to other foreshore gatherers such as feeding birds and
fish. Discarded bait is unpleasant for other shore users, especially
on piers or promenades.
When collecting peeler, soft crabs or shellfish, always carefully
return rocks and weed to their original positions. This minimizes
the impacts on other marine life. Animals and plants that live under
boulders will dry out if left exposed to the sun and air and could
be crushed by careless handling.
Do not take berried (egg carrying) crabs and never take undersize
edible crabs. This will help to sustain crab stocks. Try to ensure
crab tiles/traps are not laid in areas of conservation value or
in a manner to cause danger or annoyance to other foreshore users.
Placing of tiles/traps on a mud flat can change the habitat. They
can be a navigational hazard and make an area unsightly
When fishing for mackerel or other bait fish, remember to abide
by minimum size limits and take only sufficient for your needs.
Bait fish play an important part in the food web, and future stocks
need protection.
If you prefer to buy bait from a supplier, unless it is frozen,
always try to use a species that is native to British and Irish
waters. If you use baits that are not naturally found in these waters,
there is a risk of introducing a species or a parasite that could
harm native wildlife, possibly affecting your ability to gather
bait in the future and the health of the marine environment. If
in doubt, avoid non-frozen baits produced outside Europe.
ACCIDENTAL LOSS OF LINE AND TACKLE
Loss of tackle is caused mainly by snagging on a rocky seabed or
on seaweeds.
Some tackle loss is inevitable. However, good rig design, using
gear appropriate to the ground you are fishing on and taking care
of your tackle will all help minimise your losses. Because monofilament
line persists in the environment and can continue to be a hazard
to wildlife for many years, it is loss of line that presents the
greatest potential hazard to the environment.
The following points will help reduce tackle loss, helping the environment
and your pocket:
Rigs can be set up so that a snagged weight will be discarded when
pressure is applied via the main line, and thus enable the whole
line to be retrieved. (The rotten bottom).
Snood (hook) lengths should always be of a lower breaking strain
than the main line.
Use the appropriate breaking strain line for the ground you are
fishing.
Losing tackle is expensive. Consider using substitutes to lead weights
where snags are unavoidable (old spark plugs, stones and bags of
sand have all been used successfully on venues where distance casting
is unimportant).
Check the condition of your line regularly. Replace if old or damaged.
Dispose of old line sensibly. Burn it or cut it into short lengths.
KEEPING YOUR CATCH
One of the joys of sea angling is the opportunity to keep a portion
of the catch for the table. Before killing the fish, first make
sure it is above the minimum landing size.
Return all undersize fish alive to the sea. Contact your local Sea
Fisheries Committee for information on national and local minimum
landing sizes. This is a legal requirement to help ensure the conservation
of stocks. Avoid fishing in areas where undersize fish are often
caught.
If your fish is over the minimum landing size for that species and
you wish to keep it Kill your catch quickly Dispatching your fish
quickly and cleanly with a blow to the back of the lower head will
ensure a quick death.
CATCH AND RELEASE
In the interest of conserving stocks and maintaining biodiversity,
anglers are encouraged to return fish to the sea in a healthy condition.
Many species survive after catch and release.
Whether you keep or return your catch, the welfare of the fish should
be uppermost in your mind.
The following pointers will help ensure your catch is returned healthy
to the sea.
Where possible and where safe to do so, release your fish while
it is still in the water.
If you have to bring the fish ashore or onboard to unhook it, try
to use a net, (never gaff a fish you intend to release), handle
the fish with wet hands and minimise the time the fish is kept out
of the water. These measures will improve the chances of fish surviving
on return.
If you want to photograph or weigh your fish, handle firmly
to prevent dropping or injury.
A fish can injure itself struggling to escape, so hold firmly and
have the camera or scales ready before starting to fish. Never hold
a fish under the gill covers if it is to be returned.
If you want to release all your fish, try using barbless or circle
hooks.
Barbless hooks may mean you lose a few more fish, but returning
the fish you catch is easier for you and the fish. The correct use
of a disgorger will also increase the chance of releasing a healthy
fish.
If you catch a tagged fish, send the complete tag and details of
the species and length of the fish and location and time of capture
to the address shown or to a local Fisheries Office.
Tagging is a method of collecting valuable information on fish stocks
and their movements. In i some cases, please note that it is requested
that tagged fish (e.g. large common skate) should be returned alive
with the tag intact, and details of the tag number and date and
location of capture sent to the address shown.
Returning fish alive and healthy helps to sustain our sport!
COMPETITION ANGLING
Many anglers enjoy fishing competitions. In response to concerns
about fish stocks and welfare, a growing number of competitions
are organised on a conservation basis. It is recommended that anglers
who wish to take account of these issues seek out the following
types of competition:
Measure and Return: Provided fish are above legal minimum landing
size, 1 point is awarded per cm plus a fixed number of points per
species (dependent upon species). The results are presented as points
and the highest number wins.
Weigh and Return: The fish are weighed by a steward, and then returned.
The results are recorded by weight, and the heaviest catch wins
the competition. Points per fish and return: Points are awarded
per fish (graded per species). This can be customised to suit the
area being fished. The winner is the angler with the highest total
number of points.
NATURE CONSERVATION SITES
Conservation sites are recognised, either in law or by a voluntary
body, as areas that contain, or are used by rare, vulnerable or
threatened plants and animals for all, or part of their life cycles.
They can sometimes be sanctuary or nursery areas to allow plants
and animals to live and breed with the minimum of disturbance. Recreational
sea angling with rod and line is a public right on almost the whole
of the coast, including all conservation sites. However, like all
users and observers of the natural environment, each angler has
a responsibility to the wildlife, other anglers and to the general
public, to minimise their environmental impacts. Part of this responsibility
is being aware of where and why conservation sites exist and what
you can do to help or respect these. To find out about conservation
sites in your area, contact the following organisations. Ask for
the number of the local office in your county.
In England, contact English Nature: Tel. 01733 455000
www.english-nature.org.uk
In Scotland, contact Scottish Natural Heritage: Tel. 0131 447 4784
www.snh.org.uk
In Wales, contact The Countryside Council for Wales: Tel. 01248
385500 www.ccw.gov.uk
In Northern Ireland contact the Environment and Heritage Service:
Tel. 028 9025 1477www.ehsni.gov.uk
In the Republic of Ireland, contact Duchas: Tel. 01 6473000 www.irlgov.ie/ealga
You may find there are agreements in place that ask you to avoid
certain places at certain times of year to minimise disturbance
to rare plants and animals or to reduce levels of digging or bait
collecting in certain areas. Please remember that most of the things
you may be asked to do (or not to do) will benefit the wildlife
and ultimately the health of the environment.
FISH CONSERVATION SITES
To find out about designated nursery sites for fish, contact your
local Sea Fisheries Committee (England and Wales only) or MAFF District
Fishery office. They should be able to provide you with a map or
information about these areas.
LITTER
Recreational users - including sea anglers- are responsible for
about 1/3 of litter found on UK beaches. Litter is an eyesore and
costs local communities in cleanup operations and reduced amenity
value. Plastic litter is particularly dangerous because it is strong
and does not degrade, and items like six-pack rings, fishing line
and carrier bags can entangle and choke wildlife.
Reducing litter protects the environment, marine resources and local
economies.
Be prepared - take a bag with you especially for rubbish.
Be responsible - Leave your venue cleaner than when you arrived
Take litter home!
POLLUTION
Always report anything unusual, e.g. pollution or items washed ashore,
to the Environment Agency Tel: 0800 807060. The Agency will respond
as quickly as possible.
credits
All the information in the guidelines above should be available
from recognised sea angling organisations throughout the UK and
Ireland. Contact any of them for local codes which will provide
specific information suited to your area. If you would like to comment
on any aspect of this code, please contact:
Chris Uttley
The Countryside Council for Wales,
Plas Penrhos, Ffordd Penrhos,
Bangor, LL57 2LQ
Tel. 01248 355500
This conservation information above has been written by:
Angling Trade Association
Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society
Countryside Council for Wales
Marine Conservation Society
National Federation of Sea Anglers
Sea Anglers Liaison Committee of Great Britain and
Ireland
South West Federation of Sea Anglers
Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers
With contributions from:
English Nature
The Environment Agency
Mike Quigley
Mike Pawson (CEFAS)
The National Trust
Scottish Natural Heritage
World Wildlife Fund
edited for use on the internet by
CastAndCatch
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