News

The designation of marine conservation areas have caused a lot of controversy across a number of stakeholder groups since they were first introduced. There is a wide network of zones and areas in the waters around the UK and despite worries that Brexit would weaken the incentive to continue protections it appears that the designations READ MORE

Anyone who knows me, as an angler, knows I am also passionate about marine conservation. In fact, most anglers I know are the same, the culture in sea angling has changed dramatically over the last thirty years, with most anglers having adopted catch and release as the norm. When it comes to some species sea READ MORE

A look at some of the threats and opportunities the Angling Trust will be dealing with on behalf of anglers in 2022. Porbeagles Conservation pressure group, The Shark Trust, has been creating some potential issues for recreational anglers by encouraging and lobbying the JNCC to recommend including porbeagles in Schedule 5 of the Countryside Act. READ MORE

Now that the CHART programme is coming to an end for this season, and it looks like 300 plus fish will have been tagged its time to take stock of where we are with this fishery. An incredible amount of data about bluefins has now been collected, not just through the tagging but in terms READ MORE

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard and is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. IUCN’s mission is to “influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature READ MORE

Hannah Rudd – Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Angling Trust explains why the newly launched Shark Hub is a game changer for shark angling in the UK Being top oceanic predators it’s hard for anglers not to get excited about sharks. From the stocky porbeagle that is reminiscent of its white shark cousin to READ MORE

This July will see the televised media invitational launch of a new dynamic high profile boat fishing event; the “Sea Angling Classic”. The event will be based on the South Coast of the UK, at Northney Marina on Hayling Island, using the prolific diverse fishing grounds of the Solent. The Sea Angling Classic is being organised READ MORE

A science-based recreational bluefin tuna fishery has been given the green light by Defra.  This news, welcomed by anglers, was secured by Bluefin Tuna UK, with the support of the Angling Trust.   On 23rd April 2021, Cefas and Defra confirmed that an English CatcH And Release Tagging (CHART) program for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna will operate in the waters of the South and West in Autumn 2021.   Steve Murphy READ MORE

Up until 2015 there was very little evidence of Atlantic bluefin tuna in Cornish waters but from then onwards there does seem to have been a quantum shift in numbers of these wonderful game fish. A campaign – Atlantic Bluefin Tuna UK – headed by recreational sea angler Steve Murphy has been working with the READ MORE

IFCA’s have reached their tenth anniversary, and as a result are recruiting new members for their committees. Recreational angling has been woefully under represented on these crucial bodies meaning that very often we have no voice over local management regimes. There are ten IFCA’s in England (Scotland and Wales have their own management regimes) Cornwall, READ MORE