Angling Unity

Features / Benefits

The concept of a united body to represent all anglers is not new, but with your support it could become a reality. We are working

hard to create a single, professional, modern organisation which will stand up for millions of anglers in the UK. The new body

will fight the many threats to our sport, including: pollution, over abstraction, fish disease, poaching, commercial over fishing and

predation. It will offer a really attractive membership package to individual anglers and provide services to its member clubs,

fisheries and riparian owners. Some of the things the new organisation will do for anglers are listed below. We’d like to hear

what you think about these ideas and any other things you would like to see on the list.

Strength in Numbers

difficult for Government, the Environment Agency, Sea Fisheries Committees and other national and regional public bodies

to ignore our needs and aspirations.

and quickly answer any criticisms and counter any anti-angling propaganda.

of the market there is confusion and uncertainty both within and outwith the sport as to who does what and which

organisation is the best one to join. A unified body would eliminate those uncertainties by providing a one-stop-shop for all

angling.

particular branch of the sport, it is inevitable that there is duplication of effort in many areas. A unified body will eliminate

these duplications and thus provide anglers with better value for their money.

eliminates uncertainty and duplication will be more sustainable. In turn this will lead to real growth to the benefit of everyone

connected with angling, whether that is the individual on the bank side, a club, a fishery or the tackle trade.

organisations which work for angling at a local level into regional structures which will help anglers overcome some of the

problems they face, while at the same time providing an efficient mechanism to flag up regional issues at a national level.

Environmental Protection

by pollution, over-abstraction, land drainage, disease and excessive commercial exploitation. A unified body will be much

better able to ensure that proper attention is paid to focussing efforts towards eliminating these threats. The aim will be that a

healthy natural environment supporting healthy fish stocks is a central objective for the Government and its agencies.

never had an effective, single national voice. Angling and the fisheries on which it depends have been marginalised in

determining policies on abstraction, access, conservation, the Water Framework Directive and water recreational strategies. A

unified body will clearly communicate anglers’ views and will stop the government using ‘divide and rule’ tactics.

Membership Services

and fisheries through the individual angling bodies. A unified body would be able to negotiate better discounts than are

available through the separate angling bodies. It would also be possible to tailor policies to the specific requirements of the

sport.

products and services which will make it an easy decision for anglers and clubs to pay their annual subscriptions.

fisheries we will run into problems for which we need professional help or advice. These could range from simple

disagreements between an individual and his/her club, disputes over tenancy arrangements or access rights, to catastrophic

pollution events. A unified body will consolidate the separate legal services, currently available through the different angling

bodies, to create a one-stop-shop staffed by qualified professionals who can respond quickly and positively to all calls for

help or advice.

issues relevant to the sport.

Sports Development

• Despite its superior numbers, over the past 30 years angling has lost its dominant mass-market appeal. This has led to angling

clubs struggling to maintain membership numbers and many long-established clubs have ceased to exist because their income

was insufficient to pay the rents for the fisheries that they had leased for many years. Yet, over this same period, other sports

have grown and flourished. The progress already made by the Angling Development Board in re-connecting angling to the

sporting networks indicates the way forward. A unified body will embrace and support the ADB to ensure that advice and

assistance is available to clubs, branches and fisheries at a regional level in a way that enhances their efforts to put angling

back at the centre of their local communities.