Marine
29 June 2023
CHART 2023 Confirmed
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today (Thursday 29th June 2023) confirmed to the Angling Trust and The UK Bluefin Tuna Association (UKBFTA) that the funding for the English CHART (Catch and Release Tagging) programme in 2023 has been signed off and the programme has been given the green light.
Given the severe funding constraints we – the Angling Trust and the UKBFTA – have highlighted previously, the process for approval took longer than we would have liked. Throughout the spring we continued to push hard for CHART to continue into 2023, including writing to the Minister and raising the matter with politicians directly. We are pleased the Minister recognised the importance of ensuring CHART will continue this year in England.
Those funding constraints have required some streamlining of costs and one way in which that is being done is via removing the workshop and training element of the programme this year. This means that for 2023 only those skippers who have previously completed the training element and operated in CHART beforehand will be eligible to apply. It is anticipated that up to 25 vessels will again be authorised from the pool of “CHART graduates”.
Fish welfare is of the utmost importance to many skippers and anglers, who fought hard for the workshop and training element to be included in order to pass on this crucial knowledge to new entrants, so the lack of funding for this prior element of CHART is disappointing.
We understand that there will be some disappointment from those who wished to join the programme this year for the first time. DEFRA has indicated that the only way in which CHART could go ahead within the funds available was to adopt this approach. More information will be provided by CEFAS in the coming days to the “CHART graduate” pool and more widely via social media platforms. Specific questions regarding the operational protocols etc should be directed to CEFAS once they go live.
England joins Wales and Northern Ireland now in approving programmes for 2023 which will result in up to 40 charter vessels being authorised to legally fish for Atlantic Bluefin across the UK’s western waters.
We are very grateful to those skippers, crew members and anglers who have supported our efforts to ensure some form of legal fishing continued in England this year. We continue to work with Defra on the introduction of a world-class recreational catch and release fishery in 2024. We are hoping a public consultation on this will take place before the autumn.
Good luck to the anglers and skippers participating in CHART 2023. Thank you for your continued support and tight lines.
You might also like
06 December 2024
New Crucian carp record – and angler claims his…
The BRFC met virtually by online Teams meeting, on 22nd November 2024. Present were: Stephen Mardlin…
Read more
29 November 2024
Government’s Bathing Water consultation puts river fishing and fish…
The Angling Trust and Fish Legal are responding to the proposals in the current consultation on the…
Read more
19 November 2024
Angling Trust 2024 National Coarse Competitions Overview
Angling Trust Head of Competitions Steve Fitzpatrick reveals the highs and lows of the National Cham…
Read more
15 November 2024
Anglers represented at inaugural Bass Fisheries Management Group meeting…
On Friday 8th November the Angling Trust joined other bass fishery stakeholders for the first Bass F…
Read more
05 November 2024
TEAM SAUL PAGE TACKLE WIN ANGLING TRUST TEAMS OF…
Saul Page Tackle have scooped sea angling’s biggest team match event – the Ang…
Read more
04 November 2024
The Mighty Trent: A love letter to Britain’s greatest…
Like many anglers I’ve long been an admirer of Doncaster all-rounder Bob Roberts whose no nonsense w…
Read more
04 November 2024
The Environment Agency and Angling Trust Get Fishing Fund…
Monday 4th November launch date £150k of funding will get even more people fishing, more often Grant…
Read more
29 October 2024
New Fisheries Support Service launched to help clubs and…
The Angling Trust has joined forces with the Environment Agency to launch a new service to provide a…
Read more
25 October 2024
March for Clean Water – join us on Sunday,…
The Angling Trust is calling on all anglers and supporters to stand with us at the March for Clean W…
Read more
23 October 2024
Angling Trust welcomes largest review of water companies since…
The announcement by the government of an independent commission to look at the largest review of the…
Read more
21 October 2024
ENGLAND WIN SILVER, RINGER TAKES GOLD, AND MASTERS FINISH…
The European Feeder Cup is a fledgling international event, but it is one that the Angling Tr…
Read more
16 October 2024
‘Lady of the Stream’ photographer Amber Banks Brumby captures…
Amber Banks Brumby is an angler, photographer and educator based in rural Staffordshire, West Midlan…
Read more