National Angling Strategy Annual Report 2022-23 features 5,449 opportunities to get into fishing

The latest National Angling Strategy annual report for 2022 to 2023 has just been published. The report highlights some of the sterling work carried out by the fishing community in helping maintain and grow the sport through a number of aims and objectives

You can read the report here.

It features our Spring into Fishing campaign case-study during which we ran 9 large-scale events that attracted 757 non-anglers to the joys of going fishing. This contributed to a whopping 5,449 people attending no less than a total of 583 events during just the spring of 2022! Newcomers are provided with further opportunities to take their next steps into angling with ongoing events, activities to get into fishing.

The National Angling Strategy, ‘Angling for Good’ was launched in June 2019. It is a partnership-led strategy that was developed by consultation with the angling community key partners, angling charities and other interested organisations and using feedback from the National Angling Survey in which over 35,000 people took part.

The aims of the National Angling Strategy are to:

1. Increase participation in angling
2. Connect more people to nature through angling for their well-being and to improve the environment
3. Increase the economic impact of angling and in particular deliver economic benefits in rural and coastal communities and revenue to clubs, fisheries and businesses.

The Angling Trust is a key-partner in this strategy, and contributes to all areas of delivery including the promotion of angling to non-angling audiences, enforcement, tackling invasive species and over-predation, water quality, working with clubs, fisheries and coaches to build long-term sporting infrastructure and of course, helping more people to get into fishing!

The 2022/23 report highlights how more than ever, angling organisations are working in partnership together through a collaborative whole-sport strategy.

 Spring into Fishing is part of the Angling Trust’s ‘Get Fishing’ campaign and proudly supported by
Shakespeare, Exclusive Tackle Partner and Angling Direct, Exclusive Retail Partner
as we all work towards getting more people fishing, more often.

The Get Fishing campaign to get more people fishing more often is funded by the Environment Agency from fishing licence income as part of the National Angling Strategic Services contract with the Angling Trust, and Sport England. Children under 13 do not need a licence, and licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free but you still need to register and receive a licence in order to go fishing. You can get a licence for the full year, for 8 days (ideal for holidays!) or just a day’s fishing.

NOTE: Although young children who are under 13 year old do not need a licence to fish, the person supervising them needs the proper fishing licence to take hold of the rod or to help the child fish with it.