How do you know if a fish stock is being fished sustainably?

This requires accurate data on how many fish are being caught each year by all fishing activities along with other information, such as from research surveys, to monitor stock trends. Without data on recreational fishery catches, only part of the picture is available for important recreational angling stocks such as sea bass and cod. This could result in greater uncertainty about the status of a stock, which makes it more difficult to know if the restoration of stocks to a healthy condition is on track. Sea angling surveys are designed to provide the type of data on recreational catches and releases needed in future years to improve our knowledge of the trends and sustainability of stocks.

How do I know information about my fishing won’t be shared?

We have put in a number of measures to ensure that information from anglers is protected and no information is shared that you don’t want to. You can read more about that here. 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sea-angling-in-the-uk-reports 2 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201666 ; The impact of marine recreational fishing on key fish stocks in European waters (plos.org) 3 EU Data Collection Framework (Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008) and the Multi-Annual Programme (Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1004 4 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/22/contents/enacted 5 https://www.ices.dk/

Why is there need for surveys of sea angling?

There is no doubt that sea angling is an important activity, providing social and economic benefits particularly for coastal communities in the UK and elsewhere. Previous research has shown that: Sea angling makes a significant economic impact worth between £1.5 and £2 billion–supporting 15,000 jobs - to the UK economy when indirect effects are included(1). Understanding recreational sea angling catches is important for sustainable management of fish stocks(2). Getting accurate data about the activity, catches, and spending of sea anglers is vital. It can then be used, alongside data available on commercial fishing and other marine activities, to greatly improve the management of fish stocks. This helps to achieve conservation goals and support improving the availability of fish to sea anglers. Data from this and other surveys helps Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Government and others such as Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) and angling organisations understand sea angling’s impact and value. Until 2020 , this work helped the UK Government fulfil a statutory requirement under the EU Data Collection Framework (DCF) to report recreational catches and releases of cod, sea bass, pollack, elasmobranchs, eel, salmon, and highly migratory species(3). Since leaving the EU , the UK is an independent coastal state with control over its territorial waters. Marine recreational fisheries are now embedded in UK fisheries management through the Fisheries Act(4), alongside the provision for funding for development. This means to meet the objectives of the Fisheries Act, it is important to have biological, social, and economic data on recreational fisheries to inform Fisheries Management Plans. In addition, the UK has commitments to provides recreational fisheries data annually to the International Council for Exploitation of the Sea (ICES) for stock assessment and fisheries advice(5).

How do we protect your private fishing information?

A lot of sea anglers will be cautious about providing information about where they fish and what they catch. That is perfectly understandable - you don’t want everyone knowing your favourite marks, where you caught that specimen fish or where you go for particular species. We have worked with sea anglers for over five years to make sure you can be confident that the vital information you give via the Sea Angling Diary is safe and that you do not share what you do not want to. Some anglers want to give general information, but others want to record precise details and share information. We have created ways to handle both of these.

What has Sea Angling Diary Project found out?

The Sea Angling Diary Project has shown that up to around one million adults have been sea angling in the past year, fishing for up to 7.5 million days. Each year sea anglers up to £1.3 billion on their sport, resulting in a total economic impact of over £1.5 billion pounds and supporting over 13,000 jobs. Up to 54.5 million fish are caught, 80% of which are released. You can find out all of the details in previous reports here : • Sea Angling in the UK 2016 and 2017 • Sea Angling in the UK 2018-19 Reports from a previous study, Sea Angling 2012 are also available here A social study on the impacts of COVID-19 on the diary panel found that anglers spent less and had a lower health and wellbeing score when restricted from participation in sea angling. The report can be found here.

What is the Sea Angling Diary Project?

The Sea Angling Diary Project has been running since 2016 and is one of the longest running research projects on sea angling in the UK. It has grown from 500 participants in 2016 to over 2,400 in 2022 – and over 6,000 have taken part in total. Each year, the project involves sea anglers who commit to provide information via a mobile app and online tool about: • Their sea angling activity (when they fish in a month or not). • Their sea angling sessions (location, duration, method and platform) • Their catches. • One off surveys about their spending and social impacts. These data are used, alongside other surveys, to provide an estimate of the participation levels (numbers, frequency), catches by species and area, economic value of sea angling and its social impacts. You can find out more here: www.seaangling.org

Why is the Sea Angling Diary Project being conducted?

The data collected will be provided to national and local policy makers in England and Wales to make better informed decisions on fisheries management, as well as provide angling governing bodies and the sea angling community with information to help them develop their own views and policies. By having data that is as accurate as possible about what is caught, released and spent by sea anglers in England and Wales, helps enable the sea angling community to demonstrate its real impact more effectively.