We've launched an angling action plan for Yorkshire and the North East aimed at improving facilities, boosting fish stocks and inspiring more people to have a go.
Angling has been an important part of the waterways' heritage from the earliest times but the number of people taking part has declined over the past thirty years. We want to reverse that trend and encourage more people of all ages and abilities to give angling a try.
First in a series
The Yorkshire strategy is the first of a series of targeted, regional action plans that we aim to launch across the country in the next few months. The aim of the plan is to work with local angling clubs to identify specific opportunities and address some of the issues faced in Yorkshire and the North East.
At the centre of the plan is a proposal to bring the facilities on a section of the Aire & Calder Navigation up to international standard so that it can host events attracting fishermen from all over Europe and beyond.
John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager for the Canal & River Trust said; “Yorkshire is blessed with hundreds of miles of wonderful waterways and they're packed with fish, even in the heart of big cities like Sheffield and Leeds.
“People shouldn't underestimate the wider benefits that fishing can bring to their local communities. Fishing is a proven way of engaging people, getting kids off the street and giving them a greater appreciation of their local environment.
“It also brings significant economic rewards, attracting people to the area benefitting local shops, pubs, cafés and restaurants.
“This plan is all about how we really make the most of those benefits so that people living and working beside Yorkshire's waterways can prosper.”
The plan has been put together after working with local angling clubs, the Environment Agency, Angling Trust and Rivers Trust. It forms part of the our wider National Angling Strategy.
