We need to be ready to get back on the banks
AS YOU read this, it’ll be just over six weeks since the Coronavirus curtain came down on angling. We’re not out of the woods yet by a long chalk, but it’s looking increasingly likely that there is a glimmer of light at the end of the no-fishing tunnel. The Angling Trust has submitted a report to the Government setting out a staggered approach for the resumption of fishing, and the reasons to allow it. You can read the proposal in full on page 8 this week, but it makes a solid, measured case for angling to be at the front of the queue when it comes to the list of activities that may be practised in the first wave of social distancing relaxations.
Aside from its positive impacts on physical and mental health, angling’s role in reducing rural crime was highlighted in the proposal.
Some fisheries, already suffering financially, have also been targeted by poachers and thieves. Then there’s the estimated £4 billion that angling contributes to the economy.
The announcement by Government in two days is eagerly awaited by the country’s million-strong coarse fishermen, for sure, but it’s vital that we realise, if angling is allowed to resume in whatever form, that it will come under scrutiny, so we have a duty to become ambassadors for our sport.
Finally, I’ve been made aware that some subscribers have been receiving their copies of the magazine a few days later than normal. If you’re one of them, I can only apologise. Please know that we are doing all that we can to get things sorted at this very challenging time.