Catch ofthe day

Once an integral part of childhood, fishing is no longer casting its magic over today’s children. But, discovers Caroline Lindsay, World Fishing Day plans to change all that and get them hooked

It’s 1962 and, legs dangling over the edge of the pier, a row of little boys sit fishing in Broughty Ferry harbour. With nothing more on their minds than what they might catch, it’s a scene from a bygone era. Fast-forward to 2018 and you’re more likely to see today’s kids mesmerised by their mobiles or transfixed by TV. But that could all be about to change. The first-ever World Fishing Day will take place on June 23 to celebrate all things fishy and the organisers hope it will attract a whole new generation of young anglers to the sport.

World Fishing Day’s 24-hour live broadcast will visit 24 locations including Croatia, the Bahamas, Australia, South Africa, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Germany, France, the UK and the USA, showcasing the cultural significance and many health benefits of the sport, together with the importance of anglers’ contribution to wild fish conservation worldwide.

After research carried out for Fishing TV revealed that fishing is a life skill today’s dads are no longer teaching their children, Fishing TV aims to unite the global angling community, bring new people into the sport, celebrate the joys of angling and highlight the power of angling to make positive changes in the world and in people’s lives.

A tall order indeed but, as Fishing TV’s commercial director Ed Burgass explains, it’s all about reigniting a primal skill that’s been around since the dawn of time.

“Fishing is a great way to give youngsters purpose and get them outdoors, while teaching them respect for the environment,” he says.

Ed explains that the idea of World Fishing Day was inspired by Norwegian TV channel NRK’s trend for ‘slow TV’ – television’s version of taking a deep breath. Programmes include a 24hour rail journey across Norway, with a camera attached to the front of the train, streamed live, and an 18-hour salmon fishing programme.

“There was a huge response to them,” says Ed, “so we thought, ‘why don’t we do something similar and stream it worldwide’.”

“By holding World Fishing Day, we are able to combat the fact that families are no longer fishing together like they once did,”he continues.

“As a child, I often went fishing with my father and some of my fondest memories are from the river bank. As a dad myself, this is something that I’m keen to pass on to future generations.

“Our ultimate goal for World Fishing Day is to bring more people into the sport of angling, particularly women and children, while also shedding light on the conservation issues surrounding fishing and highlighting fishing’s power to improve

By holding World Fishing Day, we are able to combat the fact that families are no longer fishing together like they once did

people’s lives around the world.”

Ian Lindsay, former Evening Telegraph and Planet Sea Fishing columnist, is a lifelong sea angler who learned the ropes from his dad from the age of nine.

“I was heading out to sea on my dad’s boat without him by the age of 12,” he recalls.

“Angling has never lost its appeal for