The Angling Trust has published a comprehensive report calling for far greater protection for Britain’s estuaries and for a radical overhaul of the outdated rules governing inshore netting, which is doing huge damage to juvenile fish stocks and endangering the survival of important species such as bass, mullet, salmon and seatrout.

The dossier, Inshore Netting and Estuarine Protection – A New Approach to Inshore Fisheries for the 21st Century, has been produced in partnership with representatives from angling and fisheries groups and aims to inform the current review of byelaws by the Inshore Fishery and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), which is required under the 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act.

Many inshore and migratory fish stocks have suffered severe declines since the proliferation of monofilament nets. More than 70 percent of sea anglers surveyed stated that the biggest factor stopping them going fishing was poor fish stocks. Sea angling activity currently results in a total overall spend of over £2bn to the English economy.

The dossier details the dramatic increase in the impact of netting on inshore fish stocks and recreational angling as a result of the introduction of cheap, monofilament nets, and makes recommendations for modernisation of the out-dated, complex and poorly-enforced legislation regulating the use of nets in home waters.

To read more and to download the report click here.