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DEFRA RSA Strategy Consultation
Today DEFRA have finally launched the public consultation on the strategy for the development and management of Recreational Sea Angling in England. The draft strategy has been put together by a wide range of marine stakeholder interest organisations, including anglers, commercial fishermen, Sea Fisheries Committees, marine scientists, environmental NGOs and DEFRA officials. Now everybody has the opportunity to criticise and contribute to the draft proposals. Undoubtedly there will be issues which sea anglers need to be wary of, and some will question the ability of the Government to deliver the benefits which Sea Anglers expect, particularly in a 'consensus' environment where all stakeholders will be seeking to protect their own interests foremost. But there are other issues, such as the management of some species for recreational purpose, aiming to ensure access to more and bigger fish, and the 'Golden Mile' which anglers will need to enthusiastically back. And maybe individuals and organisations will want to see some other things included. It is important that anglers don't just concentrate on the negatives, but also support those things which they see of benefit, and which could usefully be included, otherwise there is a possibility that DEFRA will assume that there isn't sufficient level of support from the angling community for some of the benefits that we would all like to see included in the final strategy. It's important also to understand that the consultation, which ends on 31st March 2008, isn't simply a referendum. As well giving support to some issues, and questioning the need for other proposals and perhaps introducing new ideas, the Government will particularly be looking for detailed arguments being put forward, supported by evidence that can be substantiated. Whatever your initial views on the strategy, SACN strongly urges that anglers and angling organisations should take some time studying the proposals, and respond to the consultation, in particular supporting the positive proposals. For you can bet that others with different agendas will certainly be doing so. As well as recieving written responses, the DEFRA team will be visiting various areas of the country to canvass as wide a selection of views as possible, so keep your ear to the ground for any such visits to your area, and try to make other local anglers aware. DEFRA will also be pleased to hear of any opportunities to address large numbers of anglers, at angling events or meetings, so if your local club or division etc can assure a good attendance, please get in contact with DEFRA who may be able to arrange such a visit. Once the consultation period closes, the responses will be examined and a final strategy (which you now have the opportunity of influencing) will be adopted by DEFRA for implementation. And that final strategy will undoubtedly fundamentally shape the future of our Recreational Sea Fisheries for some considerable time to come. The consultation documents can be accessed at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/sea-angling/index.htm The idea for a strategy for the development of Recreational Sea Angling (RSA) in England came from members of the NFSA Conservation group. The idea was taken up by the Coastal Policy Unit of DEFRA, the government department responsible (amongst other things) for RSA. The strategy is intended to be a guideline, primarily for Sea Fishery Committees (SFC), on the actions to take to manage and improve the RSA experience in their area. The original draft was produced by as wide a group of RSA volunteers as the NFSA could muster. It was then presented in detail to an advisory group of all the main stakeholders including representatives of the Commercial Fishing sector, SFC’s and environmental organisations. The discussions were vigorous, but professional and at the end of the process the strategy you are being consulted on emerged. It is now a DEFRA document, not RSA’S. The document contains some real positives, especially the requirement for individual management plans at a local level for key RSA target species. It also makes a strong case for much better controls on near shore trawl and gill netting and makes it clear that all of RSA would like to see the concept of a “golden mile” achieved. It clearly states that SFC’s must be given the clear objective of developing RSA (they do not have that today) and the ability to make socio economic decisions. This would allow them to make some species primarily RSA targets if the plans call for it. They could not do that the way the law stands today. It also contains some potential threats. It mentions licensing and bag limits, neither of which have the support of RSA today. However, it will not be the RSA strategy which introduces these if they come. That will be done via a marine bill scheduled for draft release early next year. The RSA sector would also accepted the responsibility for encouraging best practice in relation to conservation whilst pursuing its activities. For RSA to achieve its goals of an improved angling experience, mostly via “more and bigger fish” we have to engage with government at all levels, push hard for action that would benefit but also take some responsibility for our own actions. In my opinion, this strategy would, on balance, be a significant step forward down that road. I urge every sea angler to read it and comment honestly on what they think about it. Only then can we be sure that we have a strategy that RSA feels has merit (or not as the case may be) and can be wholeheartedly supported during the much more difficult implementation phase. NFSA Press Release - Government plans “more and and bigger fish” to catch
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