Angling's future at risk because of ones that got away, experts warn

Published on Monday 30 March 2009 22:47

THE voice of 11-year-old Alex Berkley buzzes with excitement as he describes how a "good strong fish" could pull a rod down a river.

But while Alex wants more of his friends to take up fishing, experts fear the iconic sight of anglers casting their lines on Scotland's world-famous lochs and rivers could be lost to future generations.

Latest figures from SportScotland reveal the number of young anglers in Scotland has remained static at 30,000 – only 6 per cent of under 16-year-olds.

Ian Robertson, project manager for the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group, has warned that angling could go into a serious decline because older anglers are not passing their skills.

"Unlike sports such as football or rugby, where players retire at around 30 and go in for coaching or refereeing, anglers don't 'retire'," he said.

"There is also a lot more on offer for young people. Traditionally, there were four or five sports at school. But now there can be up to 50 to 60, including things like mountain biking and computers."

Until last month, Mr Robertson was manager of the Scottish National Angling Programme, part of the Scottish Countryside Alliance Educational Trust, set up to make angling socially inclusive and promote membership. This included setting up Castaways, a web-based club for young people to find reasonably priced fishing equipment and instruction.

Angling has become high-profile recently, attracting many celebrities. Paul Young's Bafta- winning Hooked on Scotland TV programme and follow-up shows attracted large audiences – but not enough new anglers.

Jay Steel, an instructor at Cowan's Law, a country sports centre in Ayrshire, and a member of the Scottish ladies' fly fishing team, said: "It can be difficult to get adults to come forward to help teach young people. Adults tend to be more interested in fishing than teaching.

Earlier this month, Angling for Youth Development, started by officers from Strathclyde Police, suggested creating a qualification in fishing for school pupils. It said subjects such as casting techniques, water safety and wildlife law would create a sense of responsibility and could lead to job opportunities.

SportScotland has invested 73,500 for 2008-9 across the sport's three governing bodies – Scottish Anglers National Association, the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling and the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers – and part of the funding will be used to support a range of coach development programmes.

Meanwhile Alex, from Glasgow, who started learning to fish three years ago, said: "I sometimes bring my friends along and try to get them interested.

"I think they would like it better if there was someone there they enjoyed being with and could talk to, because it can actually take quite a while to catch a fish. But I reckon I could persuade them."

FISHING FACTS

&#149 Some 35,000 people in Scotland take part in angling on a regular basis.

&#149 Approximately 250,000 tourists fish in Scotland's lochs and rivers each year.

&#149 Freshwater angling – salmon, trout and coarse fishing – generates about 113 million a year for Scotland's economy.

&#149 Sea angling brings in about 150 million to the Scottish economy annually – nearly as much as golf.

&#149 The sport supports about 2,800 jobs, including those in fisheries and gamekeeping.