The Environment Agency (EA) have revealed rod licence sales were down by 30,000 and at their lowest this century in the latest Fisheries annual report.
As a result of the decline, income for the Agency dropped by over £1m. Combined with a £50k cut in government funding, it has made for some grim reading when compared to the last period on how the funds were used to support UK fisheries.
With the lower income the EA has checked less licences, stocked less fish and had less successful prosecutions but has attended more fishery incidents, perhaps indicating a change in priorities.
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THE IMPACT OF DECLINING ROD LICENCE SALES
2021/22 vs 2022/23 Licences sold
943,760 (21/22), 903,216 (22/23)
Income generated
£21,854,093 (21/22), £20,900,133 (22/23)
Licences checked
41,446 (21/22), 39,159 (22/23)
Successful prosecutions
726 (21/22), 265 (22/23)
Fish stocked
627,495 (21/22), 455,439 (22/23)
Fishery incidents attended
317 (21/22), 407 (22/23)
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Last month it was announced that the plastic-coated rod licence cards would be scrapped in a move to save the EA £230k, as well as make their operations more ‘environmentally friendly’.
Licences will be issued in digital format only from May this year, with an A4 letter available for those without access to a smartphone.
Heidi Stone, the EA’s Fisheries Partnerships Manager, said the money saved from abolishing licence cards will be invested in other areas of the sport. She said: “It’ll be used to protect and improve fish stocks and habitats, providing new facilities for anglers and giving people the opportunity to try fishing."
Last year several high profile anglers suggested a boycott of the licence due to the poor state of UK rivers, but will this just create more problems than it solves? Perhaps the biggest concern is what can angling do to get more people back out on the bank?
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