Response from DEFRA RE: RSA Strategy

[The Great Wallsendo]

Consultation on a Recreational Sea Angling Strategy for England

Got an email response through today regarding the consultation email I sent ages ago

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/sea-angling/summaryofresponses.pdf

Only 385 responses...now that is surprising...it's either apathy or ignorance

 

[Charlton]

385 responses, when this was first put in an angling mag I pointed out that it was not 385 individual anglers which it implies. Some of these replies where done as a response from an organisation, the Northern Federation of Sea Anglers put a response in on behlaf odf their members, well over 1,000. We have learned from the past that individaul responses do very little, although they show therer are individuals as well as club members involved, but a response from an organisation goes a long way. And I know many more organisation responses went in, so that 385 is very misleading and maybe put in deliberately to make others think we are not bothered.

 

[The Great Wallsendo]

...385 is very misleading and maybe put in deliberately to make others think we are not bothered.

I think that's the crux of the matter right there

...even so...a couple of thousand people showing an interest is still a drop in the ocean by comparison to the amount of Sea Anglers there actually are

 

[Charlton]

I think that's the crux of the matter right there

...even so...a couple of thousand people showing an interest is still a drop in the ocean by comparison to the amount of Sea Anglers there actually are

that was just one federation Tony, i bet many more replies where from Federations as well.

 

[Red5]

I would read into it that there is a great deal of apathy.

Look at the meeting in Newbiggin re: licensing , I know the club I fished with weren't interested, apart from a handful of tackle shop owners, there was no one there from local firms such as Sea bait, Greys,Titan, Century etc. I would have thougbht there would have been directors of these firms there fighting to keep their business interests intact.

Worse to come if the plans to shut off areas to recreational anglers as well as commercials once quotas are reached from the EU , and the licence still hasn't gone away!