Post by Hoppy on Nov 17, 2005 20:39:43 GMT -1
H. INVESTING IN THE FUTURE.
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT:
CCW = Countryside Council for Wales:
EA = Environment Agency for England & Wales:
EAW = Environment Agency Wales:
FRAWC = Flood Risk Assessment Wales Committee (formerly Flood Defence Committee):
NRA = National Rivers Authority:
WAG = Welsh Assembly Government.
IMPROVING ECONOMIC BENEFITS.
Initial results from monitoring of the economic success of the current ‘Fishing Wales’ and ‘Sustainable Fishery Development’ programmes are very encouraging.
IMPROVING SOCIAL BENEFITS.
The very important fact that fisheries can provide important social benefits within the local community is often overlooked.
FUTURE INVESTMENT CRITERIA.
Future investment of external funds from outside the angling community should now be more specifically targeted on those fisheries projects and initiatives most likely to produce the maximum long-term social and economic benefits to Wales.
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT:
CCW = Countryside Council for Wales:
EA = Environment Agency for England & Wales:
EAW = Environment Agency Wales:
FRAWC = Flood Risk Assessment Wales Committee (formerly Flood Defence Committee):
NRA = National Rivers Authority:
WAG = Welsh Assembly Government.
IMPROVING ECONOMIC BENEFITS.
Initial results from monitoring of the economic success of the current ‘Fishing Wales’ and ‘Sustainable Fishery Development’ programmes are very encouraging.
- Every effort must be made to sustain and further increase the social and economic benefits to Wales from past and future external and internal investment in Welsh fisheries.
- There is a pressing need for the angling community to do more to help maximise the economic benefit of existing and future investment in their fisheries.
- The EAW should do more to reassure clubs that this need not (and indeed must not) create overcrowding on existing fisheries to the detriment to either the traditional enjoyment of the fishing by their local membership: nor should it increase the rate of exploitation of the stock. It should be stressed that a worthwhile economic gain may often be achieved in more subtle ways by’ adding value’ to their existing rod-letting arrangements and by other innovative means.
IMPROVING SOCIAL BENEFITS.
The very important fact that fisheries can provide important social benefits within the local community is often overlooked.
- The social benefits of angling as a healthy, therapeutic and enjoyable recreation for all age groups of society have now been clearly established and these should be more actively drawn to the attention of local authorities and community groups.
- The Angling Participation Project, jointly promoted by the EA and others has achieved very encouraging results in promoting an interest in angling within the juvenile and youth sectors of society. That work should continue and the EA should try to forge new partnerships with a greater number of local authorities, community groups and schools to extend the programme more widely than its limited resources allow. Angling bodies should be encouraged to participate and lead at a local level.
- Particular attention should be drawn to promoting angling as a means of reducing the incidence of juvenile crime within both urban and rural communities.
- A concerted effort must be made to overcome the problems of juveniles who, while keen to take up angling as a new leisure activity, experience problems in acquiring fishing tackle, obtaining advice and ‘finding someone to take them fishing’. These difficulties could be partly overcome in many regions by encouraging all angling clubs to create a ‘youth section’ that could then be supported by the senior members of that club within the local community.
- Future angling participation schemes should focus greater attention on the ‘grey market’ for new recruits. The members of this large and expanding sector of society have more leisure time, a higher disposable income and are better able to fend for themselves once they have decided to take up the sport.
FUTURE INVESTMENT CRITERIA.
Future investment of external funds from outside the angling community should now be more specifically targeted on those fisheries projects and initiatives most likely to produce the maximum long-term social and economic benefits to Wales.
- Future investment on river-based schemes to improve fish stocks and angling infra-structures should be by competitive tender from within the local angling community and awarded to those projects that generate the best economic and social benefit to the local community.
- Each application for external funding should be accompanied by a catchment based ‘whole-river’ plan for the conservation and sustainable management of fish stocks and a parallel business plan identifying the steps that will be taken to increase community benefits.