No fishing in England during new lockdown
Fishing in England is banned under new lockdown laws
Angling has been banned in England despite high-level government representations from the Angling Trust.
Fishing can still continue, with tight restrictions, in Scotland and Wales, but Downing Street looks set to keep anglers away from English waters for at least six weeks.
Before the decision was made, the Angling Trust wrote to sports minister Oliver Dowden setting out how angling could continue safely. Key points included angling’s solitary nature, the fact the majority of the population live within five miles of a waterway and that allowing angling would reduce pressure on other public spaces.
The Angling Trust continues to put the case for angling to government
Trust campaign manager Martin Salter told us:
“We made our arguments and we disagreed with the government’s decision, but it was not entirely unexpected. I suspect they felt the need to give the public a serious wake-up call, and sadly fishing has been caught up in that.
He added:
“At every twist and turn from last March right through last year we’ve kept making the case that angling isn’t a problem, and we did that successfully. This time around we are obviously concerned with infection rates higher than back in March and higher than when we locked down. We had a feeling that this might be a lot more challenging.”
Mr Salter said the trust is preparing an updated version of its When We Fish Again proposal, which paved the way for angling’s resumption last spring.
He said:
“Anglers can rest assured when we judge there’s a reasonable likelihood of success we will push for angling to be one of the first activities allowed to resume. And this time with the benefit of a whole lot of experience.
“With a few notable examples of idiocy, the angling community has responded responsibly to our calls. The vast majority are acutely aware of the need to act sensibly and be ambassadors for the sport we all love.”
The Angling Trust is preparing an updated version of its When We Fish Again proposal, which paved the way for angling’s resumption last spring