RSA Strategy: Moving Forward

When DEFRA toured the country from deepest Devon to Yorkshire, canvassing the opinions of Anglers on the proposals for a UK Recreational Sea Angling Strategy, they met many unhappy anglers, even those who complained they just wanted to be left alone, voiced their opinions as to the state of our (mis)managed fisheries. This reinforced the view that a nationwide strategy was needed for development of our Recreational Sea Fisheries, and for a change to happen a well planned strategy is needed.

After a four month consultation period ending on the 31^st March, DEFRA have now had the opportunity to log and count the number of responses received. From around 1 million or so Recreational Sea Anglers in England and Wales, around 491 responses were received from all stakeholders, including some non-anglers (commercials, sea fisheries committees, NGOs etc). With the majority of the responses clearly from anglers, the overriding response was “No Licence”.

The Minister has heard that message loud and clear and (for now at least), has removed the proposal to give the Government the power to introduce a sea angling licence in the forthcoming Marine Bill. The Minster has not entirely abandoned the idea though, perhaps to be resurrected at some future date when anglers may be more amenable to the concept of paying for worthwhile management of restored recreational sea fisheries.

So, 491 responses, most objecting to a sea angling licence, leaving but a tiny handful of considered opinion to be taken into account when taking the strategy forward.

It might be tempting for some to consider that an endorsement of the rest of the proposals contained within the draft strategy, demonstrating that the recreational sea angling community was more or less happy, both with the proposals, and with those who will be responsible for taking the strategy forward and delivering the changes that will follow.

Certainly those few anglers who took the time and made the effort to respond on the non-licence issues within the strategy proposals will find they have had some considerable influence, given the lack of other considered responses.

So, what next?

Well first DEFRA still have to carefully analyse the responses that they have received, and to summarise these.

Then it is intended that the DEFRA RSA Strategy Group be reconvened to consider the responses made and how best to take the strategy forward, taking those responses into account.

(The RSA Strategy Group is a sub-group of the Inshore Fisheries Working Group, which itself is a sub-group of the Marine Fisheries Stakeholder Forum.  Although these stakeholder groups are advisory, they wield considerable influence, guiding future DEFRA policy on the management of UK Marine Resources.  The RSA Strategy Group consists of RSA representation from the main UK RSA representative organisations, the NFSA, SACN and BASS, as well as commercial fishing (NFFO), Sea Fishery Committees, Natural England, CEFAS, and environmental NGOs, as well as DEFRA officials)

It is likely that the RSA Strategy Group will meet again for the first time at the end of May.

When they meet, as well as considering the responses to the consultation, they will also look at the promised review of inshore netting restrictions and review of the bass nursery areas promised by the Minister when he announced that there was to be no change to the bass mls.

And so the overall strategy will be in place, the consultation box ticked, and the RSA community’s view of the proposals considered (with perhaps an assumption that demonstrably the vast majority of RSAs are at least ‘not too fussed’)  

Next comes delivery, which will mean further more detailed proposals, some of which will require consultation, and also further research on RSA activity, its impact and value, and how best to manage the species of interest to RSA to produce more and bigger fish.

And, in the absence of a licence to finance the work, how much of that can now be financed.

Oh! And although the licence proposal has been taken out of the Marine Bill, it’s likely that the proposal will stay within the overall RSA strategy for implementation at some future time.

After all, there were not hundreds of thousands of objections, not tens of thousands, not even thousands.

And as far as telling DEFRA exactly what RSA wants and needs (apart from a licence), just a few.

Ps Well done to all those who took the time to respond, your voice will be influential. More so because others with other opinions kept their opinions to themselves.

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