The story of the doughty common skate (which is tagged, and has been caught and returned safely to the sea eight times) was told during a presentation which the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN) gave at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

The presentation was followed by a Parliamentary debate on Scottish recreational sea angling – the first time this subject has ever been debated in the Scottish Parliament.

Since many sea anglers and angling charter boats operate a catch-and-release policy for depleted fish species, the fish targeted by sea anglers are worth much more alive than dead.

The SSACN presentation, which included a short film made in the recreational sea angling-dependent community of Drummore, at the SW tip of Scotland, highlighted their calls for the establishment of Angling Centres around the Scottish coast. These centres would be focused on education, conservation and communication.

“We realise that commercial fishermen have to make a living too,” said SSACN technical director Ian Burrett, “but it’s a matter of balance.

Whereas there were 119 sea angling charter boats operating in the Clyde area in the 1970s, now there are just three. It’s the same story around the country. It’s a sad decline, and it’s all down to shortage of fish; on the whole of the West coast there are simply not many fish of any species left."

“The powerful and well-funded commercial fishing lobby has had pretty exclusive access to the ear of government,” added SSACN chairman Steve Bastiman. “Recreational sea angling has been regarded as economically insignificant, so the needs and rights of anglers – and of the businesses supported by angling - haven’t been given the prominence they deserve.”

SSACN are on the Steering Group of a government-commissioned study on the socio-economic benefits of Scottish sea angling which is being carried out by Glasgow Caledonian University and is due to be published early next year.

“We were tremendously encouraged by the fact that MSPs of all parties, and the Minister for Environment, expressed their support for the sport and for conservation measures. The government seems to have taken on board the point that angling tourism is extremely important to Scotland, and that promoting it will help meet their target of increasing tourism by 50 per cent by 2015,” added Steve.

“All we are saying is: ‘Give fish a chance’,” concluded Ian Burrett.

“That’s the only way we can give countless small rural businesses a chance. The standard tourist season in this country is short. Many businesses which could not survive on a summer season keep their heads above water because angling tourism extends their season so greatly. And the more fish there are, the better that will get.

“We need urgent action to halt the decline of inshore fish stocks, and give them a chance to start regenerating. That can only be beneficial to the commercial fishermen as well as to recreational sea angling businesses. It’s been shown elsewhere that zones which are closed to commercial fishing have a very, very positive effect, acting as ‘nurseries’ for all local species."

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