First ever guidelines on responsible angling agreed

Recreational fisheries experts across the globe agreed on the first-ever international guidelines on responsible recreational fisheries at the World Recreational Fishing Convention (WRFC) in Berlin earlier this month.


It is expected that its report will be published in November 2011 and then be discussed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).


The WRFC, which counts EFTTA among its sponsors, heard that about 10% of the global population – in excess of 140 million – go fishing during their leisure time and that several million jobs worldwide depend on recreational fisheries. In some regions of the world the income generated and employment number exceeds those in commercial fishing.


The new guidelines will cover all types of recreational fisheries in all environments and will consider the immense benefits of recreational fisheries and the important contribution they make towards maintaining aquatic biodiversity and in terms of conservation of endangered species, their habitats and the aquatic eco-system in general.


The guidelines will address real or likely damage induced by non or badly managed recreational fisheries to fish stocks, biodiversity and the aquatic environment.


Various pathways towards sustainable fisheries using a range of tools and approaches to the management of recreational fisheries will also be explored. Six translations of the document will be provided and published online at http://www.fao.org/fishery/ccrf/guidelines/en