The Catchwise Project – a major study into sea fishing – is being backed by the Angling Trades Association.

Carried out as a partnership between research company Substance, angling governing body the Angling Trust and government marine science organisation Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, it is funded by Defra under the Fisheries Industry Partnership Scheme (FISP).

The data collected will be provided to national and local policy makers to make better informed decisions on fisheries management, as well as provide angling governing bodies and the sea angling community with information to help them develop their own views and policies.

By having data that is accurate as possible about what is caught, released and spent by sea anglers in England and Wales, helps enable the sea angling community to demonstrate its real impact more effectively.

Catchwise runs from 2023 to 2025 and will be one of the largest studies of sea angling ever undertaken in the UK. It will involve:

  • A face-to-face survey of hundreds of sea anglers fishing from the shore and private boats.
  • An online survey of charter boat skippers.

And it will survey sea anglers about:

  • Their sea angling activity and experience – how often they fish and how long have they been doing it?
  • Their sea angling session – when and where and what methods.
  • Their catches.
  • Their spending and the benefits they get from fishing.

This data will be used alongside other surveys, to provide an estimate of the participation levels (numbers, frequency), catches by species and area, economic value of sea angling and its social impacts. This study runs alongside the Sea Angling Diary study but is distinct from it.

You can find out more here: www.catchwise.org

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