Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what specific measures have been taken by the Government and Environment Agency to meet their stated objectives and responsibilities with regard to the leisure fishing industry, and what criteria with measurable indicators and outcomes have been set to determine the degree of current and future success in delivery.

The Environment Agency (EA) has a duty to maintain, improve and develop fisheries for freshwater and diadromous fish. Income from angling rod licence sales is reinvested in work across the country including monitoring, enforcement, fish stocking, fish rescues, responding to incidents and providing fisheries advice. This work is partially funded by rod licence income. The EA reports annually on how rod licence income is used. The 2023 report can be found here (attached).

The Government recognised recreational sea fishing in the Fisheries Act 2020 (FA2020) enabling it to contribute to the Act’s objectives as required by the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). Recreational sea fishing is being integrated into Defra’s evidence-based Fisheries Management Plans, which set out how the JFS objectives will be delivered. Progress towards the JFS will be assessed and reported every six years, in-line with section 3 of the FA2020.