The Brexit vote has left large uncertainty around many aspects of day to day life. One of these aspects is what the EU referendum result will mean for fish and fishing in and around the UK. There is a huge amount of protection, funding and direction that has been brought about through EU legislation and we, like many others that enjoy our waterways, are keen to see these remain an important consideration. The Angling Trust has pledged to fight for the best Brexit deal possible and has issued the following statement:
- The AT will press for existing EU environmental legislation such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive, all of which are written into UK law, to be maintained and implemented in full to protect fish and their habitats.
- The AT will press for sensible regulation of agriculture, and for subsidies to be linked to the achievement of improved outcomes for the water environment.
- The AT will fight to ensure any new arrangements for sea fisheries management benefit both fish stocks and recreational sea anglers.
- At a time of immense political turmoil, the need is greater than ever for individuals, clubs and fisheries to join the Angling Trust & Fish Legal to give us the resources and political weight of numbers to speak up for fish and fishing and if necessary take legal action to influence the many fundamental decisions which will be made about management of the water environment over the coming months and years. You can join HERE.
If you would like to learn more about what the Angling Trust pledges to do, you can read The Inside Angle blog by Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal.