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We view sea anglers as people who catch fish with a rod or line as a leisure activity, not for commercial gain. There is a broad diversity of techniques and locations within this group. There are sea anglers who fish from quays, rocky ledges, piers, boats or beaches. There are also many who are specialists for particular species such as conger eel, bass or plaice.

Although uncommon we would also include those who gather shellfish, such as mussels for their own use at home. We also aim to include and record bait collecting activities such as lugworm digging and crab tiling.

The South West is an important region for sea anglers, with over 240,000 resident enthusiasts and 750,000 visitor days coming from outside the region. Together this generates over £165 million in expenditure and creates 3,000 jobs in sectors such as tackle shops, bait and charter boats. For more information on recreational sea angling in the South West click here.

Sea anglers are particularly keen to become actively involved in the development of marine planning and conservation measures. Historically sea anglers have not been recognised as major stakeholders in the marine environment. In recent years sea anglers have gained a louder voice and are now ensuring that their needs and aspirations are fully taken into account in marine planning and the development of conservation measures. This is especially so in the light of the potential economic, social and conservation benefits that sea angling can bring.

Furthermore, the majority of sea anglers recognise that a positive and viable future for marine ecosystems, and the users of such systems, needs active management based on rigorous science. A good sea angling experience requires the availability of a range of sizes and species of fish; in particular fish of a better than average size that are both a pleasure and a challenge to catch. Sea anglers will expect that MPA planning and development will take this fully into account.

We are reaching sea anglers through ad-hoc interviews that take place wherever we find them-on quaysides, beaches and rocky outcrops. We are also working through the main clubs and the National Federation of Sea Anglers to ensure that as many anglers as possible know about the Finding Sanctuary project, understand what it is doing and are able to engage and input their activity information, knowledge and opinions. The Finding Sanctuary website and interactive map has played an important role in gathering this information. Although the opportunity to contribute to the data collection ceased in October 2010 the data can still be viewed on the national Marine Conservation Zone project interactive map and as individual maps on our website.

Communications to sea anglers will happen through word of mouth and through articles and notices in popular sea angling magazines and websites. Sea anglers are represented on our Steering Group.