This month B.A.S.S. are due to meet Ministers to put their case for the Management of Bass as a recreational species. We at Rodfishing.Net are glad to support B.A.S.S. in their efforts to conserve a wonderful species and develop saltwater fly fishing in the UK in a sensible and sympathetic manner.

The Article below is reproduced with the kind permission of B.A.S.S.

The Fish that lays the Golden Egg.
Management of Bass as a recreational species is the key to best value argues John Leballeur.

Recreational bass fishing has been popular in coastal regions of England and Wales for over 50 Years. Prior to the mid – 1970’s bass were regarded primarily as a recreational sport fish but the economic potential of the species as a valuable tourism and leisure resource was little recognised.

Although the bass stock is deemed to be within safe biological limits due to the abundance of small fish taken by the commercial fishery, older, larger fish, which are highly prized by sea anglers, are now very scarce.

In the United States the superior economic value of striped bass managed as a recreational species has been well documented and many states allocate the bass for sportfishing. Recovery of this species from commercial over-fishing resulted in recreational expenditure soaring from $85 to $560 million between 1981 & 1996.

The DEFRA funded DREW report estimated that there were 1.45 million ea anglers in England and Wales whose direct expenditure topped £500 million per annum to the UK economy, Supporting 19,000 livelihoods. It is believed that there are approximately 400,000 anglers targeting bass, contributing in the region of £100 million per annum to the UK economy. All Commercial fish landings in England & Wales amounted to £144 million in 2003, of which bass comprised just £3.2 million.

Economic studies on fishery values from many other countries now clearly show that fish such as bass, targeted by recreational sea anglers, are worth far more to coastal communities as a sportfish than the commercial value. Bass anglers frequently return fish alive to encourage stock conservation which also further perpetuates their value.

The current lack of “Best Value” goals for fisheries managers has resulted in the opportunity for a world class sport fishery being squandered. Should the government “Objective” for fisheries management be altered to that of providing the best return to the UK, in line with recommendations from Cabinet Office Strategy Unit, the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society Believe the potential exists to develop the recreational bass fishery in the UK into a £200+ million per annum industry.

John Leballeur, Chairman of B.A.S.S.