The Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN)
SCOTTISH SEA ANGLERS WORTH MILLIONS
Fisheries Minister Lochhead experiences sustainable ‘catch and return’ sea angling
The long awaited Government sponsored study into the value of sea angling reports it is worth over £140 million a year to the Scottish economy – much more than salmon, trout and coarse angling combined, and at least as valuable as incoming golf tourism.
The report was released at a meeting in Drummore, Dumfries and Galloway (today) where Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, met with members of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN), local politicians and business leaders.
SSACN chairman, Steve Bastiman, said today “As recently as the late 1980’s, Scotland was a major European destination for sea anglers, however, due to poor fisheries management over the last two decades, the stocks of many of those have been almost totally depleted.
“Apart from the tragic loss of biodiversity in our seas, this has caused hundreds of jobs and millions of pounds to be lost from the economies of many coastal communities.â€
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