THE Prince of Wales has endorsed a new blueprint for environmentally-friendly fishing, called the National Angling Alliance Code of Conduct for Coarse Anglers.
The new Code covers care of the environment, anglers’ behaviour, tackle advice and up to date fish care.

It has a print run of around 50,000 and is available through the NAA Secretariat, the Environment Agency, the National Federation of Anglers, and the Specialist Anglers’ Alliance. One would hope the NAA will also talk to the Anglings Trades Association about a wider distribution.
The aim, says the NAA, is to ‘build and enhance angling’ and help safeguard the natural world in which anglers fish.  

The Prince of Wales, well-known for his stand on environmental issues, said the guide, which covers environmentally-friendly practices including tackle advice and fish care, would help ensure that fishing remained ‘a vibrant sport’.
In its foreword, Prince Charles says the guide is ‘an excellent document which will improve etiquette and make anglers even more responsible’.
He adds: “Although I have never done a great deal of coarse fishing myself, I do know how much pleasure it brings to millions of people.
“So I hope that this guide will enhance this pleasure and ensure that angling remains a vibrant and healthy sport.”
The National Angling Alliance comprises the angling governing bodies – the National Federation of Anglers, the National Federation of Sea Anglers and the Salmon & Trout Association – who have been joined by the Angling Trade Association, Specialist Anglers’ Alliance and the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives to form a working group.
Britain‘s millions of coarse anglers are being asked to adopt the Code, and the RSPB, Environment Agency, English Nature, Professor David Bellamy and many others have backed the document, which has been sponsored by a grant from the Environment Agency.
“We are extremely pleased that Prince Charles, who is a keen angler as well as a committed conservationist, has supported the Code,” said Chris Burt, who had the task of editing the new code.
Reading West MP and keen angler Martin Salter, Parliamentary Spokesman for Angling, added: “The vast majority of experienced anglers are highly responsible people who care both for the fish and for the environment but even they will benefit from reading this document.
“I applaud the work of the Specialist Anglers Alliance, the Environment Agency and everyone else who has worked so hard to put together this excellent Code of Conduct.
“It should be widely read by newcomers to our sport and those of us who have been wielding fishing rods with varying degrees of success for more years than we care to remember.”