FEATURE | SUSTAINABILITY
fish21’s Director of Sustainable Angling, Stuart McLanaghan explains the
background to several new surveys on fishing baits and sustainability. The
findings will be reported in the main feature in TTW’s November edition.
In what is
believed to be
a fi rst, fi sh21
is conducting
three surveys
on recreational
fi shing baits and
sustainability.
Each survey
is aimed at a
different recreational fi shing audience,
from the perspective of anglers; bait
manufacturers; and owners / managers
of freshwater fi sheries. Groundbaits are
also considered, but not hard and soft
plastic lures.
THE CURRENT BAIT SITUATION
It is increasingly recognised that
businesses have a critical role to play
in delivering more environmentallyfriendly
production and consumption,
otherwise society will not be able to
contain climate change; resources
will become increasingly scarce; and
ecosystems further damaged. For all
manufacturing businesses, including
those that produce angling baits,
this means making products which
minimise negative environmental
impacts during production and their
subsequent use.
Sustainable target fi sh populations,
for both today as well as future
generations, remain the lifeblood of the
angling trades. But, fi sh can only thrive
in an environment with good water
quality and healthy aquatic habitats.
Therefore one of the fi rst things to think
about is bait ingredients. For example,
how digestible are baits (particularly
nutrient digestibility) by fi sh and other
aquatic life, or do they leave undigested
remains which beyond a certain
amount could negatively affect water
quality and fi sh health? Alternatively,
baits could be formulated not just
to attract fi sh, but to additionally
supplement their natural diet,
contributing to healthy weight gains
which will increase a fi shery’s asset
value, as well as benefi t other aquatic
life. At fi rst glance, this certainly sounds
like a win-win situation.
Another question to ask is whether
or not the ingredients themselves are
responsibly sourced. For example,
whether seafood and fi sh are supplied
from a certifi ed sustainable fi shery. It is
also important to consider whether the
production, packaging and distribution
processes can be rethought to minimise
environmental impacts (e.g. designing
out waste or making use of more easily
recyclable packaging materials).
Many of the issues outlined haven’t
as yet been widely considered, publicly
at least, by either bait manufacturers,
or the angling community. TTW’s
readers are likely to fi nd the bait
manufacturers survey of most
relevance - please do take the time to
complete this. The surveys are designed
to be thought-provoking and fi ndings
are intended to provide a useful
starting point, to further discussion on
the current situation with regard to
recreational fi shing bait manufacture
and use. The surveys can be accessed
using the following links:
• Bait manufacturers survey:
www.bit.ly/2LkbVJD
• Anglers survey:
www.bit.ly/2JWKGyY
• Fishery managers survey:
www.bit.ly/2mLC98U
All comments will be treated in the
strictest confi dence. Bait manufacturers
wishing to comment in greater depth
can contact us on the email below.
The closing date for the surveys is
25th September 2018. In the Autumn,
an executive summary report will
be published and outline the main
fi ndings.
Editor’s note: TTW readers are
encouraged to complete the bait
manufacturer survey and share the
above weblinks across their social
networks - thank you
You can contact Stuart on all
sustainability topics by e-mail: stuart@
fi sh21.co.uk www.fi sh21.co.uk
www.tackletradeworld.com 61
Stuart McLanaghan
SUSTAINABILITY And The Tackle Trade
/2LkbVJD
/2JWKGyY
/2mLC98U
/sh21.co.uk
/sh21.co.uk
/www.fi
/www.tackletradeworld.com