Economists from Glasgow Caledonian University have completed a report on the economic impact of sea angling, commissioned by the Scottish Government.

On the day that Sportscotland announced an annual award of £20,000 for coaching in sea angling in addition to £25,000 to develop participation in all angling disciplines, the report’s evaluation of the contribution of sea angling generated excitement in the sport. Its estimated worth to the economy is almost as much as golf and a great deal more than freshwater angling.

The Scottish Government will not publish the report until early in 2009. However, the Environment and Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead, has now met with senior members of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN). A major pressure group, SSACN has been campaigning strongly for greater recognition for anglers in inshore sea fisheries management.

Steve Bastiman, the group’s Chair, described the meeting as ‘very positive’, saying: ‘We are reassured that the Government recognises the value of recreational sea angling’.

The SSACN estimates that Scotland loses around £20 million a year from angling festivals, competitions and tourist trips that have to be abandoned because of what they see as a uncontrolled take of  certain species like conger eel, pollack, skate, tope and porbeagle.

It is lobbying for the implementation of its plan to develop ‘angling regeneration centres’ in Argyll’s Loch Etive, the Clyde and the Solway and Moray Firths.

Mike Horn, President of the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers and also a member of the Angling Development Board for Scotland sees the report’s conclusions as ‘very reassuring’. He says that: ‘It underlines our need to take on a Development Officer and reinforces the absolute need to get kids off the street and to provide us with the assistance to do that’.

Interestingly, the same team from Glasgow Caledonian reported on freshwater angling in 2004 – salmon, trout and coarse fishing – finding that this sport generated £113 million per annum and supported 2,800 jobs.