Angling ban declared if Green Party are in office (From Gazette Series)

Angling ban declared if Green Party are in office

SIR - I read with astonishment that, in the lead-up to the European elections, the Green Party had declared itself "opposed to angling as a bloodsport" and in favour of promoting "the voluntary cessation of angling through public education".

Yes, that's right. The Green Party wants to ban angling. Without anglers and angling our waterways would be in a dire state, fish stocks and biodiversity would be pathetic, tourism would suffer and you can guarantee that public investment would not match the economic benefits the sport brings.

The £15 million generated annually by rod licences alone is directly invested by the Environment Agency in cleaning, restocking and preserving our waterways, not just for anglers, but for everyone.

Britain's 3.5 million anglers, and 25 million more across Europe, have done far more for rivers and still water habitats than the Green Party ever has. Rather than turn its back on angling the party should be actively embracing it.

Charles Jardine Director Countryside Alliance Campaign for Angling Kennington Road London