Angling benefits our environment in many ways. If you spend hours by the water, you can learn to appreciate the natural world. This often leads to an interest in protecting it.
But the places you fish are important for wildlife too. Inexperience or a little carelessness with your gear can easily harm wildlife, and the good image of angling.
Advice for angling clubs and fishery owners
- Ensure that anglers follow our Golden Rules at your fishery.
- Include the rules about litter on angling permits.
- Promote the telephone numbers of the Environment Agency, National Swan Sanctuary, RSPCA and Wildlife Hospital Trust (telephone numbers below).
- Offer help and advice to beginners.
- Organise 'clean up' days to remove litter and tackle snagged in trees or vegetation.
- Consider providing rubbish bins - but only if you can empty them every evening.
- Ask for advice from the Environment Agency or Swan Rescue Groups if you experience problems at your fishery.
If the worst happens...
Never attempt to restrain an injured swan (or other large bird or animal) by holding onto the line. This can cause severe injury and heightened trauma. For swans and geese cut the line and report the incident as soon as possible to the rescue organisations below. Smaller birds may be freed at the time of the incident, or held comfortably in a small box or other dark space if treatment is required.
- National Swan Sanctuary hotline: 01784 431 667
- RSCPA: 08705 555 999
- Wildlife Hospital Trust: 01844 292 292
- Environment Agency incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60 (Please only call this number if the incident you are reporting is related to a suspected pollution incident)
Further information
Good Practice Guide
Find out more about how to improve the wildlife value of your fishery with our Good practice guide:
Code of Conduct booklet
A Code of conduct for specialist coarse anglers has been produced by the Specialist Anglers Alliance (SAA):
Golden Rules leaflet
The Angling and wildlife golden rules leaflet was produced with the help and support of the following organisations:
- Anglers' Conservation Association (ACA)
- Angling Trades Association (ATA)
- National Convention for the Welfare of Swans and Wildlife
- National Federation of Anglers (NFA)
- RSPCA
- Specialist Anglers Alliance (SAA)
