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Issued by the National Angling Alliance 05 December 2000

Angling Marches Forward

The angling governing bodies the National Federation of Anglers, the National Federation of Sea Anglers and the Salmon & Trout Association have been joined by the Angling Trade Association, Specialist Anglers' Conservation Group and the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives to form a joint group called the National Angling Alliance. The aims of the new body include: promoting and protecting angling; encouraging more people to take up the sport; and increasing public appreciation of its value and importance.

Members of the Alliance will meet regularly to exchange information, appoint lead organisations for different topics and review progress on joint projects. Working through the NAA, the national organisations will be able to draw on a considerable depth of expertise, and this will help to create important opportunities for developing partnerships with statutory bodies and non-governmental organisations interested in fisheries and wildlife.

"Angling is one of the most popular participant sports in the country ", said Tony Bird, interim Chairman of the new group. "The creation of the Alliance is a logical move which will help ensure a healthy future for the sport. It will compliment and enhance the important work of the Moran Committee, of which all NAA organisations are members ."

The NAA will cover all aspects of angling in England. The Moran Committee, which has a wider membership representing England & Wales; its main function is the achievement by fisheries and angling organisation of consensus views which can be put to Government, the Welsh National Assembly and the Environment Agency.

Already the Alliance has initiated action designed to inform the non-angling public about the benefits of the sport to society, and plans are being prepared to produce education material for distribution to schools.

Progress is also being achieved with the co-ordination of coaching and training schemes for new and would-be anglers, a project funded by Sport England.

The members of the National Angling Alliance are:-

Angling Trade Association representing the angling trade
National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives - the national body for consultatives
National Federation of Anglers the governing body of coarse angling
National Federation of Sea Anglers the governing body of sea angling
Salmon & Trout Association the governing body of game angling
Specialist Anglers' Conservation Group representing specialist coarse angling.

Contact
NAA, Fishmongers' Chambers, 110 Upper Thames Street, London EC4R 3TW.
Tel: 0207 283 5838; Fax: 0207 626 5137.
National Anglers Alliance e-mail address: hq@natangler.org.uk