A survey is underway in Northern Ireland to evaluate sea angling around the coastline. It wants information from anglers, even those who only fish infrequently, to provide information on where they fish, what they catch, what they spend and their perceptions of how good (or bad) angling is. It’s being undertaken by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and will play a key role in assessing how important sea angling is to the economy and how it should be treated. So all anglers, even those who have gone to Northern Ireland on holiday, are encouraged to fill in the survey. You can find it here. A review of inshore fisheries in Northern Ireland in 2007 highlighted the fact that “the social and economic contribution of sea angling to Northern Ireland is not known and as a result, there is a lack of government support and investment in this sector. There is also a scarcity of data on sea angling in Northern Ireland.” They don’t hurry, these government departments, do they?

AF