Annalisa Barbieri
Wednesday March 1, 2006
The Guardian


Fishing is one of those activities that, until you do
it, you can't possibly see the point of it. Such a lot
of standing around, such a solitary sport; surely it's
for loners, losers and misfits? And anyway, isn't it
easier just to go to the fish counter in the
supermarket? When I started fishing nearly 10 years
ago, I thought all those things, too. I never realised
that fishing would lead me to become acutely aware of
my environment, an amateur entomologist, obsessed with
the provenance of my food and a bit of a nutritional
nutter. Some payback for learning to cast and flick a
line across the water.

Yesterday the Environment Agency launched a new
initiative with a very unsnappy name: "A better
environment, healthier fisheries; better fisheries for
our nations." The idea is to promote fishing within
local communities as a way of ... well, doing all
sorts of stuff. In a recent similar project that
trialled in Wales, 1,000 jobs were created in tackle
shops, bars and hotels, over 400km of river habitat
was improved, and £27m was brought to the area by
angling tourists and their families.

These are good results, but the most surprising side
effect of fishing was seen last year in a local scheme
called Get Hooked on Fishing. It ran in Birmingham and
250 youngsters were introduced to fishing; some of
those who took part used to play truant, were
antisocial and had committed crimes, but after
learning to fish only 2% went on to reoffend. For
"kids" who have been repeatedly told they're good for
nothing, or had trouble learning conventional subjects
at school, fishing can instil a real sense of self.
Fishing also has a remarkable way of teaching you
accountability in a way that, even all these years
later, I can't fully explain. But it's very hard not
to care about water pollution when you spend so much
time at the water's edge.

The Environment Agency is of course keen to push
fishing because it earns money on every rod licence
sold (if you're over the age of 12, you cannot fish in
England and Wales without one). Its strategy stretches
over the next five years, and as we all become more
environmentally aware and talk of hybrid cars and
switching to eco-electricity, it would be amazing to
see what would happen if more people fished and
understood that fish are the sentinels of our society.
Where they go, life flourishes; where they aren't,
life's in trouble.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/fish/story/0,,1720448,00.html

--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Mojo SpecTastic "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread,
Boomerang Fishing Pro. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://www.ezknot.com