Coronavirus: 'Low inherent risk' anglers fish for a way back onto Scottish waters

Angling Scotland chairman David Ogg said it was a response to the Scottish Government reaching out for ideas on how to bring sporting activity back as "part of the exit from the current very restrictive Covid-19 regulations".

"The most important thing is we assist the government in getting this situation under control. And at the moment that means behaving ourselves and following the guidelines that the Scottish Government and the UK Government have introduced," he said.

"All we can do is present our ideas and wait until the professionals in health and government arenas tell us we can go back to doing what we want to do."

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The body's plan which was submitted over the weekend argues that angling "benefits the participants' mental and physical well-being, is economically significant for Scotland and helps protect our waterways and countryside".

It comes as Scottish Labour’s spokesperson for the environment, climate change and land reform, Claudia Beamish, has written to Roseanna Cunningham to ask for improved support for the fisheries sector.

The Cabinet Secretary is being urged to open business rates relief to salmon fishery boards to help them through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Angling in Scotland is estimated to support around 2,800 jobs and contributes £100 million to the economy.

Angling Scotland has been engaging with the government agency Marine Scotland in the very early stages of the crisis about the return of angling in some form.

It recently approached Jeane Freeman, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport comes with an "overriding goal" of safeguarding public health and protecting the NHS.

The Kinross-based organisation in a letter to Ms Freeman, the representative body for all recreational angling in Scotland said that finding a way to allow angling to recommence in some form "will have a hugely beneficial impact on those who perhaps cannot run or cycle, and for whom fishing is their only form of exercise or outdoor activity".

It went on: "It is this very group who, during the current lockdown, are at the greatest risk of developing mental health issues through inactivity and isolation.

"We firmly believe that angling is a low risk outdoor activity that government could permit, in line with overarching restrictions on travel and social distancing, without risk of increasing transmission rates of Covid-19 and we therefore commend this proposal to you."

Now in a more detailed representation Angling Scotland chairman David Ogg, has laid out the way they see the sport returning.

He said: "Angling carries a low inherent potential for COVID-19 transmission. Angling practices are conducive to maintaining physical separation between participants, and can readily be adapted to accommodate specific social distancing measures imposed or recommended by the authorities."

He said "critical" to their proposals was a reconsideration by the Scottish Government of what constitutes “essential travel”, and the establishment of clear parameters for the radius within which it is permissible to travel for the purpose of undertaking angling and other forms of outdoor activity and exercise.

The first phase would allow angling in the seas and freshwater from the shore and bank while observing social distancing standards and should not assemble in groups of more than two. Only one person would be allowed in any boat at any one time.

Anglers travelling in motor vehicles would do so alone, unless being accompanied by a member of the same household.

Fisheries and angling clubs would seek to make permits, season tickets and club memberships available by post or online and "wherever possible" payments should be processed by contactless card facilities or electronic channels.

Cars would be parked "so as to provide for appropriate separation".

Anglers would normally not share fishing positions, except with members of the same household and they must not share fishing tackle or any other items, except with members of the same household.

The group suggest fishing tackle shops, including those onsite at fisheries, should be allowed to reopen but cafes and clubhouses should remain closed, as long as such restrictions apply to similar facilities elsewhere. They should however be permitted to sell takeaway sandwiches etc on the same basis as other takeaway food businesses.

And fisheries or angling clubs repeatedly found to be disregarding or tolerating breaches of these guidelines or general Covid-19 restrictions may be ordered to close their facilities. In other phases, angling competitions would be permitted and boats containing two or more people would be allowed - but vessels would have to be of an "appropriate" size. They suggest 3.6m for two people and 4.5m for three, with skippers of charter vessels or larger private boats required to show relevant distancing on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Ogg said: "Angling helps protect our waterways and the surrounding countryside. The presence of anglers can deter others who mistreat the outdoor environment - sad to say, we are seeing a rise in reports of illegal fish removals, vandalism, and fly-tipping at what would normally be popular fishing spots – and provides an 'early warning' mechanism for identifying incidents of pollution or fish disease.

"We should make clear at the outset that the steps we are putting forward are subject to any overriding conditions in present and/or future Scottish Government legislation/guidance. So, for instance, references to social distancing are based on the current provisions forbidding any assembly of more than two persons, and for people to remain a minimum of two metres apart.

"We envisage a phased approach, with a basic minimum set of measures being introduced immediately and – hopefully - expanded by stages relatively soon in the light of experience and emerging best practice. However the 'package' is inherently flexible, and can allow for individual measures to be withdrawn or reeled back if necessary without requiring to be abandoned as a whole.