<p>New Controls on Fishing for Salmon and Sea Trout</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:35 pm on 20 September 2017.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Nick Ramsay Nick Ramsay Conservative 1:35, 20 September 2017

Cabinet Secretary, as you’ve just said, angling is worth around—you took the words out of my mouth—£100 million per year to the Welsh economy. As Adam Price, the Member for Carmarthenshire has said, it’s a very important segment of all parts of Wales, particularly the rural economy. I appreciate that you’re limited in what you can say at the moment, but would you agree that the vast majority of anglers are members of clubs? They pay in the region of a couple of hundred pounds for fishing rights each year depending on the extent of the rights that they have. And whilst I understand NRW’s responsibility to manage fish stocks sustainably—of course you recognise that—would you agree with me that it’s important that the organisation does fully consult with fishing clubs, and doesn’t just consult but also listens to those clubs, because those clubs also have a key interest in the sustainability of fishing stocks themselves, which I think is often overlooked and forgotten? So, will you give me an assurance that NRW will, at the end of this consultation, put in place controls that are right, that do sustain stocks, but that are also fair to anglers and to the Welsh economy?