10 years fighting for fish and fishing

Help us fight to protect fish and fishing for generations to come

Supporting our work to protect and grow the sport you love has never been more important. We have great member benefits, with discounts on fishing, tackle and everyday items, as well as a fantastic joining offer for new individual members.

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Your money back to spend on tackle

We have great member benefits, with discounts on fishing, tackle and everyday items, as well as a fantastic joining offer for new members which effectively gives you your first year’s membership fee back to spend on tackle! Please note the Fishing Megastore offer is only available to full paying adult and senior citizen members - full details are available here.

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Landmark wins against polluters

Fish Legal has successfully fought everyone from rogue farmers to multinational corporations on behalf of its members while in many cases the government and statutory bodies have done little or nothing. We win pollution cases against companies large and small and allowing compensation to be put where it is most needed - to the angling clubs and fishery owners affected, so that they can restore their waters. We have only been able to do this thanks to the loyal support of our members.

Times we've taken the Government to court and changed policy

in compensation for our members impacted by pollution

Legal cases taken on behalf of members

The number of times we have provided legal advice

Planning threats we have advised on

Combatting poaching, fish theft and other criminal activity

In partnership with the Environment Agency we have recruited and coordinate an army of nearly 500 volunteer bailiffs and developed stronger ties with police, in addition to educating migrant anglers on fishing rules and regulations via the Building Bridges project.

Volunteer Bailiffs recruited

Patrols coordinated in the last 12 months

Hours protecting fish and fisheries

Getting more people fishing

We are committed to getting more people fishing more often, increasing the diversity of participants and raising the standards of safeguarding and coaching.

Working in collaboration with other partners including the Environment Agency, Sport England, Canal and Rivers Trust, Get Hooked on Fishing and the Angling Trade Association, in the last two years alone we have run over 1800 events across the country, introducing 47,000 adults and 30,000 juniors to the sport.

You can see more of our work at www.GetFishing.org.uk.

Introduction events organised in the last two years

Coaches trained

Juniors and Adults introduced in the last two years

More competitive angling than ever in all three disciplines of our sport

We held over 400 events last year, which attracted in excess of 10,000 competition entries for competitions that included Fish ‘O’ Mania, RiverFest, nine major National Championships, AT Winter League, AT/CRT Canal Pairs, British Pike Championships, AT/CRT Boddington Classic and TideFest. We also supported our International England teams representing both the Trust and their sponsors and have developed a Youth Talent Pathway to offer more elite angling teams than ever before.

Events held each year

Entries last year

National teams supported

Progress on predation

Our successes to date include securing funding for fishery management advisors to advise and support fisheries on predation issues, as well as distributing over £480,000 provided by the Environment Agency for otter fencing and deterrents.

secured for otter fencing and deterrents

Fisheries given specialist support by our advisors on predation in the last 12 months

A louder voice for angling

A stronger voice for angling in Parliament

Our work has given anglers the loudest voice ever to influence legislation and policy, including pollution, predation, commercial netting and anglers’ rights. We couldn't do it without the support of our members.

Better water quality and healthier fisheries

Thanks to determined action, the Angling Trust & Fish Legal have successfully fought damaging activities such as river dredging, hydropower schemes, over-abstraction and pollution.

Three-rod licence for specimen and carp anglers

Thanks to our direct campaigning for free junior rod licences and a three-rod licence for specimen and carp anglers. these changes, along with the fairer deal of a rolling 365-day licence, have been introduced.

Representation for sea anglers

We have got sea angling up the political agenda, lobbied the IFCAs to ban estuary and inshore netting and fought to restore anglers’ rights to take bass home to eat.

Action on invasive species

From Signal Crayfish to Floating Pennywort, we have supported initiatives such as the Check Clean Dry campaign to help stop the spread of invasive non-native species. We also campaign for the government to take further action to control and eradicate species threatening our waters.

Securing funds to help clubs and fisheries

From new fish stocks, to better facilities and disabled access, the Trust continues to secure vital support via the Angling Improvement Fund – approximately £2m from the Environment Agency in the last 4 years.

Our ambassadors

It's time that all carp anglers join the Angling Trust to protect their fish and fishing from fish theft, fish disease, the taking of fish for the table, predation and angling bans. Get behind the Trust now. I'm a member and you should be too.

Terry Hearn

Top carp angler and former holder of the British carp record

I'm supporting the Angling Trust because it's the only interest group that can put forward a united and coherent message who stand any chance of making any impact.

Jeremy Wade

Author and TV presenter (River Monsters)

As long as individual voices can be heard within an organisation, it helps to have a single focus and point of contact for our concerns. The Angling Trust deserves the support of all anglers.

Paul Whitehouse

Comic actor and writer

A unified representative body is something I've campaigned for over a long period of time. It's the only thing that make sense. If only everyone could see that and support it, everyone's sport - and where they do it - would see dramatic, positive changes.

Keith Arthur

Writer, broadcaster and presenter

Nothing in our crowded countryside faces the number of threats that our freshwater habitats face and for some of our fish the situation is becoming critical. So it is vital that we have a strong voice to represent their interests and the science to argue the case for their protection.

Hugh Miles

Angling writer and filmmaker

It’s already shown that the strength in unity has given the Angling Trust the ear of various department of the government. One voice speaking for all anglers has got to be the only way we will be heard and taken notice of.

Jim Whippy

Former editor of Sea Angling News, Total Sea Fishing and Boat Fishing Monthly

Who are the Angling Trust & Fish Legal?

The Angling Trust, formed in 2009, is the unified representative organisation for all anglers in England and Wales. We are a non-profit organisation working for the benefit of fish and fishing.

We protect marine and freshwater fish stocks and recreational angling in all its forms on behalf of our membership by lobbying and campaigning, by promoting angling participation to all, and for the public good.

We are united in a collaborative relationship with Fish Legal, a membership association which provides expert legal advice and takes legal action to protect the water environment and fishing rights of its member clubs, riparian owners and fisheries and to seek compensation on their behalf for environmental damage. We are the only sporting representative body to have such a collaboration to protect anglers rights and interests.

Your membership not only gives you great value - it's vital for the future of fishing.

Your membership of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal is vital to the continued support of our work on behalf of all anglers.

By joining the Angling Trust you contribute with us to:

Fight against Pollution, Predation and Poaching
Get more fish in rivers, lakes and the sea
Make sure rod licence money is spent on fishing
Increase angling participation, coaching and education
Fight against restricted angler access and anti-angling campaigns
Support environmental campaigning for anglers and fishing