BBC Radio 5's 'Dirty Tackle' |
| Whether it's issues regarding the rights of sea anglers to access to plentiful fish, or funding the stocking of rivers, or protection for returning salmon and eels, angling activists from all disciplines have been campaigning for the growing recognition of Recreational Angling as an important economic and social activity. The 'hidden' sport, with an estimated three million participants, worth around 5 billion pounds annually to the economy, is slowly gaining recognition within the corridors of power. Leaving out shopping, angling is probably Britain's most popular participant activity. So where does it leave the representatives of angling when the BBC are considering axing the only angling programme on National Radio ('Dirty Tackle' presented by Nick Fisher, every Saturday at 6am)? Angling needs a growing number of participants to secure its future. A programme such as 'Dirty Tackle' helps to present the many facets of angling, not only to anglers, but to the general public, whetting their appetite to try wetting their own lines. The powers that be, within the BBC, are considering axing the programme next March (2002). They need to fund more popular programmes with big stars, and they cost real money. They will certainly take into account any uproar from the millions of anglers who pay licence fees. Please write to the BBC and let them know that you want this programme and ask them for more angling programmes - not less. 6am on a Saturday morning? That's when anglers awake at that time are likely to be out fishing! Ask them to move it to a better time. Ask them to allow archives of the programme to be made available on the BBC website for downloading whenever you want it. That way, anglers can download the programme and listen to it at their convenience, wherever they are, in any time zone. 3 million anglers, many paying for BBC licences, deserve more for such a popular national pastime. http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/ is a good starting point from where to contact the BBC. It's also worth dropping an email to your MP at: http://www.ukpolitics.org.uk/email.shtml The more mail they get from individual anglers, the more they are inclined to listen to, and meet angling's representatives. Tight lines, Leon Roskilly
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The Countryside Alliance have also started a campaign to try to persuade
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