What is Welsh Government doing to promote and protect angling in Wales?
Angling on Wales' rivers, seas, lakes and ponds provides important economic benefit to rural and coastal communities as well as being a healthy activity undertaken by many individuals across Wales. Angling, at sea and on our rivers, requires healthy populations of fish as well as healthy riverine and marine environments. The Welsh Government is committed to delivering clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas around Wales. Welsh Government provides grant funding to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to undertake its statutory duties including, in relation to fisheries, to "maintain, improve and develop" fisheries of salmon, trout, eels, lampreys, smelt and freshwater fish. This is in addition to the monies raised through rod licence sales. NRW will shortly be bringing forward a consultation on proposals to increase the protection of salmon and sewin stocks which are under pressure across much of Wales. Agricultural pollution is one of the main threats to freshwater fish in Wales. Welsh Government is working closely with NRW and the agricultural sector to tackle the problem of agricultural pollution and a number of initiatives are on-going.