The recent BASS AGM proved to be as enjoyable as ever. Members new and old met, exchanged tales of seasons gone by and honed plans for the year ahead. Gear was bought and new friendships formed. During the more formal parts of the day, excellent presentations on both techniques and the sorry state of our bass fisheries were made. The speakers were all thought provoking and often inspiring.
One of those speaking, Mike Heylin, spoke with so much passion and eloquence that it only seemed right to collar him and persuade him to record an audio blog! Mike is a leading light in fisheries conservation, representing both the European Alliance of Anglers and the Anglers Trust. In his presentation, Mike had made a sobering point about the commercial sea fishing sector and how a fish market sales levy pays for around 30 lobbyists in the EU. Sea fishing on the other hand, although worth far more to European economies, has no paid individuals lobbying for our worthy cause. Yet it was not the politics that I most wanted to capture; rather Mike’s description of why anglers are the guardians of our waters and how he ended up campaigning for fisheries conservation.
So for those unable to be at the AGM here are his thoughts and wisdom recorded during the lunch interval.