Rod licence sales boom
According to data released by the Environment Agency, after lockdown restrictions on angling were lifted, over 335,000 rod licences were sold between 13th May – 30th June. Compared to the same period last year, this represented an increase in sales of 230% to 200,000 and it is thought that many of these were purchased by newcomers to the sport.
As result of increased angling activity, rod licence sales may surpass last year’s total of 940,974 licences, which generated £20,898,332 in income. The revenue generated last year by over 800,000 anglers contributed to the cost of building more than 100 fish passes, allowing the free movement of fish through rivers. Other work covered by the licence fee included nearly 2,000 fish surveys and improvements to over 1,000 kilometres of river and 87 hectares of stillwater fisheries.
Tom Good, Associate Partner at Fenn Wright adds “This is good news for angling businesses who were closed during the lockdown. It is an early indication that sales will continue throughout the summer, particularly with the river season having reopened on 16th June and many people still on furlough or working reduced hours.
Many of our clients are reporting their busiest ever months, with some day ticket businesses already recovering earnings they lost during lockdown. We hope this continues and that many more newcomers are introduced to angling to help increase rod licence sales which had been declining over the past 10 years”.
Sources: Environment Agency, Angling Times