The Whitby and District Tourism Association is completely opposed to any introduction of sea angling rod licences. Whitby is a small port struggling to change from a traditional reliance on trawler fishing to a more appropriate and sustainable economy. This is increasingly Tourism, including sea angling from the beach, the piers and also from a small fleet of dedicated sea angling charter boats. This change has been progressing well and Whitby is now one of the premier sea angling ports in the UK and sea angling now makes a significant …

THE sea angling industry in Whitby has been saved after a dramatic Government climb-down caused in part by pressure from the town’s skippers.Jonathan Shaw, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at DEFRA announced on Tuesday he was scrapping plans to introduce a compulsory rod licence for anglers, a move which Whitby skippers had warned would cripple the industry.
The plans were part of the Marine Bill currently passing through Parliament and would have seen anyone wanting to use a rod to fish off Whitby pier or on a chartered boat having to purchase a licence …