Popular Lincolnshire fishing spot to get new platforms after receiving investment
The On Track Fishing Sanctuary Garden and Pond in Boston is to get new platforms so they can continue promoting the health benefits associated with angling
A Lincolnshire fishing sanctuary garden and pond is to get new platforms after 3 thousand pounds worth of investment.
The On Track Fishing spot in Boston is regularly used by people with mental health problems who are hoping to reap the benefits associated with angling.
The Environment Agency’s Fisheries Improvement Programme has invested nearly £1 million into nearly 220 projects, announced yesterday, delivering benefits to anglers, improvements to vital habitats and fish stocks and overall enhancing England’s fisheries.
£925,000 has been invested through the Fisheries Improvement Programme this year, all of which have demonstrated a range of strategic plans, from developing new and existing coarse, trout and eel passages too improving angling access facilities, so more people than ever are able to enjoy the sport.
Since the Fisheries Improvement Programme was established in 2015, just over 1000 projects have been successfully completed, with a total of nearly £7 million invested from fishing licence sales alone.
Heidi Stone, Environment Agency Fisheries Manager said:
“The Fisheries Improvement Programme is a great example of how rod license income is being reinvested to directly benefit angling, ecology and local communities. The programme recognises and invests in a multitude of work so that our waters remain protected.
“Going into the future, we will continue to work with our partners, angling clubs and fisheries to find out what projects they would like to see. The more people who go fishing, the more we can invest in the things that matter most.”
The 2023/24 Fisheries Improvement Programme is currently underway and a variety of new and existing projects are currently being allocated funding.
Every penny the Environment Agency receives in fishing licence income is reinvested to protect both the sport of angling and England’s waterways. The Fisheries Improvement Programme funding is also matched by local partners including angling clubs and fisheries and local rivers trusts. The total match funding, made up of additional cash and in-kind contributions, is estimated to be nearly £6.3 million.
James Hooker is the Team Leader for fisheries in Lincolnshire:
"I'm an angler myself and fishing is really great, and it's great to get some time outside and enjoy the countryside. One thing that I find with anglers and people that are new to angling, is to connect with what lies underneath the water's surface. There's always a little bit of mystery behind people's local fisheries and local ponds. There's always a good fishy tale to be heard associated with fisheries. It's also great for people of all ages to get a chance to try fishing, and we really want to push that, kind of, angling participation and engagement in fisheries across Lincolnshire.
"So we work with local fishing clubs and fishing organisations and the Angling Trust, to deliver the Environment Agency's Strategy, and we want to encourage people from all walks of life and all the abilities to give fishing a try.
"On Track, is a project that's based at the Sanctuary Garden and Pond in Boston. We've given them some funding to develop some angling access platforms to enable people that may struggle to get close to the waters edge, and fish safely.
"But the mental health benefits are associated with people sitting down and concentrating on something and connecting with wildlife. It can be very therapeutic. And angling is a sport and a pass-time that really enables people to switch off from modern life."
The Environment Agency fisheries teams in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire were assigned £43,000 to deliver local improvements which would benefit wildlife and anglers.
The On Track fishing project has received £3,000 of Fisheries Improvement Programme money to provide improvements for anglers at Sanctuary Pond in Boston, Lincolnshire and promote the health benefits associated with the sport.
Project Manager Dean Jones from the local Fisheries, Biodiversity and Geomorphology Team said:
“On Track is a wellbeing project that is mainly happening at this site but it does go to other places on occasion. The project provides fishing platforms for disabled anglers and access for coaching, pleasure fishing and mental health events to use fishing as a way of stress relief in a relaxing environment.
“Supporting On Track, which is completely voluntary and regularly covered in the media, is a great example of what rod licence money can do for projects aiming to help people’s wellbeing.
“Intel showed less mobile anglers and new anglers can sometimes find attending a fishery a bit daunting if the environment is intimidating, so On Track Fishing has a rent agreement for this lake to make it more enclosed and private.
“As everything is done completely free of charge and there is no cost to visitors to this site, it was likely to fail as the budget was stretched. This was starting to impact on people and could have led to losing this angling venue and the social benefits, meaning less anglers could use fishing as a way of combating mental health issues.”
The Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire Fisheries teams also used £20,000 of Fisheries Improvement Programme money to increase their incident response capability by obtaining a new incident management kit.
The kit contains aeration equipment and can be lent to angling clubs and fishery managers during periods of prolonged dry weather or where environmental conditions have caused a critical oxygen crash. The fisheries team welcomes hearing from anyone interested in using the kits which are small, easy to use and an effective method of mechanically aerating water.