Over a million people of all ages take part in recreational sea angling, fishing from beaches, harbours, piers and from boats both inshore and offshore.  The time spent by sea anglers on or by the sea, instils a natural appreciation for the marine environment and desire to protect its habitats and species. The Marine Conservation Society has worked with many partners to develop initiatives that promote responsible sea angling and protect coastal environments.  MCS has held joint conferences with the National Federation of Sea Anglers and produced a Conservation Code for Sea Anglers with several angling and conservation partners in England and Wales to encourage actions that will help to conserve the health of our coast and preserve the good image of angling. 
 
The Conservation Code provides guidance on issues such as:

• Buying and collecting bait
• Preventing accidental loss of fishing tackle
• Catch and release, particularly of smaller sized fish
• Preventing litter 
• Respecting conservation sites 

For a hard copy of the Code please send a SAE to MCS.
 
Recreational sea angling is not generally restricted by any management measures except for Minimum Landing Sizes, which apply to all commercial fish stocks.  Due to the scale of the recreational angling sector, and the potential for future growth, there are calls for new measures that will benefit fish stocks, the environment and the recreational angling sector.  These include a voluntary licensing and catch record scheme and potential for designating some species such as bass for recreational fishing only.