Our research has uncovered evidence on the numerous social and community benefits of angling. We have made this available so that it may support funding proposals, policy developments, further academic research or the dissemination of general information on the benefits of angling.

Find evidence on:

• Young People and Angling
• Personal benefits
• Environmental Improvement and Access
• Rural Communities

Young People and Angling

Our research looked at how angling benefits young people, particularly those who are socially excluded. It involved action research with UK angling intervention charity Get Hooked On Fishing, as well as visits to other angling intervention projects, schools, clubs and young people events. Over 200 young people took part in the Young People's Angling Survey and over 50 projects have contributed to the young people's Angling Projects Survey. The data collected is available here in a variety of forms.

• Angling and Young People's reports
• Charts and graphs, tag clouds, and reports from the Young People's Angling Survey.
• Charts and graphs or map from the Angling Project's Survey.
• Project Research Sites: the young people's projects we visited.
• Tables: angling engagement approaches and the distinction of angling.
• A Searchable Directory of post 16 angling related courses and a map of college locations.
• Your Stories Wall: quotes from young people.
• Views from the Field: selected quotes from teachers, parents, coaches, police and local communities.

Personal Benefits and Angling

Our research has identified four benefit 'domains' that are linked to recreational angling participation. These domains have been labelled personal health and wellbeing, physical activity, socialisation and the natural environment. You can find evidence about these benefits on the following pages:

• Angling Participation Theme Papers
• Views from the field (online thematic comments)
• Views from the field (selected interview data)
• Motivations tag cloud (interactive)
  
  

Environmental Improvement and Access

Our research has demonstrated the importance of nature to the angling experience, and how anglers are central to a number of schemes and projects that aim to conserve or rehabilitate habitats. Examples include:

• Theme paper 4: Angling and the Environment
• The locations and information about Trout in the Town projects
• More than 500 surveyed anglers participated in conservation projects
• Online comments submitted by anglers

Rural Communities

Our research evidences how angling can have a positive impact on rural communities. It is principally based on case study research on Assynt, an area in Sutherland, North West Scotland. In particular our research has focused on the benefits of collective ownership and angling tourism for sustainable community development. A separate project website was developed for Assynt to provide information about fishing in the Assynt area and generate research data.

• Assynt Reports
• Assynt Angling Research website: visit the website to find interactive maps and information on fishing in Assynt
• Tag Clouds of the qualitative responses to the Assynt Angler Survey 2010
• Chart and graph results of the Assynt Angler Survey 2010
• A Searchable Directory of places to fish in Assynt filterable by boat hire, accessibility and zone.
• Walking Maps plotting routes to the Assynt Crofter's Trust boat locations
• Assynt Comments on particular lochs and General Comments about Assynt from the Assynt Research Website.