Rob Carter: Award winner has said what we all need to hear about youth fishing

Angling International owner Rob Carter writes: Is angling heading for trouble? Two months after we staged our first ever Angling International LIVE you might expect me to want to continue to celebrate the success of our show in Budapest.

It is certainly true that we are receiving a steady supply of positive feedback from the exhibitors that joined us at the HUNGEXPO in September, plus many more enquiries about next year’s show. But I really want to pivot to another subject, and it’s a subject that has been prompted by one of the most successful exhibitors from the show floor.

Jakub Vagner (below) is a fishing adventurer and film maker of note, meaning he speaks from a position of no little authority.

Vagner won four awards in the Angling International LIVE Product Showcase with his new brand, but when we offered him the chance to tell us more about his high quality new launches into the catfish market, he instead took the opportunity to issue a stark warning to the trade. And it was this. Angling stands on the brink of catastrophic decline. And it is because two threats in particular.

First, Vagner says, we are not nurturing participation amongst the next generation of anglers. And no sport – and no industry that depends on revenues from that sport – can survive without a fresh influx of dedicated consumers.

Basically, the decline in youth participation is a ticking timebomb underneath each and every one of us, and in truth, very few members of the trade are doing anything like enough to reverse that decline.

We desperately need the buyers of the future, and we need to bring them on board right now. Think about how you can make that happen.

And secondly, says Vagner, angling has real and powerful enemies that are intent on restricting it to such an extent that it will become almost impossible to pursue as a recreational activity. These extremist ‘conservation‘ organisations are growing in power in different parts of Europe in particular.

Vagner‘s message? “Outside forces are against us,” he says, “and we need to unite to save the sport.”

Again, what are you doing to protect angling from those that want to bring about its demise?

Fittingly, it is a question that is also being asked by Europe‘s trade association, EFTTA, which will be hosting its first ever trade summit at the end of this month. Our editor Anthony Hawkswell has spoken to EFTTA’s Gerard Bakkenes, who shares Vagner’s concerns. “We have to confront the issues facing the sport together,” Bakkenes says, and we have to do it as a matter of urgency.

The EFTTA Summit takes place on November 28th at Angling World Berlin show. At the time of writing, tickets are still available.

I have to say, for driving action there is nothing more powerful than meeting face-to-face with your counterparts in the trade. Angling International LIVE was conceived to inject energy into the European trade and there is no doubt that we succeeded. I make no apologies for continuing to present success stories from the show and testimonials from satisfied exhibitors.

If you missed it then you missed out. If you need convincing of that then read the words of suppliers that have generated high levels of new business simply from being there. And if you want to create an industry that can protect itself and then create prosperity for those trading in fishing tackle then contact me. Yes, there are dangers out there, but there are also smart business people who share your passion and want to trade with you. Now and in the future.