Ban on fishing catapults averted in UK

A ban on catapults in the UK has been avoided following representations by the body that represents anglers in the region.

A petition that called for a blanket ban on the sale and possession of all catapults attracted almost 22,000 signatures on the Government’s website, but the move has been rejected by ministers who acknowledged that such a move would unfairly restrict the legitimate desire of anglers and others to continue using them for normal pastimes and leisure pursuits.

Rejection of the petition followed representations from the Angling Trust, which pointed out that catapults have been used in fishing for many years without any problems and that there is a considerable difference between harmless catapults used for feeding a swim with maggots or hemp and sling shots designed to propel a heavy projectile designed to cause injury.

The Government ruled that there was sufficient legislation already on the statue book to deal with the misuse of catapults against animals.

Welcoming the news, Angling Trust CEO, Jamie Cook, said: “It’s good to see that commonsense has prevailed with ministers acknowledging the importance of not restricting the rights of anglers to use an important piece of fishing equipment like the small mesh catapults we use.”

Picture: Angling Trust.