Angling in the Netherlands, 1990-2020

Description

To fish in inland waters in the Netherlands, anglers are required by law to have written permission from the holder of the fishing rights. In 2017 the national VISpas (fishing permit) was introduced as the written permission, replacing the sportvisakte. The fishing rights for most inland waters in the Netherlands are held by angling clubs (except for eel fishing). Possession of a VISpas is enforced by the police, special investigating officers and angling club inspectors. No permit is required for sea angling in most marine waters.

Number of anglers

In 2020 there were more than 698,000 anglers and more than 43,000 young anglers, numbers that have been fairly constant from 1990 to 2020. In 2020 the number of registered anglers increased by over 17% and the number of young anglers increased by as much as 47%. During the Covid-19 restrictions a large number of people took to fishing as a form of outdoor recreation and relaxation. Most anglers are members of a local angling club. In 2020 there were 748 active angling clubs in the Netherlands.

Fishing and fish stock management

Angling affects and is affected by nature and water policies because it depends on good water quality and healthy fish populations. The angling clubs, as owners of the fishing rights, are also responsible for fishing activities and fish stock management, for which fishing and fish stock management plans are drawn up. The national angling organisation Sportvisserij Nederland evaluated the performance of fish stock management committees in 2019 and 2020 and found that just a few committees have been successful in maintaining sustainable fish stock levels.

Ecological impacts

Fish are often specially introduced to keep waters stocked for angling. In the past, many species were introduced, such as perch, roach, carp, rainbow trout, brown trout, common barbell, chub, rudd, ide and pikeperch. They were introduced into all types of surface waters and sometimes into habitats where they are not naturally found, or introduced in excessive numbers. Many exotic species have also been introduced for angling, such as pikeperch, brook trout, rainbow trout, bighead carp and silver carp. Introducing fish that are not native in the Netherlands can be damaging to the ecosystem. In recent years the number of fish introductions has fallen sharply, with the exception of carp introductions, because carp have difficulty reproducing in the Netherlands and so stocks are declining. But even carp can cause damage to ecosystems and so Sportvisserij Nederland advises introducing carp only in isolated fish ponds and has made subsidies available for this. In 2020 carp were introduced into 49 waters by 33 angling clubs.
The angling community plays its part in the research into improving fish stocks and fishing waters, for example by reintroducing fish species (e.g. sea trout, salmon, allis shad, sturgeon) and protecting and developing fish stocks (e.g. shark, skate, pikeperch, carp, bream). Sportvisserij Nederland provides data on freshwater fishing in the Netherlands.

• Trend van zoetwatervissen, 1990-2023

As anglers also have an interest in maintaining healthy freshwater ecosystems, angling clubs support efforts to facilitate fish migration, fish-friendly hydropower plants and research into the ecology of fish, and are actively involved in measures to improve the quality of the Markermeer and IJsselmeer lakes. Due in part to research results and expertise from angling clubs, the main obstacles to fish migration have been mapped, fish passes have been built and fish migration monitored.

• Measures for migratory fish, 2018

On the other hand, the clubs are also pursuing various courses of action to prevent or reverse constraints on angling. For example, in July 2020, the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Carola Schouten, announced the introduction of a 250 metre fishing free zone around all fish migration facilities in inland waters to give the fish a better chance of safely navigating the passes. After lobbying by the angling organisations, a large majority of the House of Representatives adopted a motion calling on the government to abandon the introduction of these fishing free zones. However, the minister will pursue the original, unamended proposal to establish fishing free zones for all fishing gear around all fish migration facilities in 2022.