DO you fish for sport? For fun? With your kids when on holiday? Or commercially?

The Welsh Government has identified ten sites around the Welsh coast, three of which are in Pembrokeshire, as potential Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), experimental sites where no activity causing any disturbance whatsoever will be allowed. No rocks may even be turned over, much less bait digging, fishing or laying of moorings, for example.

The local sites are: South West of Strumble Head; Skomer, and Dale.

For full details visit http://wales.gov.uk/docs/des h / c o n s u l t a t i o n / 1 2 0 4 1 9 marinesiteen.pdf Pembrokeshire angling clubs have held an initial meeting to discuss the impact of an MCZ in our area and wish to reject the propositions.

Angling can stimulate the economy, reduce crime rates and improve social cohesion.

Anglers are involved in environmental improvement work, coaching and teaching.

We spend money on bait, tackle, fuel, accommodation, food, protective clothing, insurance and so on. More than four million people in the UK go fishing.

The area at Dale (including Gann Flats) is especially important locally as it has been a sustainable source of bait for generations.

Losing even this one site would threaten local jobs and have a knock-on effect where bait would be collected from areas which are not sustainable.

Arguably, less fishing of seasonal predatory species could decrease the volumes of bait fish such as Sand Eels therefore affecting the large numbers of sea birds on islands such as Skomer, an important tourist attraction.

If you are not a member of a local fishing club but still have an interest in any of the above, please contact the Welsh Government directly at marine@wales.gsi.gov.uk confirming your point of view, or contact carl.

gunning@hotmail.co.uk or Martin Thompson at Anglers Corner in Milford Haven to obtain a template for completion (it only takes three minutes to complete) and send the completed template to marine@wales.gsi.gov.uk.

The deadline date isJuly 31, 2012 for all responses to the Welsh Government.

Thank you for your interest.

MARTIN THOMPSON Anglers Corner Milford Haven