Wales Sea Bass Advisory Group meeting: 16 June 2026

Group

Colin Charman (CC)

Jim Evans (JE)

Simon Frobisher (SF)

Kieran Hyder (KH)

Brett Garner (BG)

Richard Strudwick (RS)

John O’Connor (JO)

Peter Morgan (PM)

Peter Elliott (PE)

CCRI

Prof Paul Courtney (PC)

Dr Molly Atkins (MA)

Welsh Government

Seb Evans (SE)

Michelle Billing (MB)

Matt Sayer (MS)

Prideaux Hattle (PH)

Michelle Fraser (MF) 

Barrie John (BJ)

Apologies

Julian Bray (JB)

Hannah Rudd (HR)

Gareth Henson (GH)

Welcome and Introductions, Purpose of Meeting

Michelle Billing welcomed everyone to the 12^th meeting of the group and relayed apologies from Julian Bray, Hannah Rudd and Gareth Henson. She welcomed Peter Morgan from the Angling Trust and Prof Paul Courtney and Dr Molly Atkins from CCRI. 

MB outlined the purpose of the meeting, which was to provide an overview of the draft methodology paper for the recreational socio-economic study.

Review and sign-off notes and actions of previous meeting

Seb Evans reviewed the notes and actions from the previous meeting. No comments were raised, and it was agreed the notes could be translated and published on the Welsh Government website.

Action 1: Translate and publish notes and actions from meeting 11.

CCRI Introduction

Seb Evans reminded members that the recreational socio-economic contract had been awarded to CCRI and introduced PC and MA.

Recreational socio-economic study

Prof Paul Courtney and DR Molly Atkins (CCRI) presented an overview of the draft methodology paper and invited feedback ahead of the study commencing.

Approach

Initial discussions focused on the proposed two-tier framework, which distinguishes between Targeted Sea Bass Anglers (TSB) and Incidental Sea Bass Anglers (ISB). The approach is intended to improve understanding of angler behaviour and strengthen the evidence base for assessments and policy development.

The following points were raised:

• It was suggested that angler behaviour does not always fit neatly into either category, as many anglers’ target bass alongside broader sea angling activities. 
• Categorising anglers in this way may complicate analysis and the attribution of expenditure, motivations and fishing effort. 
• Limitations in the available data, particularly around population estimates and the scaling of results, may reduce the effectiveness of the approach. 
• This type of segmentation is not commonly used in national-level studies, which could limit comparisons with other research. 
• A simpler approach focused on dedicated bass anglers may generate more robust data.

Prof Paul Courtney acknowledged the points raised, noting that distinguishing between ISB and TSB anglers should improve understanding of fishing behaviours and support more accurate attribution of effort, expenditure and motivations. While classification remains a recognised challenge in recreational fisheries research, structured questions will provide a transparent and evidence-based approach to assigning respondents.

Willingness to pay

A member asked whether the willingness to pay questions were designed to explore the introduction of permits or charges for recreational anglers. Concern was raised that such an approach could discourage recreational participation, particularly among young people. 

MS clarified that willingness to pay does not refer to whether individuals would pay for access to the recreational bass fishery but instead estimates the value they place on it and the factors influencing that value.

MB confirmed that the paper will be updated to provide a clearer explanation of the willingness to pay concept.

Data quality 

Discussions on data quality highlighted the need for the following to be considered: 

• Travel patterns (e.g. distance and associated costs) and demographics. 
• Potential areas of bias in wider UK-level work.
• Sample size and the potential impact on confidence levels. 
• The Sea Angling Diary as a potential data source, although questions remain over its representativeness and the level of detail available for Wales. 
• Potential bias arising from reliance on existing demographic data.

Angler engagement 

It was noted that anglers who specifically target bass may be more difficult to engage, as they often avoid popular fishing locations and can be protective of their fishing marks. In contrast, incidental anglers often fish in more frequented and accessible locations, making them easier to reach through survey and sampling activity.

Ensuring adequate representation of these less accessible anglers was considered critical to the success of the study, as their under-representation could introduce bias and limit how well findings reflect the wider sea angling population.

It was also noted that the demographic profile of targeted sea bass anglers in Wales may be relatively narrow, with participation concentrated among specific demographic groups. This highlighted the need for the study to reflect these characteristics accurately while incorporating mitigation strategies to broaden participation.

Spending patterns were identified as being largely driven by equipment, time, and travel.

Next steps

MB thanked participants for their contributions and emphasised the need for ongoing support from the group, its networks, and wider angling communities to help promote the study, maximise survey responses, and engage harder to reach anglers.

It was noted that follow up questions will be circulated after the meeting, and detailed responses from members would be appreciated. 

Feedback from the meeting will be considered, and the methodology paper will be updated where necessary. 

Action 2 – WG and CCRI to review feedback from the meeting and update methodology paper.

Action 3 - Circulate CCRI questionnaire to group.

AOB; date of next meeting

The next meeting will be in early August and will focus on the latest ICES advice and the spawning season. 

Outstanding actions from previous meetings

Meeting 7: 5 December 2024

1. Obtain advice on how recreational bag limits might be varied. MB: in progress.

Meeting 8: 4 February 2025

1. Prepare a statement on the role of recreational angling and importance of recreational data in delivery of the bass FMP. SE/HR: in progress.
2. Explore potential use of ambassadors to promote the Sea Angling Diaries. MB: in progress.

Meeting 11: 26 March 2026

1. Coordinate a discussion on spawning periods between the University of Essex and Bangor University. MS: in progress.

New actions from this meeting

1. Translate and publish notes and actions from meeting 11. MF: completed 5 August 2026.
2. WG and CCRI to review feedback from the meeting and update methodology paper. SE/CCRI: completed 13 July 2026.
3. Circulate CCRI questionnaire to group. MF: completed 17 June 2026.