THE FISHERIES IMPROVEMENT FUND
WHAT IS THE FISHERIES IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME?​
The Environment Agency's Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) uses fishing licence income to improve angling facilities locally. The fund is designed to help each club/fishery specifically where they need it, some good examples of how the fund can help include:
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Improving the environment; specifically for fish
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Address coarse, trout and eel passage/issues
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Provide socio/economic benefits
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Improve Water Framework Directive fisheries status
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Increased junior angling participation​​
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Supply vital management equipment
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Enable important fishery management works​​​​
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HOW DOES IT WORK?​​
All projects are fully managed and led by the applicant/ organisation; projects that help to increase angling activity and participation and thus rod licence return are given priority in application and approval.​
Applications to the fund are welcomed from clubs, trusts and organisations as well as commercial fisheries and land owners.
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HOW TO APPLY?​​​​
Application is done through the Angling Trusts website and registration portal. Please read the documents and steps below to submit your organisation's application smoothly. Once you have registered you will be able to open new applications under the same registration, so save your login details!​​​
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Step 1 - Registration/Login
If you are a new applicant you will need to register your organisation on the Angling Trusts Grant Management System.
If you already have a log in from a previous application you do not need to register, simply log in. (Please note this is NOT your Angling Trust membership details)
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Step 2 - Applying
When you are registered simply find the application form and fill it in. We recommend you have the application advice document to hand put forward the best application possible.
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How Can AJS Help​
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We have worked closely with the Environment Agency for many years suppling equipment and services, in recent years we have done the same with many clubs applying for and granted FIP funds.
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We offer a huge range of expertise, services and products that are ideal for fishery and clubs under the FIP.
We are happy to consult with your organisation to discuss what equipment or work you may require and help supply it too.
A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION​​
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During the 2024 - 25 FIP campaign we were lucky to work with several clubs who were aiming to and who had secured funding from the programme. A great example as documented on the Environment Agency - Great Ouse and Fenland Fisheries Team's Facebook page was West Stow Country Park Lake, in Suffolk.​​
"West Stow Lake Ltd were successful in securing £2,490 of rod licence income through the Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) fund in 2025 to help towards their project at West Stow Country Park Lake in Suffolk.
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The money, which was match funded by the syndicate, was used to make the fishery more resilient to low oxygen levels and went towards a new submersible mechanical aerator and a remote water quality monitoring unit which provides oxygen level readings 24/7 and will notify the committee when oxygen levels drop below a set parameter, which will allow for a prompt response and hopefully prevent a fish mortality.
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This equipment not only makes the syndicate self-sufficient, but also reduces the burden on our team which is particularly helpful if it's one of those years where we are responding to multiple fisheries incidents at once and we have to prioritise where our resoures are used e.g rivers and drains first, followed by stillwaters."