Although an increasing number of people are realising the barbarity of this popular bloodsport, it will take a long time before angling ceases. The only way to stop suffering being inflicted on fish now, is to use non-violent tactics to directly intervene to stop angling. The tactics given below have been developed primarily for coarse fishing, although many of them would work equally well for sea or game fishing. Some local newspapers and radio stations have angling features. At matches, the section of bankside to be fished is divided into 'pegs', at least 15 yards apart.
Some waters have permanent pegs.
Others are marked out and numbered the night before or the morning of the match. The anglers arrive 1-2 hours before the match to draw for peg numbers then go to their allocated peg to set up. The match is started and ended by a signal, usually a whistle. The anglers fish for 3-5 hours to catch the highest weight of fish which are retained in a keepnet. At the end of the match the fish are weighed then released.