Switzerland

Despite being a landlocked country in the midst of the Alps, Switzerland welcomes a vibrant community of recreational anglers at sea. Gathered around the same passion to fish deep sea species such as roosterfish, tuna and dorado, Swiss recreational sea anglers take every chance in international competitions to show that they stand their ground. Those anglers band together under the umbrella of the Fédération suisse de pêche sportive en mer (FSPM), which was founded in Basel in 1961 and later joined the European Anglers Alliance in the 1990s.

The association’s main objectives are to train, support and help its members in taking part in overseas fishing competitions. Every year, FSPM organises the Swiss Championships of fishing, which will be held this year in Setubal (Portugal). When it comes to international competitions, the association has been participating for a long time in the World "Big Game" Championships. FSPM obtained excellent results despite being a country without a coast: 1st place by teams in 2007 (Egypt) and 2nd place ex aequo by teams in 2019 (South Africa).

Nevertheless, Switzerland’s abundance of stunning lakes and waterways still remains a fantastic destination for recreational freshwater anglers. The country offers more than 32,000 km of pristine streams and rivers, as well as more than 1,500 lakes. That is why freshwater recreational angling is also very popular throughout the Helvetic Confederation. In that regard, the Swiss Fishing Federation (SVF-FSP), of which FSPM is also part, represents the anglers’ interests in the country. It is committed to tackle challenges faced by the Swiss angling community, such as the global warming’s consequences, the hydroelectric power plants’ implementation and the loss of natural habitat for fish species.

Among other things, the SVF-FSP started the campaign "Fishermen create habitat", which aims at supporting fishermen and fisherwomen who try to improve local waters’ ecological conditions with small measures. Contrasting large-scale revitalisation projects, which may require a lot of time, space and financial resources, this initiative aspires to have significant ecological improvements via small improvement measures with limited financial resources and in a short period of time. In that context, the SVF-FSP provides guidance through information-gathering and local practical courses, where the technical basics are discussed with experts on the ground and concrete measures are implemented in the water.