Fish Pass Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Fish Pass is a UK (England & Wales) service provided by Westcountry Rivers Trust, (Charity no. 1135007, Company no. 06545646) that lets users discover and purchase the right to fish (“angle”) on various river beats. By using Fish Pass (via our website or mobile app), you agree to the following Terms of Use and all related policies. In addition to the Terms of Use, you will also be subject to any other policies, guidelines, terms and agreements posted on or otherwise made available to you through the Fish Pass Service. By creating an account or making a token purchase, the user confirms that they are legally capable of entering a binding contract. These terms apply equally to the Fish Pass website and mobile app, and are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Westcountry Rivers Trust is the data controller for personal data processed via Fish Pass.
Definitions
Service – The Fish Pass platform, including its mobile application and website, operated by Westcountry Rivers Trust, that allows users to discover, purchase, and redeem fishing permissions on specific river beats.
User – Any individual who accesses, registers for, or uses the Fish Pass Service, including those who submit content or make purchases.
Beat – A defined section of a river or waterbody where permission to fish (angle) can be granted for a specific period, either digitally through Fish Pass tokens or via associated paper tokens.
Token – The defined currency of the Fish Pass app used to purchase access to associated beats. As of 15/10/2025, the purchase price of one token is £3.00 GBP. Tokens are digital credits that grant fishing access only and hold no cash redemption value.
Purposes & Lawful Bases
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Purpose of Processing |
Lawful Basis (UK GDPR Art. 6) |
|
Creating and managing your Fish Pass account |
Contract |
|
Processing payment for tokens |
Contract + Legal obligation |
|
Fraud prevention, transaction logging |
Legal obligation |
|
Providing access to Beats, validating licences |
Contract |
|
Sending service notifications |
Contract / Legitimate interests |
|
App analytics, crash reporting, service improvement |
Legitimate interests |
|
Security monitoring, prevention of misuse |
Legitimate interests |
|
Promotional use of identifiable photos |
Consent |
|
Ecological monitoring using catch data |
Legitimate interests |
You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
Privacy, Data Collection and sharing information
We collect and process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under UK GDPR, such as to perform a contract, meet legal obligations, or where we have a legitimate interest. Information we may collect includes:
- Basic identity: first name, last name and email address.
- Account login: password (securely hashed) to protect your account.
- Payment details: credit/debit card information used for purchases (via a secure, PCI-DSS compliant gateway). We do not store full card numbers or CVV codes on our servers.
- User content: any photos, comments or reviews you post.
We use this information to operate the service, manage your account, process transactions, and communicate with you. Credit card data is handled by our third-party payment processor; consistent with PCI guidance, we do not keep card details unnecessarily. All personal data is handled under UK data protection law (UK GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018).
We adhere to the UK’s data protection principles: personal data is
-
- Used fairly, lawfully and transparently,
- Only for specified, explicit purposes,
- Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary,
- accurate and kept up to date,
- not retained longer than needed,
- and secured against unauthorised access.
Under UK law, you have rights concerning your personal data. These include the right to be informed about how we use your data, to access the data we hold about you, to correct inaccuracies, to request deletion or restriction of your data, and to object to or port your data in certain cases. We describe these rights and how we use your data in our Privacy Notice, which explains why we process data, how long we keep it, and who we may share it with. Fish Pass will only share personal data where necessary to deliver the service, meet legal or regulatory obligations, or pursue our legitimate interests, including with trusted third-party service providers (such as payment processors, hosting providers, and analytics services) who process data solely on our instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards.
International Transfers
Where data is transferred outside the UK, such as to US-based analytics providers, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place through mechanisms including the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the UK–US Data Bridge. You have the right to request full details of these arrangements at any time by contacting us.
Account and Eligibility
You must register for a Fish Pass account to use the service. You are responsible for keeping your account password confidential and for restricting access to your devices. Fish Pass is not responsible for unauthorised access if a user fails to follow security guidelines.
Fish Pass is available to users aged 18 or over in England and Wales. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must be involved in any use of the service. The accompanying adult is responsible for ensuring all terms and conditions are adhered to, including payments and abiding by beat rules. We reserve the right to refuse service or terminate accounts at our sole discretion (for example, if these Terms are violated).
We offer permission to angle beats owned by other parties. We may also provide links through the Fish Pass to the websites of affiliated companies and certain other businesses. We are a broker of privately owned fishing opportunities and are not responsible for examining or evaluating any materials we offer from third parties, and we do not warrant the offerings of, any of these businesses or individuals, the content we obtain from them or the content of their websites. Westcountry Rivers Trust cannot guarantee beat availability, quality, or compliance with local fishing regulations for third-party beats.
User Content and Conduct
Users may submit reviews, comments, photos and other content. You agree not to post any content that is illegal, defamatory, obscene, threatening, harassing, infringing on privacy or intellectual property rights, or otherwise objectionable (for example, spam, political campaigning, or malicious activity). Westcountry Rivers Trust may pre-screen content, but we reserve the right to remove anything that violates these rules.
Intellectual Property and copyright
All content on Fish Pass (text, graphics, logos, images, etc.) is the property of Westcountry Rivers Trust or its content suppliers and is protected by UK copyright and other laws. You may not copy, distribute, or create derivative works from this content except as expressly permitted by these Terms. All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved by Fish Pass. Any breach of copyright may result in account suspension, erasure or legal action.
Purchases and tokens
Fish Pass allows you to purchase digital fishing tokens in advance; each single-use, non-transferable token grants permission to fish at a specified beat for a defined time period. To make a purchase, you must use a valid debit or credit card. Tokens can be acquired either through the in-app payment gateway or by scanning authorised QR codes on paper tokens. Fish Pass tokens are available to purchase for all users aged 18 or over in England and Wales. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must be involved in the purchase of tokens.
We use a secure payment gateway (PCI-DSS compliant) for all transactions. Your card is charged by the payment processor; we do not store your full card details. In line with PCI guidance, we avoid storing any payment data we don’t need. Users must ensure their card information is accurate and that they are authorised to make the transaction.
Refunds & Cancellation
Refunds are assessed in accordance with UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, including digital content regulations. As tokens are digital and immediately redeemable, we generally do not offer refunds or credits on token purchases. Any refund requests will be considered case-by-case (e.g., system errors, duplicate purchases, or service faults). If a refund is granted, it will be returned via the original payment method.
As of February 2026, Fish Pass tokens that remain unused on inactive accounts (e.g., not logging in, redeeming tokens, scanning, or purchasing new tokens) for a period of two (2) years from the date of purchase or the last recorded account activity will automatically expire. Users will be notified via email or in-app notification prior to token expiry, providing an opportunity to use remaining tokens before forfeiture. Upon expiry, any remaining tokens will be donated to Westcountry Rivers Trust to support the ongoing maintenance, conservation, and development of the Fish Pass project and support the charitable objectives of the Trust. The current purchase price of a token is £3.00 GBP. Once purchased, tokens are non-refundable digital access credits with no cash redemption value at any time. Tokens cannot be exchanged for cash, transferred to another user, or reinstated once expired. Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are not affected.
Software Use and App Data
You may use the Fish Pass app and website only to access the Fishing service as provided. All Fish Pass software is the property of Westcountry Rivers Trust (Fish Pass) and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorised use (for illegal purposes, reverse engineering, etc.) is prohibited. We may offer automatic or manual updates to the app without notice to ensure the software remains up to date.
The Fish Pass mobile app may collect anonymized usage and crash statistics to improve the service performance, user experience and analytics.
Third-Party Links and Content
Fish Pass may contain links to websites of affiliated companies or other third parties (for example, upstream suppliers of fishing opportunities). We are a broker of privately owned fishing beats and do not own or manage the beats ourselves. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of any third-party websites or services. Any such links are provided for convenience; we do not endorse the content of those sites. You should review the terms and privacy policies of third-party sites before engaging with them.
Secure Hosting
Fish Pass uses cloud hosting from third parties and takes responsibility for ensuring that the hosting is secure. All hosting providers meet UK and EU data protection standards and that data is stored within the UK or EEA where possible.
Appropriate technical and organisational measures are in place, such as encryption, firewalls, and regular security audits, in line with UK GDPR Article 32 (Security of Processing). Fish Pass regularly reviews third-party hosting compliance to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Cookies & analytics
The Fish Pass website and mobile app may use functional cookies, analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Firebase, and crash diagnostics including Apple and Google crash logs. Where consent is required for website cookies, you will be presented with a cookie banner allowing you to manage your preferences. App analytics processing is carried out under our legitimate interests as permitted under UK GDPR.
Accuracy of Content
We strive to present beat and fishing information accurately, but we do not warrant that descriptions or content on Fish Pass are complete, current, or error-free. Fish Pass acts as a broker, limiting liability for content supplied by others. All listings, photos and details are provided “as is” by the respective beat owner or by our staff, and we cannot guarantee their accuracy. You acknowledge that any reliance on such material and content is at your own risk.
License, Access and Misuse
Subject to these Terms and payment of any required fees, Fish Pass grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Fish Pass service to purchase and redeem fishing tokens. This license does not allow reselling or transferring your access; using data mining or scraping tools; downloading information for the benefit of another entity; or any use not expressly permitted by law. Violation of these Terms will result in termination of your license and access.
All Fish Pass users must hold a valid and up-to-date Environment Agency (EA) rod licence appropriate to the type and quarry of the targeted fish species before commencing any angling activity on a Beat. It is the User’s responsibility to ensure that their licence is current, valid for the correct region and fish species, and carried with them while fishing. Fish Pass staff, Beat owners and enforcement bodies (such as EA bailiffs) may request proof of licence and beat permission ticket at any time, and access may be refused without it.
Fishing without a valid EA rod licence is a criminal offence under UK law and may result in prosecution, fines, or other enforcement action by the relevant authorities. Fish Pass accepts no responsibility or liability for any penalties, fines, or legal actions arising from a user’s failure to hold the correct licence. Refunds will not be issued for any bookings voided due to a user’s failure to comply with legal licensing requirements.
Modifications to Terms and system updates
Westcountry Rivers Trust and Fish Pass reserve the right to update or change these Terms of Use at any time, and any such changes will be posted and notified on Fish Pass app and website. Your continued use of Fish Pass after any updates indicates your acceptance of the new Terms. If you do not agree to any change, you must stop using the service immediately. Any significant changes affecting user rights (e.g., fees, data use) will be communicated directly via email and/or in-app notification(s).
The nature of the Fish Pass app warrants regular updates to remain statutorily compliant, which may include security patches, new features, or performance improvements, and that continued use of the app implies acceptance of these updates.
Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising under these Terms will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Media and promotion
By submitting photographs through catch return submissions or by email, you confirm that you have the right to submit these photographs and that they do not infringe any third-party rights. Where photographs include identifiable individuals, Fish Pass and Westcountry Rivers Trust will only use, edit, distribute, display, or publish such images for promotional, educational, or marketing purposes where the individual has provided explicit, informed, opt-in consent. Consent may be withdrawn at any time, and withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of any use carried out prior to withdrawal. Users will not receive payment or compensation for such use and retain ownership of their images.
Data Retention
Westcountry Rivers Trust retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide the Fish Pass service, meet contractual obligations, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and resolve disputes. Account and transaction records are generally retained for the duration of the user’s relationship with Fish Pass and for a statutory period thereafter (normally up to six years). Analytics, technical logs, and crash data are retained for shorter periods in line with operational need. Where processing is based on consent (such as promotional use of photographs), data will be retained until consent is withdrawn or the data is no longer required. Retention periods are set in accordance with Westcountry Rivers Trust’s retention schedule and Record of Processing Activities.
Sources
Our policies follow UK requirements for privacy notices and data protection. We rely on industry standards for payment security, and we make no guarantees of content accuracy.
Feedback and complaints
Feedback and complaints of the Fish Pass app service can be submitted to [email protected]. Westcountry Rivers Trust encourages users to contact us to resolve any issues or concerns. You may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk
Privacy Notice
Westcountry Rivers Trust Privacy Notice can be accessed at https://wrt.org.uk/privacy-notice/
The Privacy Notice provides information on what personal data Westcountry Rivers Trust collect and why, including the lawful bases we rely on; how long we keep it; who we share it with; and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
If you have any questions regarding your data, please contact us:
Email: [email protected] | Tel: +44 (0)1579 372 142
Address: Rain-Charm House, Kyl Cober Parc, Stoke Climsland, Cornwall PL17 8PH
Data protection Officer: Steve Clark
Contact us
General angling email
Phone : 01579 550717
Westcountry Rivers Trust
Rain Charm House
Kyl Cober Parc
Stoke Climsland
Callington
Cornwall
PL17 8PH