AP Kirk (letters, April 17) questions the value of the Scottish National Angling Programme (Snap) and its potential benefits for the young people of Scotland.

Snap, through its youth angling club, the Castaways, and its coaching programmes, will teach youngsters good angling practice and respect for the environment, including safe disposal of lines and tackle, how to handle fish and return them safely to the water and how to dispatch fish quickly if they are to be eaten. Snap will also encourage the use of single, barbless hooks, where catch and release is to be practiced.

But Snap is not just about introducing young people to a great hobby. It will, with the support of all the leading angling bodies in Scotland, give youngsters confidence and self-respect and play an important role in the fight against anti-social behaviour.

Contrary to the criticisms of your correspondent, anglers are among the most environmentally aware and responsible users of the countryside, often referred to as "pollution whistle-blowers" as they are usually the first to spot and report instances of water pollution. Thanks to Snap, angling will continue to be one of Scotland's most cherished outdoor activities.

Ian Robertson, Manager, Scottish National Angling Programme, Upper Hillside Cottage, Persie Estate, Bridge of Cally, Blairgowrie.

How can you call angling sport? Do anglers not know that fish have a nervous system? How would they like to be hooked by the mouth, dangling in the air and being asphyxiated? If that is not cruelty, I do not know what is.

I had a father who was hooked on fishing and I know what it is like to have a hook caught on the lip. It was an accident, of course. I can hardly call this enriching the lives of thousands of young Scots. Paul Young should be ashamed of himself.

Shena MS Beck, Ruaig, Tiree, Argyll.