A record 1.3 million people bought a rod licence to fish freshwaters in England and Wales in 2008 - and this year sales look set to break records again as the Environment Agency launches a new look version.

The Environment Agency is switching to a membership card style licence, replacing the old-fashioned paper version which has seen few style changes since it was introduced in the 1860s. The credit card sized licences are now water resistant - helpful for anglers - and feature fewer personal details on them, to reduce the risk of identity theft. They also sport a barcode, making it possible to verify licences on the riverbank. The changes will also make the rod licence cheaper to administer, freeing up more licence money for fisheries improvement works.

The images on the licences were painted by wildlife artist David Miller - who overnight could become the most widely distributed wildlife artist in the UK, with more than 1 million people set to own one of his images. The coarse fishing licence features a perch lunging for a baited hook, while the salmon licence shows a ray of light illuminating a salmon under the water.

Angling has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last decade, with licence sales hitting a ten year high in 2008. Environment Agency research recently showed that freshwater angling in England and Wales generates around £1 billion to the UK economy every year. Better water quality in the country’s rivers, as well as improved habitats, have helped boost fish stocks for the sport. To supplement this, the Environment Agency’s fish farms puts over 300,000 fish into rivers each year, to create new fisheries, to enhance angling at popular fishing spots and to re-populate rivers after pollution incidents.

Mat Crocker, Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency said: "The new-look rod licence will deliver real benefits to anglers. The system is now cheaper and quicker to administer - which allows us to spend more licence money on habitats improvements and fish stocking, while keeping the increase in rod licence fees to a minimum. "Angling is more popular now than ever, and we expect to see even more anglers on the banks in 2009, as people tighten their belts and look for credit crunch-friendly entertainment."

Rod licence sales hit a record high last year and are predicted to increase by a further 26,000 this year as cash-strapped consumers seek out cheap alternatives to increasingly expensive trips to the cinema, football and theatre.

At just £26 for a full year’s coarse fishing licence, and with rod and line packages starting from around £30, fishing is becoming the price-savvy consumer’s pastime of choice, coming in at under £5 a month. Annually, that’s £40 cheaper than a monthly trip to the cinema (without overpriced snacks), over £300 cheaper than a monthly theatre ticket, and over £500 cheaper than a premier league season ticket.

The money needed to fund the upkeep of the sport comes directly from the anglers themselves. Every year over 1 million people buy a rod licence from the Environment Agency, costing between £3.50 for one day’s coarse fishing to £70 for a year’s salmon fishing. Anyone over the age of 12 fishing in freshwaters in England and Wales is required by law to purchase a rod licence.