Hobbyists acting simultaneously as anglers and aquarists: Novel pathways for non‐native fish and impacts on native fish

Abstract

Abstract Human translocations of non‐native aquatic species are a global conservation challenge. Aquarists and anglers are two hobbyist groups whose practices are particularly likely to translocate non‐native aquatic species, especially fish. This article aims to stipulate a change of perspective among these hobbyists, who – by acting simultaneously as anglers and aquarists – establish novel pathways for non‐native fish. This study showed that: (i) 51 of 226 respondents to a questionnaire act simultaneously as anglers and aquarists; (ii) 53 of 237 non‐native fish species in the European Union are used for both angling and aquarium hobbies; and (iii) hobbyists write online reports on the catch and exchange of a particularly invasive fish, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). This combination of knowledge on how hobbyists use non‐native fish and the ecological impacts of round goby demonstrates how the impact of an invasive species can be influenced by the combined behaviours of anglers and aquarists. We suggest that future research in aquatic conservation should move beyond considering the commercial aquarium trade and angling as separate pathways for translocating non‐native fish, and instead consider these hobbyist groups as interconnected.