Using citizen science to understand the recreational fishing impact on elasmobranchs along the Italian Northern Adriatic coast

Many recreationally popular marine species of fish are at or near historic lows in terms of their overall numbers. Many of these species, such as cod, summer flounder, winter flounder, and bluefish, are also commercially valuable. Fishery managers must be able to make allocation and management decisions that both protect the resource and maintain user satisfaction. The basis for achieving this goal lies in the understanding of what the users expectations, satisfactions and perceptions are related to their marine recreational fishing experience. It is often the case that a population of anglers are managed as a homogeneous group, with similar characteristics and satisfactions. In fact, recreational anglers are quite different, with many sub-groups that each have their own set of attitudes and expectations regarding their marine recreational fishing experience. In addition to the economic benefits of marine recreational fishing, their are equally important psychological and physiological benefits associated with recreational fishing. Early studies found stress relief, experiencing natural surroundings, being with friends, developing skills and relaxation as some of the reasons why they participate in marine recreational fishing. Researchers began to study how various sub-groups of angers placed different levels of importance on catch (fish size, numbers of fish caught, keeping fish to eat) and non-catch (relaxation, for the sport, enjoying nature) motives for participating in marine recreational fishing. These sub-groups could be charter boat anglers, shore-based anglers, anglers who pursued certain species of fish, or anglers with different levels of specialization. Previous research has shown that participants in a recreational activity are spread in a continuum, at one end are the least specialized and at the other the most specialized. More specialized anglers may seek more specific recreational fishing activities than less specialized anglers. They may be more willing to cooperate with restrictive management decisions and convince less specialized anglers to support these measures. The activity of recreational fishing is usually more central to a highly specialized angler than a less specialized one. The highly specialized angler participates in fishing more often, reads fishing related material, participates in fishing tournaments, and is more likely to be a member of a fishing club than less specialized anglers. The objective of this thesis was to refine the methodology which discriminates marine recreational anglers by their revealed level of recreational specialization. A subsidiary objective was to create a data base of Rhode Island club anglers which provides the first comprehensive evaluation of

Recreational fishing on the West coast of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Western Mediterranean) and its possible ecological implications

Fishing activities are some certain people’s main means of living. In this regard, these people are required to carry on these activities all year round. In addition to this, recreational fishing is one of the popular leisure time activities in the western countries. Recreational fishing is activity that adds critical social and economic value. This research is a qualitative study design and is completed in Kusadasi, Didim and Didim/Akbuk districts all of which have a coastline in Aydin province. The aim of this research is to reveal whether the people who are engaged in fishing activities with their own boats or with the boats of others and who make their livings in this way have been engaged in recreational fishing activities and whether they have experienced any problems at sea during their recreational fishing activities. According to the results of the research, it has been determined that the people expressing that they have been engaged in fishing activities have been involved in recreational fishing.

We sampled egg deposition in three Lake Huron tributaries to measure the effect of recreational dip-net activity on egg deposition by spawning rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax. We compared egg densities sampled nightly at paired sites, one of which was protected from fishing activity. We found that sites protected from the recreational fishery had significantly higher mean egg densities than sites that were vulnerable to disturbance by fishing activities (wading, net contact). When recreational fishing activity was absent, we found no significant difference in egg densities between paired sites, which indicated that our protection devices did not influence egg deposition. We found that the higher the level of recreational fishing effort (people/100 m2), the greater the decline in egg densities in unprotected sites (r2 = 0.63). Our results indicate that net abrasion and wading associated with recreational dip-net fisheries can significantly reduce egg density and that this reduction may limit reproductive success in areas where spawning habitat is limited and recreational fishing effort is intense. In aquatic systems where tributary recruitment of rainbow smelt is significantly affected by recreational fishing activity, regulations limiting effort or providing spawning refuges may be warranted.

SUMMARYWith the marine environment under increasing threat from multiple sources, the ability of managers to generate support from stakeholders will be vital for the success of conservation initiatives. In 2004, a new zoning plan for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park increased no-take areas from 4.5% to 33% of the total Park area. The aims of this study were to measure recreational fishers' level of support for the plan and understand how they form attitudes towards conservation initiatives in the Park. A survey of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park recreational fishers conducted three years after implementation of the new zoning plan revealed that 68% of fishers believed that, in general, rezoning the Marine Park was a good idea, whereas 57% supported the actual zoning plan that was implemented. A majority of fishers believed that rezoning the Marine Park was necessary, that the new zoning plan had high conservation value, and that the plan had little impact on their recreational fishing activity. However, most fishers had low to moderate satisfaction with the programme used to consult the public throughout the rezoning process. Logistic regression models revealed a strong relationship between level of support for the plan and fishers' perceptions about the necessity of the plan and its conservation value, the adequacy of the consultation process, and the impact of the plan on their fishing activity. Results indicate that recreational fishers can be strong supporters of conservation initiatives in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park if these initiatives are consistent with their values, and if efforts are made to engage them in the decision making process. These results will enhance the ability of managers to generate support from the recreational fishing community for conservation initiatives in marine environments.

Marine recreational fishing (MRF) is a popular activity that involves millions of people worldwide. While the impacts of recreational fishing on freshwater ecosystems received increasing attention in recent decades, the consequences of MRF on marine fish and ecosystems are largely unstudied. MRF takes place mainly in coastal areas where most of its impacts concentrate. This review identified and ranked the activities and potential risks associated with MRF using a risk assessment matrix based on ecological and fisheries-related literature. The majority of the impacts were rated to be of minor importance (impacts that occur locally, are reversible, and comparably easy to manage on local scales). Three impacts were ranked as high-risk impacts (severe impacts that are difficult to reverse and to manage, and that may require management measures on a broad spatial scale): (1) the direct and indirect impacts of high and selective fishing mortality (truncation of the natural age and size structure, depensatory mechanisms, loss of genetic variability, evolutionary changes, and food web changes) because they potentially contribute to the decline of fish stocks and undermine biodiversity and ecological resilience, (2) the use of live bait organisms that originate from water bodies elsewhere because released or lost live bait organisms potentially impact the genetic, species, and ultimately ecosystem diversity, and (3) the loss of lead containing fishing tackle that potentially causes environmental contamination. The separation of MRF-induced impacts from other anthropogenic impacts is difficult and the impacts vary according to country-specific fishing practices, legislation, and cultural backgrounds. It can nonetheless be concluded that MRF can impact fish populations and coastal environments. In particular, the high-risk impacts require further investigations as information on their effects on marine fish stocks and ecosystems are generally sparse. Finally, the review outlines management implications for sustainable marine recreational fisheries that match the temporal and spatial scale of both the marine environment affected and the recreational fishing effort and proposes areas for future research.

Economic, social and ecological attributes of marine recreational fisheries in Galicia, Spain

The capacity of estuary restoration to enhance ecosystem services: System dynamics modelling to simulate recreational fishing benefits

The European Parliament is concerned about the lack of information on the relevance of nine million Europeans engaged in marine recreational fishing (MRF), committing Member States to encourage environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the sector. The objective of this paper is to provide recommendations to guide research actions and management policies, based on the case of Spain, a key country because its complex administrative regimen and the intensive use of its coasts, including 900,000 recreational fishers. A review of the state of the knowledge was performed to identify research gaps, while governance challenges were identified in an International Symposium on MRF. In the last two decades research on MRF was remarkable (139 publications). However, public investment in research (€2.44 million in the same period) should be improved to cover knowledge gaps on socioeconomic relevance, on impacts on vulnerable species and on implications of global warming. The license system should be standardized to allow estimation of effort, catch and expenditure. Social networks, mobile applications, fisher ecological knowledge, and citizen science programs could help to develop cost-effective research and management. Science-based, adaptive policies should improve the allocation of resources between MRF and other stakeholders, introducing co-management to reduce conflicts.

In numerous countries, recreational fishing is a favored leisure activity. Recreational anglers employ conventional fishing methods, including pole-and-line, nets, and traps, in salt and fresh water. In Malaysia, the recreational fishing sector engages around 2.2 million individuals, with nearly half of this population participating in oceanic recreational fishing activities. Meanwhile, recreational fishing activities in Malaysia are unregulated. This means that neither a license nor a permit is required to carry out such activities, in addition to the lack of guidelines and rules surrounding the industry. Considering its open-access nature, there is no limit to how much one can fish. This may lead to overfishing and the subsequent collapse of certain fish species. As a result, this study aims to determine fishers’ willingness to pay and awareness of conservation and rehabilitation for recreational fishing. We distributed a face-to-face survey to 210 recreational fishermen in Kuala Terengganu. However, only 200 questionnaires were available for analysis. Using a contingent valuation method (CVM), recreation fishers are only willing to pay RM10 for conservation, and most of the fishers are aware of environmental conservation and the rules and regulations of recreational fishing. The findings of this research will provide insightful information for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to decide whether it is necessary to establish a license for recreational fishing in the future, which together will help to achieve SDG Goal 14 and avoid overfishing.

The economic and harvest impacts of Marine Recreational Fishing (MRF) in Çanakkale Strait were analysed along with fishing policy, sociology and habits of fishers. Data sources included field survey data carried out along the entire length of the Çanakkale strait and policy information gathered from published sources. MRF policy is commendable, even in the fishing tourism sector, and is better developed than that in many other European countries. In Çanakkale, 9.9% of the population is recreational fishers. Recreational fishers are typically men (90%), primarily those between the ages of 25 and 49 yrs. The occupation of the recreational fishers ranged from self-employed (28%), students (28%), retired persons (22%) and public employees (15%), to currently-unemployed persons (7%). An analysis of diel behaviour showed that most recreational fishers preferred fishing during the day (56.1%), while the evening was the next most preferred time for fishing (18%), followed by the night-time (9.8%), while a substantial number of recreational fishers (16.1%) reported that they fished at any time of day. The most popular type of fishing was shore-based (68%), followed by boat-based (21%), and underwater fishing (11%). The mean daily fishing times were 6.07 h d-1, 6.18 h d-1 4.75 d-1 for boat-based, underwater and shore-based fishing, respectively. Summer and autumn were the preferred seasons for shore-based and underwater fishing, while autumn and winter were preferred for boat-based fishing. The highest Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) was observed for boat-based fishing (2.77 kg h-1), followed by underwater (0.97 kg h-1) and shore-based fishing (0.81 kg h-1). The catch composition included 51 species, though the catch composition of each fishing type was mostly comprised of only 3 or 4 species. The impact of the MRF harvest was high (30% of commercial fishing), particularly for bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) and picarel (Spicara smaris) species. The economic impact of MRF was highly negative. Several indicators including the following revealed a high percentage of trading catch (47%) being conducted under the guise of a recreational label: annual fishing intensity, total costs, target species, and sales. At present, it is evident that the highly developed recreational fishing policy in Turkey is not sufficient to ensure that recreational fishing is sustainable or to prevent fishing conflicts in Turkey. This study revealed the need for establishing monitoring, control and surveillance programs to ensure the sustainability of fish resources and fisheries including MRF.

Recreational fishing is widespread in coastal zones and exerts significant ecological, fisheries-related, and socio-economic pressures. Unlike commercial fishing, small-scale recreational fleets are challenging to monitor because they lack enforced use of vessel tracking systems such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Recently, remote sensing technologies have emerged as promising alternatives for monitoring marine activities. Here, we assess the potential of high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor daily changes in recreational fishing boats during a temporal fishing ban within a marine protected area. By comparing satellite-derived vessel detections with AIS records, we demonstrate that satellite data can reliably capture daily changes in recreational fishing activity, including a marked increase immediately following the end of the ban. These findings confirm that satellite observations can consistently detect small fishing boats and reveal their fine-scale spatio-temporal patterns. When complemented with local knowledge, this approach enhances our capacity to contribute to the spatial planning and ecosystem-based management of recreational fisheries.

Developing U.S. West Coast recreational fishing community measures: Applying an index approach in the context of COVID-19 and social vulnerability

This work is the result of an international research effort to determine the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine recreational fishing. Changes were assessed on (1) access to fishing, derived from lockdowns and other mobility restrictions; (2) ecosystems, because of alterations in fishing intensity and human presence; (3) the blue economy, derived from alterations in the investments and expenses of the fishers; and (4) society, in relation to variations in fishers’ health and well-being. For this, a consultation with experts from 16 countries was carried out, as well as an international online survey aimed at recreational fishers, that included specific questions designed to capture fishers’ heterogeneity in relation to behavior, skills and know-how, and vital involvement. Fishers’ participation in the online survey (5,998 recreational fishers in 15 countries) was promoted through a marketing campaign. The sensitivity of the fishers’ clustering procedure, based on the captured heterogeneity, was evaluated by SIMPER analysis and by generalized linear models. Results from the expert consultation highlighted a worldwide reduction in marine recreational fishing activity. Lower human-driven pressures are expected to generate some benefits for marine ecosystems. However, experts also identified high negative impacts on the blue economy, as well as on fisher health and well-being because of the loss of recreational fishing opportunities. Most (98%) of the fishers who participated in the online survey were identified asadvanced, showing a much higher degree of commitment to recreational fishing thanbasicfishers (2%).Advancedfishers were, in general, more pessimistic about the impacts of COVID-19, reporting higher reductions in physical activity and fish consumption, as well as poorer quality of night rest, foul mood, and raised more concerns about their health status. Controlled and safe access to marine recreational fisheries during pandemics would provide benefits to the health and well-being of people and reduce negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for vulnerable social groups.

Lake Llanquihue (41° 08′S 72° 47′W) has the second largest water volume in South America and is one of the most important recreational fishing destinations in Chile, accounting for 45% of the recreational fishing activity in the country. Simultaneously, the lake concentrates 33% of the non-native salmon and trout smolt farms which support the Chilean salmon aquaculture industry. We characterized the recreational fishing activity at Lake Llanquihue and estimated its economic benefits. We used the Travel Cost Method and count data techniques to estimate the recreational fishing demand of anglers surveyed on site from 1995 to 1996. The main fishes captured were rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, by bank anglers (59%) and Coho salmon, O. kisutch, by boat anglers (57%). We obtained social welfare estimates that varied from 3,336,700 US$ to 5,337,500 US$. These economic benefits indicate the importance of recreational fishing compared to alternative uses of the lake, like smolt production, which in 1995–1996 generated net benefits from 19.2 to 36.9 million US$. The information obtained from this study is pertinent to the management of recreational fisheries in the freshwater ecosystems of southern Chile.