Recreational Fisheries Management Research Articles

Participation in collaborative fisheries research improves the perceptions of recreational anglers towards marine protected areas

Collaborative fisheries research programs engage stakeholders in data collection efforts, often with the benefit of increasing transparency about the status and management of natural resources. These programs are particularly important in marine systems, where management of recreational and commercial fisheries have historically been contentious. One such program is the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP), which was designed in 2006 to engage recreational anglers in the scientific process and evaluate the efficacy of California’s network of marine protected areas. CCFRP began on the Central Coast of California and expanded statewide in 2017 to include six partner institutions in three regions: Northern, Central, and Southern California. To date, over 2,000 volunteer anglers have participated in the program, with many anglers volunteering for multiple years. However, the impacts of outreach, education, and collaborative research on those anglers at the statewide scale are currently unknown. Thus, the objective of the current study was to survey the statewide pool of volunteer anglers to assess the degree to which participation in CCFRP has influenced angler perceptions of MPAs, fisheries management, and conservation. We received 259 completed surveys out of a pool of 1,386 active anglers, equating to an 18.7% response rate. Participation in CCFRP resulted in a significant, positive impact on anglers’ attitudes towards MPAs in California across all regions. Anglers who participated in six or more CCFRP fishing trips had a more positive perception of MPAs than those who participated in fewer trips. Volunteer anglers across all regions perceived that they caught larger fishes, a higher abundance of fishes, and a greater diversity of species inside MPAs, consistent with the ecological findings of the program. These results highlight the benefits of involving community members in collaborative scientific research. Collaboration between researchers and the broader community increases transparency and trust between stakeholders, and results in greater understanding of natural resource dynamics, ultimately producing better management outcomes.

CreelCat, a Catalog of United States Inland Creel and Angler Survey Data

The United States Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat) contains a national compilation of angler and creel survey data collected by natural resource management agencies across the United States (including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico). These surveys are used to help inform the management of recreational fisheries, by collecting information about anglers including what they are catching and harvesting, the amount of effort they expend, their angling preferences, and demographic information. As of May 1, 2023, CreelCat houses over 14,729 surveys from 33 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., comprising 235 data fields across 8 tables. These tables contain 235,015 records of fish catch and harvest metrics, 27,250 angler preference metrics, 14,729 records of survey characteristics, 13,576 records of effort metrics, and 409 records of angler demographics. Though individual creel surveys are often deployed to meet local science and management objectives, creel data aggregated across jurisdictions has the potential to address larger scale research and management needs.

Environmental determinants of coarse woody habitat in gravel pit lakes

Matern S, Robichon C, Nikolaus R, Monk CT, Arlinghaus R. 2023. Environmental determinants of coarse woody habitat in gravel pit lakes. Lake Reserv Manage. 39:259–272. Coarse woody habitat (CWH) is an important structural habitat in freshwater ecosystems. In natural lakes, CWH accumulates over centuries alongside the succession of littoral tree communities. Newly created gravel pit lakes have difficulties in accumulating CWH due to their young age. Additionally, CWH presence might be negatively affected by shoreline development, where wood is removed to facilitate recreational activities such as angling. We studied 26 gravel pit lakes with an age ≤ 55 yrs in Lower Saxony, Germany, to quantify CWH density and to understand the impact of environmental factors, including lake morphology, lake age, wind direction, abundance of riparian trees, and the presence or absence of fisheries management, on CWH density. We sampled small and large CWH in the littoral zone of the study lakes using a transect-based approach. Density of CWH was lower in German gravel pit lakes than in North American natural lakes. In gravel pit lakes, we detected increasing densities of small CWH with increasing numbers of large trees on the shore and with increasing littoral slopes in lakes managed for recreational fisheries. Large CWH density was positively affected by lake age, by the density of large trees on the shore and with wind from land, and again by steep littoral slopes in lakes managed for recreational fisheries. We recommend that recreational fisheries managers and individual anglers maintain CWH in shallow littoral zones to promote fish habitats in generally low-structured gravel pit lakes.

Informing obligations: Best practice information for catch‐and‐release in Swedish local recreational fisheries management

AbstractCatch‐and‐release (C&R) is a popular management tool that can support sustainable development of recreational fisheries, if anglers adopt scientifically informed “best practices.” However, although the role of best practices is widely established in the academic literature, this knowledge is not always disseminated to anglers. In this paper, we investigated if and to what extent local management organizations provided best practice information to anglers. Based on a sample of 331 Swedish organizations, we reviewed the websites through which these organizations sold fishing licenses. Our review demonstrated widespread use of C&R as a management tool yet a general lack of best practice information. Among the small fraction of organizations that mentioned best practices, most mentioned only a single practice, with little consistency among practices that received attention. In addition, best practice information was particularly lacking for pike (Esox Lucius) and perch (Perca fluviatilis), which are by far the most landed and released species nationally. We discovered major knowledge deficiencies that provide insights about where and how to focus efforts for improving best practice information, in the context of local recreational fisheries management.

Evaluating regional length limits in freshwater fisheries

Length limits are often used in recreational fisheries management to prevent overharvest and manipulate fish size distributions. These regulations are ideally customized to meet water-specific stock dynamics and fishery objectives. However, in districts with numerous discrete waters, fisheries are commonly managed with a universal regional regulation. Evaluating alternative regional length limits requires consideration of management objectives that may not be important at the single-system level but that emerge as relevant at the regional scale, such as uniformity of regional harvest, diversity of average catch sizes, and opportunity to harvest. We developed a flexible tool for evaluating regional length limits. The tool joins the well-established Beverton–Holt yield-per-recruit model with elements of decision-support methods. The model quantifies regional management objectives as utility functions that are weighted and summed into a single value used to evaluate alternative length limits. The flexibility of the tool stems from its capacity to consider a mixture of stock parameters and associated uncertainty to evaluate multiple length limits, weighting an array of regional fishery objectives quantified by various performance metrics. This adjustability affords flexibility to consider a diversity of options that can stimulate innovation in setting regional length limits. We demonstrate the model by evaluating varying length limits on fishery objectives related to the management of hypothetical yellow perch ( Perca flavescens) populations and real black crappie ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus) populations.

Do anglers and managers think similarly about stocking, habitat management and harvest regulations? Implications for the management of community-governed recreational fisheries

Perceptions about suitable fisheries management directions can differ between anglers and fisheries managers. Opposing beliefs, attitudes and norms about how to manage a local fishery can in turn create conflict. Within a system of community-held local fishing rights, typical for central Europe, the interaction of anglers and local-level fisheries managers is particularly strong and direct because the managers are typically elected members of the local angling communities that are organized in clubs. In this role local fisheries managers are responsible for decisions about management measures, such as stocking or harvest regulations. Our objectives were to assess the perceived objectives, beliefs and attitudes towards a range of management-relevant issues, while contrasting anglers and elected fisheries managers in the context of German fishing clubs. Based on three large mail surveys conducted between 2010 and 2018 and including a total of 3112 anglers and 314 elected fisheries managers from the Federal State of Lower Saxony (north-western Germany) we found that anglers and fisheries managers both supported conservation objectives and held strong pro-stocking beliefs, which was particularly pronounced among anglers. Both groups significantly differed in their pro-ecological beliefs and the perceived functionality of habitat management and harvest regulations relative to fish stocking. Fisheries managers considered habitat enhancement and harvest regulations to deliver greater benefits than stocking compared to anglers. Both groups also differed in their behavioural intention to alter stocking practices, particularly with respect to the stocking of large and adult fish, which was desired by anglers, but on average rejected by fisheries managers in favour of the release of smaller fish. Our work shows that even within the traditional practice of fish stocking, anglers and fisheries managers differ in their perceptions. Engaging in decisions that deviate from the perception of anglers is prone to create conflicts. Harmonization of perspectives maybe possible through joint experiments in fisheries management at the club level, aiming to collectively learn about successes and risks of traditional and novel management approaches.

Validating matches of electronically reported fishing trips to investigate matching error

AbstractObjectiveRecently, researchers have developed methods for combining probability samples and non‐probability samples. In recreational fisheries management, data from probability samples are typically counts of catch from a random sample of trips intercepted by a sampler, while non‐probability samples consist of catch data that are collected in self‐reports made to a fishery management agency. These reports are typically transmitted electronically and are known as an electronic logbook (ELB). Even when such reporting is mandated, compliance is not universal. Since the inclusion probability for any particular angler is unknown, the ELB sample is a non‐probability sample. We used data from a 2017 Gulf of Mexico (GoM) pilot study in which charter captains volunteered to electronically report their catch. At the dock, they could also be intercepted by a sampler, at which time their catch was observed. Estimates of total catch can be generated if trips from the two data sets can be accurately matched. Several states in the GoM implement similar ELB reporting augmented with a probability sample. However, there is an apparent discrepancy between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates of the total and the ELB estimates for the same geographies. We seek to investigate the extent to which matching errors contribute to the discrepancies.MethodsWe employed probabilistic record linkage to match reports with intercepts and developed a validation tool to examine the matches. Using our validation tool, we examined several methods of estimating the total catch of Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus in the GoM to investigate the potential cause of the discrepancy.ResultWe found the existing differences between the NOAA estimates and estimates resulting from combining ELB reports in this application were likely not due to matching error but instead were apparently derived from other sources of non‐sampling error.ConclusionThis has implications for new and existing ELB implementations, which are gaining popularity. The tool and results we provide can allow other implementations to better match reports with intercepts and offers a way to examine the extent to which matching errors affect the bias of estimates. Our work also shows that agencies should focus on non‐sampling errors besides matching error to reduce bias. Our tool may also be extended to examine such non‐sampling errors, such as the assumption that reporting and interception are independent.

Interactions between fish and angler behaviour affect species-specific catchability of sympatric native charr and two introduced trout

Catchability is a key determinant of fishing pressure, and plays an important role in the management of recreational fisheries. We investigated the catchability of three sympatric salmonid species in a recreational fishery in Lake Shikaribetsu, Japan—the endemic Miyabe charr (Salvelinus malma miyabei), introduced masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou), and introduced rainbow trout (O. mykiss)—using a combination of stock assessment and angler survey data. Catchability differed among species, angling gear, and the interaction between these two, even when a similar fishing gear was used. Because of its migratory behaviour and fishing gear restrictions, the catchability of Miyabe charr was the lowest of these species, which became lower as fish density was lower. Conversely, the density-dependent changes of the catchability were not detected in masu salmon which few anglers targeted specifically. Rainbow trout catchability by fly anglers was the highest, possibly because the fishing tactics of fly anglers targeting this species were tailored to its foraging behaviour. We regarded differences in catchability among these three salmonids to be related to differences in fish and angler behaviours. These results indicate that behavioural characteristics of both fish species and anglers can cause different fishing pressure in a single recreational fishery targeting multispecies fish via interspecific catchability, and they should be taken into account for their management.

Assessing the welfare impacts of changes in recreational fisheries management: A modelling approach for European sea bass

Economic appraisal of the impacts of fisheries policies is a legal requirement in many global fisheries and is crucial for effective policy making. Some changes in costs and benefits attributable to policy can be assessed through impacts on markets, whilst others are more difficult, as markets may not exist. Analysis is needed to assess value generated by fisheries under different management regimes. The northern stock of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) has declined rapidly over the past decade leading to management of both the commercial and recreational sectors. Bag limits, closed seasons, and minimum sizes were introduced for recreational fishers, but the social impact of management measures has not been quantified. Here, we use sea bass to demonstrate a method for assessing the impact of management measures on recreational fisher welfare. Through combining stock assessments, individual catch data, and estimates of welfare from a recent choice experiment, differences in welfare under a range of regulatory scenarios were compared. Nine scenarios based on management implemented between 2014 and 2020 were tested. Highest welfare estimates were found with the lowest levels of restrictions and lowest estimates for a no-take fishery, which was driven by retained fish having a higher value than released fish. There was a difference of £ 22.03 million in estimated welfare generated by the recreational sector between these extremes, with the remaining scenarios amid those values. Our results highlight the need for policy makers to carefully consider management options that protect both fish stocks and the welfare of recreational fishers.

Can social media platforms be used to foster improved environmental behaviour in recreational fisheries?

Recreational fisheries are notoriously hard to manage, monitor and govern. This often requires managers to think “out of the box” and disregard traditional methodologies designed to manage fisher behaviour. Social media, which is an informal technological scholastic platform for the communication and dissemination of information, has become an important platform for community organisation and engagement in pertinent issues such as conservation, and has great potential for altering the behaviour of fishers. Recreational fishers use a variety of social media platforms to engage, communicate and organise themselves for a variety of reasons, yet its potential for promoting pro-environmental behaviour has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to explore whether user-generated content on Facebook has the potential to encourage pro-environmental behaviour among recreational anglers and to discuss how fisheries managers and scientists can facilitate this process. To do this we monitored angler environmental attitudes and behaviour on a large South African Facebook group, Salt Fishing South Africa (SFSA) (∼ 60,000 members, at the time of the study) and engaged with conceptual frameworks on the use of social media to facilitate pro-environmental behaviour. We found evidence for pro-environmental reform on the SFSA Facebook group, with significantly more catch and release posts, more pro-environmental comments, and improved fish handling practices over time, despite no intervention from fishery scientists or managers. These improvements were most likely attributed to a dedicated, conservation-driven, and well-recognised group administration, who used the informational, relational and experiential functions of Facebook to promote individual, social and contextual pathways for pro-environmental action. Fisheries scientists and managers should consider social media interventions as an important “softer approach” to aid in management of recreational fisheries. The approach should, however, be carefully considered and include the identification and engagement with suitable groups, baseline assessments of attitudes and behaviour to identify areas of concern and the design of interventions specific for social media.

Perceptions of compliance in recreational fisheries: Case study of the Peel-Harvey blue swimmer crab fishery

Effective recreational fisheries management requires a balance between fisher enjoyment and compliance with regulations and fisher perceptions can be useful to understand whether the balance is right. Our study collected fisher insights via an online perceptions survey into compliance within the recreational shore-based Peel-Harvey blue swimmer crab fishery in Western Australia. Overwhelmingly, participants self-reported as complying with regulations; a positive finding for a licence-free fishery. Further, to enable increased quantity and size of available stock and thus overall enjoyment of the fishery, survey participants suggested longer fishery closure periods; harsher noncompliance penalties; more natural and physical surveillance; and greater educational signage in popular fishing areas. These insights challenge existing literature whereby tough regulations are often rejected by fishers and may lead to noncompliance. In a view to achieve a shared goal of a sustainable fishery, we explore survey perceptions against situational crime prevention to optimize compliance, embracing regulator-led ‘cooperative compliance’ outcomes. Our results are useful not only to this fishery but apply more broadly to other fisheries within and beyond Western Australia.

Factors contributing to anglers’ satisfaction and their requests concerning recreational salmonid fisheries management: Insights from a questionnaire survey in strictly regulated, catch-and-release stream fishing areas

Regional fisheries managers need to consider anglers’ satisfaction and requests and balance them with resource conservation when making decisions to promote the sustainability of recreational fisheries. However, there is a marked paucity of information on inland recreational fisheries, particularly in non-Western countries. This study was designed to gain insight on the factors contributing to the anglers' satisfaction and their requests concerning salmonid recreational fisheries management. The approach used was a questionnaire survey of salmonid anglers in two strictly regulated, reservation-only, catch-and-release stream fishing areas in Japan. We evaluated the relationships among anglers’ characteristics and the fishing experience with their satisfaction degree. We also investigated the anglers’ requests concerning the use of fishing license proceeds. The catch numbers of the larger masu salmon available in the area (e.g., 20–40 cm standard length) were positively related to the satisfaction degree of anglers. This study confirms the findings on the determinants of anglers’ satisfaction in Western countries, especially concerning avid anglers. The highest priority for using the fishing license proceeds was for enhancing the number of fish and conserving the fish habitats. Surprisingly, enhancing the number of large fish received the lowest priority among the requests. These results suggest that anglers’ requests for recreational fisheries management do not necessarily reflect their preference to catch more and larger fish. Thus, reflecting only the anglers’ requests and discontinuing stocking the special areas with large fish could paradoxically reduce the anglers’ satisfaction. These results strongly point out that understanding the factors contributing to anglers' satisfaction is crucial to avoid misunderstandings and make sounder and more sustainable recreational fisheries management decisions.

Rebuttal to "Plenty of black money: Netnography of illegal recreational underwater fishing in southern Spain" Maya-Jariego et al., Marine Policy 126 (2021).

We have found some inconsistencies in the methodology and in the conclusions used in the article, which is presented based on illegal underwater fishing. In the following rebuttal, we describe the flaws and the irregularities with the aim that these conclusions should be considered with caution if they are to be used for the management of recreational underwater fisheries.

Valuing Angling on Reservoirs Using Benefit Transfer

AbstractEconomic assessments are rarely applied to inland recreational fisheries for management purposes, especially when compared to fish, habitat, and creel assessments, yet economic assessments can provide critical information for management decisions. We provide a brief overview of economic value, key terminology, and existing economic techniques to address these issues. Benefit transfer, a technique used to measure economic value when an original analysis is not practicable, is conducted by drawing on existing estimates of economic value in similar contexts. We describe an application of benefit transfer to measure the economic value of several recreational fisheries in Nebraska, USA. We examine two approaches to benefit transfer—value transfer and function transfer—which we demonstrate estimate similar economic values for fishing site access but substantially different economic values for catch rate improvements at some reservoirs. We encourage agencies that are responsible for inland recreational fisheries management to consider economic assessment, especially benefit transfer, as a critical tool in the management toolbox.

Spatial Variability in the Fish Assemblage of a Large River–Reservoir Ecosystem

AbstractPhysical and hydrologic connectivity among river–reservoir ecosystem (RRE) segments, including the river, river–reservoir interface (RRI), and reservoir, requires consideration of management at larger spatial scales. Multiple objectives (e.g., ecosystem function, sport fisheries, and maximizing fish diversity) seem well suited to this broad spatial scale; however, data limitations regarding the distribution of taxa within RREs currently hamper such an approach. We quantified the fish assemblage of the Trinity River–Lake Livingston ecosystem in Texas, USA, using a stratified approach to determine the contribution of individual segments to the overall fish assemblage. In general, fish assemblages varied along a continuum from the river to the reservoir; however, fish assemblages in several river backwaters did not follow this gradient, thus adding diversity to the overall RRE. Variability in fish assemblages among ecosystem segments was the result of both species composition and relative abundance. Species richness (N = 58 total) was highest in the river segment (N = 49) followed by the RRI (N = 46) and was much lower in the reservoir (N = 36). In contrast, average catch per standardized unit of sampling effort (all species combined) was greatest in the RRI, about 25% lower in the reservoir, and about 50% lower in the river. Across the ecosystem, 26 species (45%) were considered common, while 32 species (55%) were considered rare. Notably, species of conservation need were not always most abundant in river habitats, and species supporting recreational fisheries were not always most dominant in the reservoir. These findings suggest that the RRE can serve as an appropriate spatial scale for both conservation and recreational fishery management actions.

An access-point survey approach to estimate recreational boat-fishing effort for stays of variable length

Management of recreational fisheries may greatly benefit from accurate and precise estimates of catch and effort. The reliable estimation of recreational boat-fishing effort is particularly challenging due to the methodologies, logistics and high costs involved. Here, we propose a two-stage approach to estimate the number of boat-fishing trips based on an access-point survey developed for situations in which boaters often stay in the area for more than one day, making several fishing trips during their stay. The two-stage approach consists of, first, estimating the total number of boat-days for the fishing season, where boats present in the coast may potentially go fishing, and, second, estimating the probability that a boat present in the coast does go fishing on a given day. We illustrate the method by applying it to a recreational fishery targeting rocky-reef fishes in the San José Gulf, Península Valdés, Argentina. When used on simulated data the new method produced unbiased and more precise estimates of the number of boat-days compared to the traditional access-point survey method. Gains in precision varied depending on the number of survey visits, the survey schedule (random or regular visits) and the actual (simulated) number of boat-days.

Does the relevance of catch for angler satisfaction vary with social-ecological context? A study involving angler cultures from West and East Germany

Angler satisfaction is a key consideration in the management of recreational fisheries. Anglers typically prefer high catch rates and large fish, but the importance of these catch outcomes for satisfaction may differ across angler types, target species, and other contextual conditions. We examined the relationships between catch outcomes and satisfaction using trip-level (n = 19,558) catch and harvest information from two fisheries with contrasting governance and cultural contexts within the same nation, a small club context of north-western Germany (Lower Saxony) and a regional context with largely open access in north-eastern Germany (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). Both fisheries are from the same eco-region and offer multi-species fisheries of a similar species mix (predominantly freshwater). Catch rate and size of fish were found to positively affect catch satisfaction in both social-ecological contexts. The catch rate-satisfaction relationship showed diminishing marginal returns (i.e., more catch is better, but the marginal benefits diminish as catch increases), and the maximum fish size-satisfaction relationship was positively exponential (i.e., larger maximum fish sizes make anglers increasingly more satisfied). Social-ecological context, trip context (e.g., season and previous catch outcomes) and angler specialization were all significant moderators of the importance of catch outcomes towards satisfaction with catch. Importantly, after controlling for catch outcomes and other contextual factors, anglers in the small-scale club context from north-western Germany (Lower Saxony) were, on average, more satisfied with their catch than anglers in a large-scale regional context from north-eastern Germany (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). These findings suggest that managers cannot expect anglers to be similarly satisfied at identical catch outcomes in different social-ecological contexts, even within the same nation. Managers may well be advised to manage for specific qualities of catch (e.g., regularity of catch and larger maximum size of fish) rather than attempting to manage for high catch rates alone as the latter might not contribute to more satisfied anglers after catch rate thresholds have been passed.

The socioeconomic contribution of the recreational fishery based on input–output analysis: The case of China

Recreational fishing is important in China, as it provides a source of employment and income across a wide range of economic sectors where consumers spend money on coastal fishing tourism, fishing equipment and medicine, and other activities. There is a need for greater information about recreational fishery activities for recreational fishery management and policy. This paper estimates the socioeconomic effect of the recreational fishery by I-O analysis, systematically defining the economic activities occurring in and dependent upon the recreational fishery environment and disaggregating these activities from the China national accounts. The results showed the following: (1) The socioeconomic effect of the recreational fishery in China is small compared with other industrialized countries, such as the U.S. and the UK, among these, the promoting role of creating new jobs is very limited in China. (2) The inducing effect of household consumption on recreational fishery itself is also the smallest compared with other industries. (3) The recreational fishery seems to have a stronger employment-inducing effect than traditional primary industries, such as agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery industry in China. (4) The likely production and consumption linkages among recreational fishery, manufacturing, wholesale, and retail are stronger in contrast with other industries. Quantifying the socioeconomic contribution of recreational fisheries illustrates how recreational fisheries can boost economic development, which can help various stakeholders improve and increase their cognition and investment in recreational fisheries management and related infrastructure projects.

The Future of Fishing for Fun: The Economics and Sustainable Management of Recreational Fisheries

The management of recreational fisheries has received relatively little research attention from economists. Nevertheless, recreational fisheries generate substantial economic benefits and ecological impacts in many freshwater and marine systems, although they frequently face a range of management challenges. In this article we consider the endogenous feedbacks and exogenous stressors within the coupled human-natural system of recreational fisheries that threaten their efficient and sustainable management, and we review the potential role of economics in addressing these challenges. We discuss key similarities and differences between commercial and recreational fisheries and the implications of the differences for the theory and practice of managing recreational fisheries. Finally, we identify important research gaps that must be addressed to enable policy makers to more accurately weigh the costs and benefits of changes to recreational fishery policies.

Digital fisheries data in the Internet age: Emerging tools for research and monitoring using online data in recreational fisheries

AbstractRecreational fisheries are diverse in scale, scope, and participation worldwide, constituting an important ecosystem service of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Management of these socio‐ecological systems is challenged by monitoring gaps, stemming from difficulties engaging with participants, biased sampling, and insufficient resources to conduct biological or social surveys of fish and human populations. In the Internet age, online data have great potential to make a meaningful contribution to recreational fisheries research, monitoring, and management. Recreational fishers in some countries increasingly use social and other digital media to share their experiences with followers, with most data freely available to web scrapers that compile databases of text (e.g. tweets, status updates, comments), photos, videos and other media that contain information about spatiotemporal activity, sentiments towards catches/experiences, targeted and bycatch species, effort levels, and more. Although the future of recreational fisheries research, monitoring and management will likely involve more digital scraping, uptake is only just beginning and there are several challenges including tool availability/accessibility, sampling biases, and making findings relevant and usable to practitioners. Despite these challenges, we envision fisheries managers will increasingly turn towards online sources of fisheries data to supplement conventional methods. We challenge scientists to work towards continued method development and validation of various digital fisheries data tools and emphasize how biases from the online behaviour of users may complicate interpretations of these data for fisheries management.