Episode 609: Highlights of the National Rec Fishing Survey With ABARES Fisheries Scientist Andy Moore

Key Messages From The National Rec Fishing Survey

Participation in fishing

• Participation rates are highest for:
  • Males
  • Those aged 30-44
  • Those who live in regional areas
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• 4.2 million Australians (21%) participate in fishing
• Northern Territory has the highest participation rates, but a smaller population
• Eastern states have lower participation rates, but bigger numbers due to a larger population
• There were 28.6 million fishing events in 2018-19

Popularity of fishing

• Fishing is the 10th most popular recreational pursuit, roughly equivalent to cycling

Contribution to Australian Economy

• Recreational fishing contributes over 100K jobs and 11 billion dollars to GDP
• $8.7b of the fishing related GDP occurs in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland
• A high proportion of the jobs are in regional areas
• Recreational fishing plays an important role in redistributing wealth from cities to regions

Social Licence

• Fishing is seen as a socially acceptable pastime by 79% of Australians
• The acceptability of fishing as a recreational pursuit is highest among:
  • Those who live in regional areas
  • Households that include individuals who fish
• Fishing has one of the highest rates of acceptance among common activities

Contribution to Wellbeing

• Recreational fishers have a significantly higher level of wellbeing than the general population
• Fishing plays an important role in the lives of people experiencing stressful events such as divorce, loss of a loved one etc.
• A high proportion of fishers view fishing as a way of maintaining family and social connections
• Fishers who participate with friends and family have higher wellbeing

Physical Activity

• Recreational fishing plays an important role in increasing the activity levels of Australians
• Fishing is especially important for increasing activity levels of over 65’s

Environmental Stewardship

• Recreational fishers identify as good environmental stewards
• Fishers contribute to the health of the environment through:
  • removing rubbish they see whilst fishing
  • donating to organisations that improve aquatic environments
  • participating in cleanups, habitat restoration and pest fish management
  • reporting environmental problems and illegal activities.
• The majority of fishers understand how to fish responsibly

Citizen Science

• The majority of recreational fishers support citizen science, including:
  • reporting their catches to better understand fisheries
  • reporting sightings of key aquatic species
  • reporting sightings of birds and other marine life
  • uploading of fish images to contribute to stock assessment
  • collection of water samples for analysis

Impacts of Covid and bushfires

• Participation in recreational fishing was impacted by Covid and bushfires but returned to previous levels