Publication Abstract

·         Many millions of people throughout Europe participate in recreational sea fishing. Recent surveys show that for some species, recreational fishery harvests – the weight of fish removed from the sea – can be as large as some commercial fishing fleets, but have not been accounted for until recently in stock assessments.

·         Europe lags behind countries like the USA and Australia in collecting and using recreational fishery data. In the USA, nationwide recreational fishery surveys have been undertaken since the 1980s and recreational catch estimates are routinely incorporated into assessments to support co-management of many commercial and recreational fisheries.

·         In Europe, marine recreational fishery survey data are sparse and only a few stock assessments use these data to estimate recreational fishing mortality. This means we have poor understanding of marine recreational fishing impacts and how to account for them in management.

·         There are statutory requirements to report recreational catches of some marine species in Europe, but the surveys are demanding terms of expertise and infrastructure, and vary between countries. ICES established its Working Group on Recreational Fisheries Surveys to help countries run statistically sound surveys and develop other supporting studies.

·         A large proportion of recreational catch is often released, so accurate estimates of post-release mortality are also required for stock assessment. Post-release mortality is difficult to measure and is dependent on many factors including capture depth, gear, and species. More studies are needed in this area.

·         Recent surveys in Europe show that recreational sea fishing has a high economic value. In addition to addressing conservation goals, future co-management of European fish stocks for recreational and commercial purposes should consider how to maximize the economic and social values of the different fisheries. New methods are required to address this.