June 2004
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REEL VALUESRecreational fishing is a way of life for more than 800,000 Queenslanders, and generates around $240 million a year for the State’s economy. But for recreational fishers, the benefits of their pastime are far more than its economic value. CRC Reef researchers from James Cook University are now studying what motivates people to go fishing.
CRC Reef researcher Dr Stephen Sutton from James Cook University has been asking recreational fishers across Queensland about the social benefits of recreational fishing. “Recreational fishing is about more than the fish on the
table at the end of the day, or the money the sport injects into
communities, it’s about lifestyle and family values,”
according to Dr Sutton. “Queensland Government figures show, for instance, that a lot of men go fishing, as do children of all ages. This suggests that fishing may be an important way for fathers to interact with their kids, so that’s one of the things we’ll be testing in our survey,” Dr Sutton said. The survey, designed in collaboration with Sunfish Queensland, Queensland Fisheries Service, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, will investigate fishers’ attitudes toward conservation, catch-and-release, fish consumption, and the management of fisheries and marine parks. It will also give anglers a voice in how they feel recreational fisheries should be managed. The team contacted around 10,000 Queensland households as part of a random telephone survey in February. Of those called, 2,400 recreational fishers agreed to take part in a more detailed postal survey. This will be the first time that a postal survey of recreational fishers has been carried out in Queensland. For more information see the recreational fishing surveys webpage, or contact Dr Stephen Sutton, stephen.sutton@jcu.edu.au |
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