Overview

Recreational fishing is a popular pastime undertaken by millions of Australians each year. Despite its popularity, relatively few studies have examined the social and economic contributions of recreational fishing. More than 20 years ago, the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey provided a national snapshot of recreational fishing participation, catch and effort.

In the last two decades, Australia’s population has grown and changed, becoming older, more urban, and more culturally diverse. At the same time, there has been evolving understanding of how to assess the social and economic contributions of activities such as recreational fishing.

The Australian Government and FRDC have funded the National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers. The aim of the study was to better understand the social and economic contributions of recreational fishing in Australia, and to identify how to best assess these contributions using cost effective methods. This work was done in collaboration with the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation and released in February 2023.

What are the latest findings?

The National Recreational Fishing Survey found that more Australians are going recreational fishing than ever before, with one in five people fishing. Recreational fishers contributed $11 billion a year to the Australian economy and 100,000 jobs. Most Australians found recreational fishing to be a highly acceptable pastime that was good for personal wellbeing, social connectivity, physical activity and environmental stewardship.

Final Report and other related reports

• National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers - Final Report
• 2019-2021 National Recreational Fishing Survey – Appendices
• National Recreational Fishing Bait and Berley Survey 2019-21

National, State and Territory-based Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers 2018-2021 Reports

Learn more about the survey and findings

• The Project: find out what methods the project used
• Economical Contribution: what is the economic benefit of recreational fishing in Australia?
• Wellbeing: does recreational fishing benefit our health and wellbeing?
• Previous News: see archived project updates

Related Project

• 2018-161: National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers 2019