Recreational fisheries in the USA: economics, management strategies, and ecological threats

Abstract

Recreational fishing has a long history in the USA, developing from the subsistence fisheries of Native Americans together with a partial subsistence fishery of later immigrants. Marine, diadromous, and aquatic taxa are targeted, including both vertebrates and macroinvertebrates. This paper defines recreational fishing, describes the main fishing techniques, identifies target taxa by region, summarizes the socio-economic values of recreational fishing, and discusses management strategies and major ecological threats.