Technological innovations in the recreational fishing sector: implications for fisheries management and policy

Abstract

Technology that is developed for or adopted by the recreational fisheries sector (e.g., anglers and the recreational fishing industry) has led to rapid and dramatic changes in how recreational anglers interact with fisheries resources. From improvements in finding and catching fish to emulating their natural prey and accessing previously inaccessible waters, to anglers sharing their exploits with others, technology is completely changing all aspects of recreational fishing. These innovations would superficially be viewed as positive from the perspective of the angler (aside from the financial cost of purchasing some technologies), yet for the fisheries manager and policy maker, technology may create unintended challenges that lead to reactionary or even ill-defined approaches as they attempt to keep up with these changes. The goal of this paper is to consider how innovations in recreational fishing are changing the way that anglers interact with fish, and thus how recreational fisheries management is undertaken. We use a combination of structured reviews and expert analyses combined with descriptive case studies to highlight the many ways that technology is influencing recreational fishing practice, and, relatedly, what it means for changing how fisheries and/or these technologies need to be managed—from changes in fish capture, to fish handling, to how anglers share information with each other and with managers. Given that technology is continually evolving, we hope that the examples provided here lead to more and better monitoring of technological innovations and engagement by the management and policy authorities with the recreational fishing sector. Doing so will ensure that management actions related to emerging and evolving recreational fishing technology are more proactive than reactive.

The impact of the COVID-19 on China's fisheries sector and its countermeasures

“…It is recommended that fishery administrative departments at all levels and their subordinate fishery administration and fishing port supervision and management agencies adopt remote monitoring technologies, such as the use of the latest wireless communication technology, digital sensing technology, and monitoring equipment. Furthermore, the aquatic product quality and safety traceability system in the “Modern Fishery Technology Remote Service Management System” combined with traditional fishery monitoring and management methods, might be utilised to render certain traceability to the source of each type of aquatic product in order to ensure its quality and safety ( Cooke et al, 2021 ).…”

The emergence of marine recreational drone fishing: Regional trends and emerging concerns

“…This is most likely because technological advances in recreational fishing have largely gone undetected by management and research and are therefore seldom recognised. For example, advances such as low diameter, high-strength braided fishing lines, nextgeneration fish finding sonar devices and electronic reels have all become commonly used tools within recreational fisheries, with little to no response from management or researchers (Kleiven et al 2020) until recently (Cooke et al 2021).…”

“…However, the impacts of individual recreational fisheries are often related to the qualities of the fishers (Cooke and Suski 2005;Brownscombe et al 2017). Thus, emerging angling methods and technologies can introduce new unrecognised threats towards fish populations (for example, see Cooke et al (2020) perspective on 'microfishing' and Cooke et al (2021) review of technological innovations). This is a common occurrence in commercial fisheries and termed ''technology creep'', whereby the use of new technologies has been attributed to increased fish catching efficiency and, in some instances, the capture a new species (Pauly and Palomares 2010).…”

Modern Reporting Methods for Angler Tag‐Return Studies: Trends in Data Quality, Choice of Method, and Future Considerations

“…As technological advancements become integrated into society and used by anglers (e.g., smartphones), fisheries scientists and resource managers must also adapt (Cooke et al 2021). In angler tag‐return studies, much attention has been given to tag types and retention rates, as well as reporting rates and incentives (Pine et al 2012), yet few studies have explored how modern tag reporting methods may affect angler tag‐return studies (e.g., Venturelli et al 2017).…”