National Recreational Fishing Survey of 2019-21 PART II MELBOURNE
Ross Winstanley
In February this year, the report of the first detailed study of the social and economic benefits from recreational fishing in Australia was launched in Melbourne at the 10th World Recreational Fishing Conference. The study provided a comprehensive picture of recreational fishers across Australia; their numbers, where and how often they fish; their motivations and behaviours; and the social and economic benefits they generate across the country. Conference attendees heard that globally, participation is declining in North America, Europe and other developed countries, despite population growth (See Fig.1). They also heard of significant recent advances in social sciences investigations of the health and wellbeing benefits to fishers, and community attitudes towards recreational fishing. The previous FMM article outlined the origins and objectives of the study and described the results on Australians’ participation in recreational fishing. It also described how the study embraced two unforeseen events that overtook it: the Black Summer bushfires and the COVID-19 epidemic. And, with the opportunity to examine the effects of major disruptions to ‘normal’ fishing activities, the following objective was added: Objective 4. Identify how fishing activity changed in response
Fig.1 Percentage breakdown of days fished per year among adult fishers. (NRFS 2023) fishers’ positive role in environmental stewardship. Those interested in the survey methods and data sources, and related technical details should refer to the full study report National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers, 2018-2021 which can be found at www.frdc.com.au/ project/2018-161. Referred to here as the NRFS, the full title reflects the focus on fishers rather than fishing catches and effort. THE ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING One of Australia’s worst-ever droughts extended from 2016 to 2020, including much of the survey data collection period. With 2019 the country’s hottest and driest year on record, the late winter saw the beginnings of what became the Black
damage to housing, infrastructure, and personal movements, including fishing and tourism generally. They also caused catastrophic damage to inland and estuarine waters, as sediments, ash and ‘trash’ were washed in and persisted for months. THE EFFECTS With the post-fires floods, and their lingering effects, coinciding with governments’ rapid responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, the NRFS turned up some interesting results. Prior to the fires, floods and pandemic, the most reported obstacles to fishing were work commitments, adverse weather conditions and the lack of fishing companions. But from March 2020, social movement and non-essential service restrictions added to
The survey showed that, nationally, the monthly number of days fished rose and fell with the imposition and relaxation of travel and movement restrictions. In every month across the first year of the pandemic, more than
in a fisher’s life? Is fishing their main recreational activity or one of several or just a minor and occasional alternative or substitute? The study looked at what activities may be linked to fishing, and what a fisher may turn to if they can’t go fishing. It found that most fishers engage in other recreational activities and are at least equally likely to choose one of them over fishing. Camping, picnics/ barbeques, four-wheel driving, and kayaking were common substitutes for fishing. Fishing is the most important activity for a third of fishers, and men of 60+ years have fewer ‘substitutes’ and spend more time fishing. But, early on, under the AprilJune 2020 COVID-19 restrictions, some fishers chose fishing over other activities, while more fished in preference to their other usual activities. During that period, fishers commonly replaced fishing with household chores, cycling, swimming, walking, gardening, and home entertainment. Thus, for many fishers, much of
lived and where they spent money on fishing around the country. It estimated that, in 2018/19, fishing contributed $11.5 billion to Australia’s GDP, supporting 101,342 fulltime equivalent jobs. The GDP total included $7.1 billion representing wages and salaries – benefiting the livelihoods of Australians and their households (See Fig.3). Of the $11.5 billion total, $3.3 billion or 28% related to fishing gear and tackle. Other expenditure comprised overnight trips (21%), boat running costs (20%), capital expenses (16%), and day trip costs (15%). While capital city resident fishers account for 59% of expenditure, much of what fishers spend occurs in rural and regional areas, highlighting the importance and value of fishing to regional economies. Although the methods used in this NRFS and the 1999-2000 national survey are not directly comparable, the growth in expenditure per fisher over the past two decades is reckoned to be 200% to 300%.
Fig.3 Economic contribution by state/territory, in 2018/19 (NRFS 2023) State/ Territory NSW VIC QLD SA WA TAS NT ACT National
Gross State Product ($m) Employment (full-time equivalent) 3,879 32,493 2,266 19,737 2,515 23,602 985 9,434 1,146 9,380 270 2,670 270 2,523 190 1,502 11,522 101,342
to the Black Summer bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. This article briefly describes the impacts of major bushfires, droughtbreaking floods, and COVID-19; switching between fishing and other activities; fishing’s economic contribution; health and wellbeing benefits; the ‘social licence’ of fishing; and 42 MAY 2023
Summer bushfires which extended until February 2020. While fires burned in every state, they were most intense over much of the coast and inland areas of Queensland, NSW, Victoria, and SA, burning across more than 24 million hectares of land. The drought and fires ended abruptly with the intense rains along the East Coast, causing extreme
the usual post-summer downturn in overall fishing activity. Interstate travel restrictions, lockdowns, ‘social distancing,’ and close-to-home movement limits severely curtailed fishing. Lockdowns were particularly restrictive in NSW and Victoria, but some fishing remained permissible throughout, except for March-April 2020 in Victoria.
Fig.2 Percentages of fishers who rate fishing to be their most important recreational pursuit. (NRFS 2023) 50% of fishers fished less often compared to a year previously. Overall, fishing activity levels changed irrespective of age, gender, and home location – except for the marked decline in Victoria during that state’s 2-month lockdown. Of those who continued to fish, 43% found that this helped them to cope with restrictions; this was particularly true for keen fishers. However, 24% found fishing more stressful than usual, and increased crowding at fishing spots, while a fear of public criticism concerned many fishers. SUBSTITUTES FOR FISHING Where does fishing sit
the social and economic benefits normally resulting from fishing were achieved through their substitute activities. However, the small minority of fishers classed as ‘avid,’ present a disproportionately large part of the economic benefits flowing from fishing on account of how frequently they fish, and how much they spend on fishing. In turn, they also less commonly choose other activities above fishing. See Fig.2. FISHING’S ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION This study, for the first time, included fishers’ expenditure on fishing, irrespective of where they
FISHING AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY There has been a recent world-wide shift beyond measuring ‘benefits’ mainly in direct and flow-on expenditure and employment terms. This was reflected at the Melbourne world conference in February, where presentations and participation reflected the surge in interest in the benefits generated in areas such as fishers’ physical and mental health, wellness, and their contributions to research and habitat protection. The survey results show that fishing contributes health and wellbeing benefits through the
