Recreational fishing
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Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit.
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[edit] Techniques
The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a rod, reel, line, hooks and any one of a wide range of baits. Other devices, commonly referred to as terminal tackle, are also used to affect or compliment the presentation of the bait to the targeted fish. Some examples of terminal tackle include weights, floats, and swivels. Lures are frequently used in place of bait. Most types of fishing tackle are made in a professional manufacturing facility while others are hand made by hobbyists who find greater satisfaction in catching fish with tackle made by themselves. Some examples of hand made tackle include plastic lures and artificial flies. The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is known as angling.
In angling, it is sometimes expected or required that fish be returned to the water (catch and release).
One method of growing popularity is kayak fishing. Kayak fisherman fish from sea kayaks in an attempt to level the playing field with fish and to further challenge their abilities. Kayaks are extremely stealthy and can allow anglers to reach areas unfishable from land or by conventional boat.
Big-game fishing describes fishing from boats to catch large open-water species such as tuna, sharks and marlin.
Noodling and Trout tickling may be pursued as a recreation.
[edit] Sport fishing
Sport fishing, including game fishing, describes recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish rather than the culinary or financial value of the fish's flesh. The distinction is not completely rigid - in many cases, sport fishers will also eat their catch. The philosophies and tactics used for sport fishing, however, are usually sufficiently different from "food fishing" to make the distinction clear enough.
The most common fish sought after are marlin, tuna, tarpon, sailfish, shark, and mackerel.
Sport fishing methods vary according to the area being fished, the species being targeted, the personal strategies of the angler, and the resources available, ranging from the aristocratic art of fly fishing, ostensibly invented in Great Britain, to the high-tech methods used to chase marlin and tuna. In virtually every case, however, the fishing is done with hook, line, rod and reel rather than with nets or other aids.
In the past, sport fishers, even if they did not eat their catch, almost always killed them to bring them to shore to be weighed or for preservation as trophies. A desire to improve the fishery has prompted many sport fishermen to catch and release, sometimes after fitting them with identity tags, recording some vital statistics, and mailing in a record to a government agency in something called tag and release.
Sport fishing competitions involve individuals if the fishing occurs from land, and usually teams if conducted from boats, as well as a specified time and area from which to catch fish. A score is awarded for each fish caught. The points awarded depend on the fish's weight and species. Occasionally a score is divided by the strength of the fishing line used, yielding more points to those who use thinner, weaker line. In tag and release competitions, a flat score is awarded per fish species caught, divided by the line strength. Usually sport fishing competitions award a prize to the boat or team with the most points earned.
[edit] Fish logs
In addition to capturing fish for food, recreational anglers also enjoy keeping a log of fish caught and submitting trophy sized fish to independent record keeping bodies. In the Republic of Ireland the Irish Specimen Fish Committee verify and publicize the capture of specimen (i.e. trophy) fish caught on rod and line by anglers in Ireland, both in freshwater and at sea. The Committee also ratifies Irish record rod caught fish. It also uses a set of 'fair play' regulations to ensure fish are caught in accordance with accepted angling norms.[1]
[edit] Competitions
A recent phenomenon of recreational fishing are fishing competitions (tournaments) where fishermen compete for prizes based on the total weight of a given species of fish caught within a predetermined time. This sport evolved from local fishing contests into large competitive circuits, especially in North America. Competitors are most often professional fishermen who are supported by commercial endorsements. Other competitions is purely on length with mandatory catch and release, either longest fish or total length is documented with camera and a mandatory sticker, is more fair since it's hard to weigh a living fish accurately in a boat.
[edit] Rules and regulations
Recreational fishing has conventions, rules, licensing restrictions and laws that limit the way in which fish may be caught, The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) makes and oversees a set of voluntary obligations. Typically, these prohibit the use of nets and the catching of fish with hooks not in the mouth. Enforceable regulations are put in place by Governments to ensure sustainable practice amongst anglers. For example in the Republic of Ireland, the Central Fisheries Board oversees the implementation of all angling regulations, which include controls on angling lures, baits and number of hooks permissible, as well as licensing regimes and other conservation based restrictions.[2]
Laws made to control recreational fishing frequently also attempt to control the harvest of other aquatic species, such as frogs and turtles.
[edit] Industry
The recreational fishing industry consists of enterprises such as the manufacture and retailing of fishing tackle, the design and building of recreational fishing boats, and the provision of fishing boats for charter and guided fishing adventures.
"Pay to fish" enterprises provide anglers with controlled access to stocked lakes, ponds or canals. These provide fishing opportunities outside of the permitted seasons and quotas applied to public waters. In the United Kingdom, commercial fisheries of this sort charge access fees, with prices ranging from £2 to £25 per day. In North America, establishments usually charge for the fish caught, by length or by weight, rather than for access to the site although some establishments charge both types of fees. Prices for fish caught in North American "pay to fish" waters are generally in the range of $0.10 to $0.20 per cm or from $5.00 to $10.00 per kg.
[edit] See also
- Angling
- ANSA
- Bass fishing
- Big-game fishing
- Coarse fishing
- Fishing lures
- Fly fishing
- Ice fishing
- IGFA
- Rock fishing
- Troll (angling)
- Fishing Derby (event)
[edit] References
- ^ ISFC Trophy Fish Website Irish Specimen Fish Committee
- ^ Fishing in Ireland Central Fisheries Board Website
[edit] External links
- University of Washington Freshwater and Marine Image Bank Images of Sport Fishing
- Recreational Fishing Laws
- Sport fishing at the Open Directory Project
- Fishing Forum
- SeaWeb (2004) Study In Science Reveals Recreational Fishing Takes Big Bite Of Ocean Catch. ScienceDaily. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
- Costa Rica And The World Discover it
