{"id":4121,"date":"2024-02-26T08:21:37","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T13:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/?p=4121"},"modified":"2024-02-26T08:25:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T13:25:42","slug":"does-trophy-fishing-put-fish-populations-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/does-trophy-fishing-put-fish-populations-at-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Does trophy fishing put fish populations at risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

World records suggest certain species are under pressure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Need<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades anglers have enjoyed trying to catch the largest fish for a prize. Although commercial fishing globally remains a principal cause of population declines for many species, there is rising concern that trophy fishing also causes harm. One reason is that the largest and oldest members of a fish population \u2014 in other words, the fish targeted in trophy fishing \u2014 have more offspring and better survival rates than younger, smaller fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rapidly increasing numbers of recreational anglers worldwide makes it difficult to explore their impact on trends in fish populations. Could fishing world records provide insight into the impact of recreational fishing on fisheries?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did they study?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers analyzed 80 years of data from the International Game Fish Association database, to determine how trophy fishing trends have changed over time and whether they pose a threat to fish populations globally. The team focused on all-tackle records for saltwater species caught in oceans and coastal areas. They examined how the size and location of record catches have changed over time, in particular for threatened species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did they find?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of record catches, and the number of different species receiving records, has increased over time, especially since the 1980s. The average size of record catches, however, decreased, from 370 pounds in the 1950s to 18 pounds in the 2010s, as anglers focused on different species of fish that grow to shorter maximum lengths. Record catches for threatened species decreased by about 66% over the past two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research team also observed record catches spreading around the globe over time. Historically, anglers have made most record catches around the U.S. coastline, especially in south Florida, but Japan and New Zealand particularly saw increases in record catches over the past two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past 80 years, trophy anglers have moved toward catching a wider variety of smaller species, particularly in the U.S. The shift may be due to the declining abundance of larger fish species \u2014 including threatened species \u2014 and the increasing difficulty in catching \u201ctrophy-sized\u201d fish, raising concerns for conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors acknowledge that the data may not be completely reliable due to potential incompleteness and glitches in the archives of world record catches. They note that the records inherently underestimate the number of fish caught in trophy efforts and highlight the need to collect data for \u201cnear-miss records\u201d \u2014 catches that almost break a record \u2014 to better understand the impact of trophy fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep trophy fishing sustainable, the research team encouraged catch-and-release initiatives, especially in hotspot areas. For example, the International Game Fish Association introduced an \u201call-tackle length\u201d category, which involves measuring a catch\u2019s length, rather than weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While catch-and-release practices<\/a> don\u2019t guarantee a fish\u2019s survival, anglers can take steps to improve their effectiveness, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n