Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture ISSN: 2330-8249 (Print) 2330-8257 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/brfs21 Global Participation in and Public Attitudes Toward Recreational Fishing: International Perspectives and Developments Robert Arlinghaus, Øystein Aas, Josep Alós, Ivan Arismendi, Shannon Bower, Steven Carle, Tomasz Czarkowski, Kátia M. F. Freire, John Hu, Len M. Hunt, Roman Lyach, Andrzej Kapusta, Pekka Salmi, Alexander Schwab, Jun-ichi Tsuboi, Marek Trella, Daryl McPhee, Warren Potts, Arkadiusz Wołos & Zi- Jiang Yang To cite this article: Robert Arlinghaus, Øystein Aas, Josep Alós, Ivan Arismendi, Shannon Bower, Steven Carle, Tomasz Czarkowski, Kátia M. F. Freire, John Hu, Len M. Hunt, Roman Lyach, Andrzej Kapusta, Pekka Salmi, Alexander Schwab, Jun-ichi Tsuboi, Marek Trella, Daryl McPhee, Warren Potts, Arkadiusz Wołos & Zi-Jiang Yang (2020): Global Participation in and Public Attitudes Toward Recreational Fishing: International Perspectives and Developments, Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, DOI: 10.1080/23308249.2020.1782340 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2020.1782340 Published online: 29 Jun 2020. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=brfs21 REVIEWS IN FISHERIES SCIENCE & AQUACULTURE https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2020.1782340 REVIEW Global Participation in and Public Attitudes Toward Recreational Fishing: International Perspectives and Developments Robert Arlinghausa , Øystein Aasb , Josep Alos c, Ivan Arismendid , Shannon Bowere, Steven Carlea, Tomasz Czarkowskif,Katia M. F. Freireg , John Huh, Len M. Hunti , Roman Lyachj, Andrzej Kapustaf, Pekka Salmik, Alexander Schwabl, Jun-ichi Tsuboim , Marek Trellaf, Daryl McPheen, Warren Pottso, Arkadiusz Wołosf, and Zi-Jiang Yangh,p aDepartment of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries & Division of Integrative Fisheries Management, Humboldt-Universit€at zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; bNorwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management &, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Lillehammer, Norway; cInstituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain; dDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA; eInfinity Social and Ecological Solutions, Ottawa, Canada; fThe Stanislaw Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute (IFI), Olsztyn, Poland; gDepartamento de Engenharia de Pesca e Aquicultura, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Brazil; hDepartment of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; iCentre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Thunder Bay, Canada; jInstitute for Evaluations and Social Analyses (INESAN), Prague, the Czech Republic; kUnit Bioeconomy and Environment, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Turku, Finland; lEichelm€andli Verlag, Hofstetten, Switzerland; mJapan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan; nFaculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Robina, Australia; oDepartment of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa; pChinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing, China ABSTRACT KEYWORDS The literature on global trends in recreational fishing, the determinants of participation in Environmental ethics; fish recreational fishing, and the social embedding of recreational fishing in the public eye are welfare; recreational fishing reviewed across the world. Data support a conceptual life-cycle model of fisheries according participation; global mapping; biodiversity to which interest in recreational fishing rises rapidly with economic development before lev- conservation; social eling off and eventually declining. Participation in recreational angling across the globe surveys; global varies substantially and is directly related to societal-level developments affecting resources, time, and socialization into fishing. Moreover, culture and the way that fish are historically situated within society appears to affect interest in fishing and the public perception of cer- tain fishing practices. Across the more developed western countries, a sustained shift in public values from anthropocentric to more biocentric viewpoints is documented. This shift puts traditional fisheries management that manages ecosystems for optimal fishing experi- ences under increasing scrutiny and elevates biodiversity conservation toward a key goal of contemporary fisheries management in many countries. However, while a pro fish welfare discourse can be traced to almost all developed countries covered in this review, this does not mean the recreational activity is threatened or welfare-oriented regulations are widely implemented, with a few exceptions in selected countries. Public surveys conducted in mainly developed countries around the world instead reveal that people generally view recreational fisheries as an acceptable pastime. Major structural changes are occurring in many societies related to immigration, increasing ethnic and cultural diversity of popula- tions, and social value change. Yet, little is known how these changes might affect recre- ational fishing participation and behavior, and the view of the general public toward fishing in the future. Panel research designs that repeatedly survey the public, and recreational fish- ers, will be needed to track value and participation changes over time, but such designs are rarely implemented in most countries that were reviewed in this work. Data gaps are par- ticularly strong for Africa and large parts of Central and South America as well as Russia and Asia. 1. Introduction humans and ecological systems interact intimately Recreational fisheries are prime examples of strongly across scales (Arlinghaus et al., 2008; Fenichel et al., coupled social-ecological systems (SESs) where 2013; Arlinghaus et al., 2017). The tight linkage of CONTACT Robert Arlinghaus [email protected] Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries & Division of Integrative Fisheries Management, Humboldt-Universit€at zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. ß 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 2 R. ARLINGHAUS ET AL. people and nature in coupled SESs is not new to fish- fisheries. The objective is achieved by reviewing data eries scientists and managers (Arlinghaus et al., 2008). and studies on fishing participation rates and determi- Despite the early recognition of the importance of the nants of the rates, and by reviewing philosophical and social aspects in fisheries science since the 1950s ethical perspectives on recreational fisheries. Based on (Gordon, 1954; Larkin, 1977; Aas and Ditton, 1998), a range of case studies in several areas of the world, there has been a tendency among recreational fisheries the social embedding of recreational fisheries is scholars and managers to take a “piscicentric” (Cowx described. Given shared historic backgrounds, it is et al., 2010), “reductionistic” (Aas, 2002) and overall assumed that there are “clusters” of countries with “narrow” (Pope et al., 2016) view that tends to focus specific perspectives toward recreational fisheries and on local biological and social issues and particular tar- that it is possible to associate these with wider soci- get species. Yet, all local or even regional recreational etal-level deployments that shape cultural and moral fisheries are embedded in other higher-order social- values in a given country. The core assumption here ecological systems, such as land use systems and soci- is that society and cultural values exert direct and ety at large (Hunt et al., 2013; Arlinghaus et al., 2015, indirect effects on fishing participation, the acceptabil- Pope et al., 2016). Changes and developments in the ity of fishing practices, and the acceptability of man- ecological and social fabrics of this broader SES will agement interventions by the public at large. almost always exert effects, directly or indirectly, on a fishery and create many tradeoffs related to a range of 2. The life-cycle of fisheries: a conceptual services provided by ecosystems (Pope et al., 2016). model of recreational fisheries development Relatedly, a local recreational fishery will be sensitive to changes in regional ecological factors, technology, Although recreational fisheries are of high importance communication channels, and altered societal norms globally (FAO, 2012; Arlinghaus et al., 2019), consid- and expectations about what fisheries managers and erable inter-regional and inter-country variance in its recreational fishers should do (e.g., fish welfare debate relative importance exists when compared to commer- in central Europe; Arlinghaus et al., 2012), or altered cial and subsistence fisheries or other uses of aquatic fishing participation in response to urbanization and ecosystems. Broadly speaking, recreational fishing demographic change (Arlinghaus et al., 2015). activity increases with economic development of soci- Therefore, a “reductionistic” perspective risks missing eties because people can afford to spend time fishing important cross-scale effects. during leisure time rather than engage in fishing as a If one is interested in foreseeing developments of primary means to