Demographics of recreational fishing participation – understanding the past and looking to the future

Supervisor team may include:

Dr Jeremy Lyle

Dr Sean Tracey

The 2000/01 National Recreational Fishing Survey provided the first comprehensive assessment of recreational fishing in Australia. At the time an estimated 3.4 million Australians fished at least one a year, representing almost 20% of the total population. Participation rates did, however, vary widely by age, gender and area of residence. More recent surveys highlight a trend of declining participation that can be linked in part to changing population demographics. This project will review results of surveys of recreational fishing participation in the context of population demographics and the implications for future participation in recreational fishing.