IN the United States, data from that country’s National Marine Fisheries Service estimates that around 11 million Americans went saltwater fishing in 2011 and spent $27 billion on fishing tackle, equipment, and trip-related goods and services.
That same spending by saltwater anglers generated more than $70 billion in economic output and supported more than 450,000 jobs.
An alliance between fishing and boating industries in the US, the Commission on Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Management – co-chaired by heads of two of America’s leading tackle and boating companies – met throughout 2013 to look at strategies for improving the country’s saltwater recreational fisheries management.
In his latest blog on Sport Fishing magazine’s website, editor Doug Olander writes in a piece titled The Year of Recognition for Recreational Fishing of the “Saltwater Recreational Fishing’s Future,” a report signed off by John L. Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and Scott Deal, president of Maverick Boats.
Olander writes “an impressively unified recreational fishing-boating industry is working very hard to make changes in how this nation’s fisheries are managed.” The blog outlines the importance of fisheries management in the US which “has simply not caught up to the reality of how important (in part as coastal populations soar), saltwater angling has become”. Read more HERE.
Fisho believes Australia could learn a lot from this US example of boating and rec fishing related industries working closely together to push for better fisheries management policies and angling rights.
With fishing boats in Australia making up approximately 75 per cent of all boat sales the question perhaps needs to be asked – why aren’t our various boating industry associations taking on this sort of leadership role and working more effectively with the tackle sector and angling organisations to fight for issues that directly affect anglers?
What do you think, could Australia’s boating industry become more involved in issues affecting recreational fishing in this country?
Let us know your thoughts.
