March 6, 2023
A Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) survey has found that Victorian Recreational Fishing is seeing a boom in numbers.
Despite Covid-19 impacting the time being spent fishing, the number of Victorians spending time fishing in its various waterways grew by almost 150,000 over two years. These numbers have enabled over 19,000 people to be employed and has contributed over $2 billion to the Victorian economy.
The survey has confirmed the health benefits of recreational fishing, particularly the mental health benefits associated with casting a line. These benefits were found to have more importance to those living in metropolitan areas compared those living in regional Victoria.
VRFish executive officer Ben Scullin said ‘It shows that while they might fish less often they value the natural connection and social opportunities (of fishing), which regional people get in many other ways.’
The survey showed that Victoria has Australia’s lowest recreational fishing rate, but the largest growth since 2018.
VRFish will pot more insights on the 274 page report in the coming months.
View the full report here
https://www.frdc.com.au/sites/default/files/products/2018-161-NRFS_main%20report_FINAL_19Feb2023.pdf
