Been doing some research on the impact of the proposed demersal ban on the community and came across some 2011 research from Curtin Uni. The research appears to have been supported by the Australian Government's Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
espace.curtin.edu.au/handle/20.500.11937/27359
Thought others on here may also be interested in the research, particularly those involved in the Recfishwest working group or with connections to the WARFFA.
Some extracts from the paper below.
Conclusion
This study found that considerable health and well-being benefits can be gained through involvement in recreational fishing. Encouraging young children, youth, adults and families to fish offers healthful outdoor recreational activity that can be enjoyed throughout life. Benefits were evident for individuals and groups. Recreational fishing also provides significantly benefits to children and youth with behavioural and mental health issues.
The major benefits identified were: youth development; social support; good mental health outcomes, behavioural management, rehabilitation of upper body musculoskeletal injury and reductions in stress and anxiety. Seniors can also gain significant health benefits by continuing to remain active both physically and mentally through this enjoyable, low cost outdoor pursuit. Intergenerational transfer of knowledge and skills from seniors to younger generations is another major benefit that should be exploited by recreational fishing groups.
Further evidence is needed to quantify the health and well-being benefits associated with recreational fishing. This information can now be collected using the validated questionnaire developed as part of this study. Once these benefits have been quantified across Australia, these can be considered when governments and organisations are allocating resources.
Some more specific commentary presented in the paper:
This is a popular pastime for people of all age groups because of the following reasons:
- It is enables people to divorce their minds away from every day pressures of life;
- It provides a wide range of physical demands on participating anglers; e.g. freshwater fishing requires wading in streams and walking along river banks which can be strewn with obstacles;
- Surf fishing along beaches requires much physical activity in casting and fish retrieval;
- Salt water bay and estuary fishing can be physically demanding in regards to boat launching and handling;
- It provides mental stimulus to all participants by involving them in planning and organising fishing activities;
- It is an activity that encourages the Australian concept of mateship and working towards common goals;
- It provides friendship and support to anglers who have lost loved ones through death etc;
- It enables anglers to appreciate and respect the environment and the beauty of nature. Note: It is unfortunately not widely recognised that anglers are amongst the most environmentally conscious people in the general community;
- It provides mental stimulation to retired and aged persons in the community;
- It is a basically safe pastime without anti social behavioural offshoots;
selthy
Posts: 296
Date Joined: 27/05/11
I'm on a research bender
I'm on a research bender today... weather not good for fishing :)
another interesting paper here... Initial insights on the impact of COVID-19 on boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8462792/
Extracts:
The pandemic has changed how people participate in recreational activities [43]. In Western Australia, motivations for recreational fishing have traditionally been higher for non-consumptive orientations (e.g. “to relax and unwind”), rather than consumptive orientations (e.g. “to catch a feed”) [44], [45]. However, anecdotes from comments in both the fisher and compliance officer surveys suggest a possible change in motivations in response to COVID-19. Although comments mention mental health and wellness, other comments mention food provisioning and security. Understanding motivations for recreational fishing are a high priority for the recreational sector. Improved understanding will afford novel management approaches, such as Maximum Experiential Yield, and increasing opportunities for recreational fishing, particularly in regional locations that fishers visit with flow on benefits to local tourism [46].
Recreational fishing and tourism are often linked with respect to providing opportunities for growth and diversification in fishing experiences, particularly for iconic target species in popular regional fishing destinations.
Many businesses that rely on expenditure from interstate and intrastate recreational fishers reported economic hardship during the initial phases of COVID-19 restrictions.
Managing recreational fishing to meet competing ecological (e.g. stock sustainability), economic (e.g. regional tourism) and social (e.g. mental wellness) objectives with limited resources for monitoring small-scale fisheries remains challenging
fisheries managers will need to work with the recreational sector representative bodies and develop more flexible policy/management responses that adequately accommodate sudden changes in recreational fishing effort and resulting catches via innovative harvest strategies and TARC settings for vulnerable fish stocks, particularly in areas of high community interest.
Jim
Posts: 1336
Date Joined: 05/05/06
Nice work mate, anything in
Nice work mate, anything in our favour is a good thing. When your passion is chasing excellent eating, hard fighting, challenging fish, fishing for bread and butter species doesn't cut it. I haven't been out due to work lately and my mental health is suffering. It's definitely a real issue and having the fishing days reduced cuts down my chances of getting out by a shit ton.
Bend over
Da pirate
Posts: 1565
Date Joined: 03/05/15
Completely..
Completely agree . The other side
to fishing .. that's a real thing. I
personally fish for my sanity.
cheers pirate..
davewillo
Posts: 2410
Date Joined: 08/09/16
I know that no matter what
I know that no matter what is on my mind, when I'm fishing I forget all about it. There aren't many other things that can do that (although one comes to mind), and that's gotta be good for your mental health. I know a bunch of guys that get together for a few beers on a Thursday and it's called Men's Mental Health. Clever - hard for wives to argue with that!
PGFC member and lure tragic
Ush
Posts: 200
Date Joined: 04/04/14
great post
It my requirement for a balanced lifestyle. Assists to take on the work week with a bit of zeal.
Got keen?
Da pirate
Posts: 1565
Date Joined: 03/05/15
Yep ..
Yep . Exactly .. Fishin on the weekend
pushes me thru the week. And as Dave
said while fishing everything.. seems
too float away nicely !! Cheers pirate
sea-kem
Posts: 15002
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Same Pirate, when it's
Same Pirate, when it's spring/summer it's all I think about through the week. Teeing up the boys to pull pots then hoping we can head out straight after for a fish. It's the best fun.
Love the West!
davewillo
Posts: 2410
Date Joined: 08/09/16
When I sit on the boat at
When I sit on the boat at Rotto Andy, I'm forever flicking out a metal slice or a squid jig. My wife says why bother unless you're seriously trying but I just like doing it. I know if I want to catch herring for dinner I can by using a bit of bread but that cast and retrieve action is soothing.
PGFC member and lure tragic