2019/20 Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey Key Results

Abstract

This report presents the key results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 components of the 2019/20 Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey. The social aspects of the washup survey results (Phase 3) will be reported separately. The survey commenced in early 2019 with a screening survey (Phase 1). The screening survey used telephone interviews to speak to over 9 000 households in Queensland. Households were selected from landline and mobile phone sampling frames. The screening survey was done to recruit fishing households into a 12-month logbook survey (Phase 2) and estimate the number of fishers in Queensland in the 12 months prior to the survey based on their recalled activity. The logbook survey ran from 29 April 2019 to 28 April 2020 and collected data on catch, effort and expenditure.

This survey estimated that approximately 943,000 Queenslanders went recreational fishing in Queensland in the 12 months prior to the survey based on recalled fishing trips. It also estimated that approximately 660,000 fishers went fishing during the 12 month logbook survey based on reported fishing events. The survey estimated that Queensland residents fished on 2.8 million days (± 158 000 days), most of which occurred in south-east waters. Whiting (sand whiting complex and whiting unspecified) were the most commonly harvested fish. Queensland fishers spent approximately $600 000 000 on recreational fishing items and activities during the 12-month survey. These data will contribute to assessments of the sustainability of fisheries and the economic contribution of recreation fishing by Queenslanders.
Additional information is available on the Fisheries Queensland website (www.daf.qld.gov.au).