The Scientific Angler

MOST of the readers of thisnewsletter are fascinated byfish and are eager to unravel secrets about the ecology and evolution of fish populations. However, many fish “maniacs ” have joined the fish biologist profession because they like fishing! Interestingly, despite the fact that millions of people fish for recreation feeding a multi-billion fishing industry, the scientific study of recreational fishing is poorly developed. In fact, it is in its infancy in many areas of the world. This is hardly understandable given the potential of anglers to negatively affect fish populations and entire ecosystems through overharvest, introduction of non-native fishes and potentially detrimental stocking practices. At the same time, however, anglers are among the most important ambassadors of the fish biodiversity crisis. They are actively engaged in promoting fish conservation and management by fighting persistently and successfully for sustaining fish populations in the face of various anthropogenically induced threats. Adding to this picture, ethical challenges have recently emerged as recreational fishing is increasingly questioned on moral grounds by supporters of animal liberation and rights that are gaining momentum among certain segments of an urbanized society. Taken together, recreational fisheries constitute a complex and fascinating system that should be both relevant and fun to study. Recently, some research groups have indeed developed an interest, which some might call it an obsession, for understanding the economic, social and ecological dynamics of recreational fisheries. Our young research team, which I have the pleasure to lead, is an example of this development. Members of the lab (Fig 1) are ardent recreational fishing researchers who have produced a steady stream of papers on angling in recent years