Catch up: Survey shows big surge in Victorians uptake of fishing

The proportion of adult Victorians picking up a rod and reel has grown by almost 150,000 in two years.

Victoria’s recreational fishing rates have surged, despite Covid lockdowns.

A national survey of 20,000 Australians shows Victoria has the nation’s lowest participation rate in recreational fishing, but has seen the most rapid growth in the pastime.

The recently released Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry national recreational fishing survey shows that despite the impacts of Covid lockdowns the proportion of adult Victorian anglers grew from 16.4 per cent in 2018 to 19 per cent in 2020.

It means the number of Victorians casting a line into the state’s rivers or sea grew by almost 150,000 over two years, from 840,900 in 2018 to 990,000 in 2020, helping employ 19,737 people and contributing $2.26 billion to the state’s economy.

Victorian Outdoor Recreation Minister Sonya Kilkenny’s said the government had spent $81 million since 2015 on its Target One Million strategy to boost recreational fishing.

“We’re continuing to improve our already world-class fisheries through fish stocking, better facilities and more access,” she said.

While NSW also saw a slight increase in angler numbers to 20.1 per cent of its adult population, it was the fishing paradise of the Northern Territory that saw the biggest growth in the sport, from 32.7 per cent in 2018 to 35.1 per cent in the midst of the pandemic.

In contrast South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia saw big drops in the number of people who had fished at least once in the past year, although they are still ahead of Victoria and NSW in overall participation rates.

Interestingly, the survey found urban residents rate fishing as more important to their lives than people living in regional areas, despite fishing less often.

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 also showed:

RECREATIONAL fishing contributes $11.5 billion to the economy nationally and employs 101,342 Australians;

58.8 per cent of anglers fished from both boats and the shore;

71.0 per cent had fished in both salt and freshwater;

17.8 per cent of Australian women participated in recreational fishing, compared to 25.3 per cent of males;

THE group most likely to go fishing are aged 30 to 44, followed by those aged 18 to 29. Just 15.1 per cent of Australians who fish are 65 or older; and

THOSE anglers who are married fish more often than those who are not.