Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey 2013–14

Abstract

This report summarises the key results from the 2013–14 Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey. It includes detailed information on how many Queenslanders fished recreationally and what they caught. Information on fishing participation rates, boat ownership and fishing and diving club membership is also presented.
In the 12 months prior to September 2013, an estimated 642 000 Queenslanders went recreational fishing in Queensland, representing 15% of the Queensland population aged 5 years or more. This makes recreational fishing one of the most popular leisure activities in Queensland. Resident recreational fishers caught a diverse range of teleosts (bony fishes) and elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays). Yellowfin bream was the most commonly caught fish, with an estimated1 156 000 caught. Whiting were the next most commonly caught fish, with an estimated 1 090 000 sand whiting complex and 679 000 trumpeter whiting caught. Flathead also formed a considerable part of the total catch, with approximately 412 000 fish caught, of which 85% were dusky flathead (352 000 fish).