Review: Draft IUCN SSC Guiding Principles for Recreational Fishing of Threatened Species

Recreational fishing is an extremely popular activity worldwide, encompassing a wide variety of fishing behaviours targeting an increasingly large number of species. Despite the large proportion of the global population that engages in this activity, the consequences of recreational fishing are largely ignored at the global scale. There is a general lack of discussion and regulation surrounding the impacts and potential benefits of recreational fishing for species listed in one of the ‘Threatened’ categories on the Red List (RL) developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), or otherwise listed as threatened, imperilled, or endangered on other state-, national-, or regional-scale listings. It is also important to appreciate the unique contribution anglers make toward reaching conservation goals, and fully evaluate the social and economic benefits that a recreational fishery generates.

The IUCN’s Species Survival Commission (SSC) is therefore developing guidelines to address this gap, with the intention that anglers, fishing organizations, boating clubs, industry partners, managing bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), conservation organizations, and authorities responsible for setting national policies will consider incorporating the recommended changes to their practices, including actions to avoid, reduce, or manage risk associated with the recreational fishing of threatened species and evaluate the need for further assessment.

The draft guidelines are now available for internal review within the IUCN SSC community.  Click here to download the document from the Species Survival Commission space in the Union Portal (login required)

Please provide all comments to Peter S. Rand, Chair, IUCN Salmonid Specialist Group

Deadline: 28th February 2016

From Dr Simon Stuart, Chair, IUCN SSC