Economic contribution and management of Sea Bass angling in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin, 2018/04

Grilli, Gianluca and Curtis, John and Hynes, Stephen and O’Reilly, Paul (2018) Economic contribution and management of Sea Bass angling in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin, 2018/04. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is a popular target species among Irish and UK recreational sea anglers. Stocks are vulnerable to overexploitation with harvesting of sea bass by recreational anglers prohibited for the 2018 season, though ‘catch & release’ fishing is permitted. There is a long standing moratorium on commercial fishing for sea bass around Ireland. Sea bass are a prized target species. Based on prior Inland Fisheries research approximately 11,000 anglers in Ireland fish for sea bass and this research indicates that on average they fish 31 days per year. Additionally, the valuation of the sea bass fishery to anglers is in excess of €100 million per annum with anglers’ spending in excess of €20 million per annum on fishing tackle, travel, accommodation, hostelries, etc. in pursuit of their recreational activities. On average an extra day’s fishing results in 4 additional fish caught, though this varies by angler specialisation. For example, compared to general sea anglers, specialised bass anglers catch 24 more sea bass per annum, on average. Higher catch rates also encourage more fishing trips, on average in a 2:1 ratio. These two findings underpin the importance of sea bass stock conservation. A vibrant and sustainable fishery leads to higher angler catches, which in turn leads to higher numbers of angling trips that contribute to the local economy.

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