Evaluating social indicators of recreational fishing activity in Western Australia: Insights from a global disruption

Authors

• Aidan Long, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
• Karina L. Ryan, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
• Eva KM Lai, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
• Stephen C. Bradshaw, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
• Emily M. Ogier, University of Tasmania
• Claire B. Smallwood, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
• Sean R. Tracey, University of Tasmania

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2026

Journal Title

Marine Policy

ISSN

Print ISSN: 0308-597X ; Online ISSN: 1872-9460

Keywords

Conservation culturomics, Marine Recreational Fisheries (MRF), Sustainability, Fisheries management, Recreational fishing licence, Google Trends

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries

Abstract

Biological indicators like catch and harvest data are central to managing recreational fisheries, yet social indicators of recreational fishing remain undervalued and underutilised. This study trialled recreational fishing licence sales as an indicator of expectation to realise benefit through licensed recreational fishing and Relative Search Volume (RSV) from Google Search terms as an indicator of recreational fishing interest. Time series for both indicators incorporated the COVID-19 pandemic period to assess their ability to detect changes in recreational fishing in Western Australia. Data included monthly licence sales from six fisheries (2011–2023) and RSV for ‘fishing’ and ‘accommodation’ and the names of 15 regional towns (2016–2021). During the acute pandemic phase (March 2020–March 2022), Recreational Boat Fishing and Rock Lobster licence sales increased by 6 % and 10 %, respectively, before returning to pre-pandemic levels from April 2022. RSV increased for accommodation in most regional towns during the acute pandemic phase, suggesting increasing interest in domestic travel. In contrast, fishing-related RSV only increased in three towns, indicating more localised increases in fishing interest. We recommend the use of licence sales as a robust social indicator of the population expecting to realise benefit through licensed recreational fishing. While RSV for fishing did not produce a clear signal of change in recreational fishing interest during the pandemic, further applications of RSV in fisheries settings are required to fully evaluate its potential as a fisheries science and management tool.

Recommended Citation

Long, A, Ryan, K L, Lai, E K, Bradshaw, S C, Ogier, E M, Smallwood, C B, and Tracey, S R. (2026), Evaluating social indicators of recreational fishing activity in Western Australia: Insights from a global disruption. Marine Policy, 186, 107010.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_fja/500