Recreational Fisheries

Recreational fisheries are enjoyed by large numbers of participants and generate high levels of economic impact in regions such as the Southeastern United States where they also account for the largest share of catches from marine and freshwater fisheries. The management of recreational fisheries poses unique opportunities and challenges due to the complex motivations of recreational anglers, the strong influence of individual behaviors on effective exploitation levels, and difficulties of monitoring and enforcement due to the sheer number of participants and access points. We conduct research and management initiatives to better understand angler attitudes, behaviors, and opportunities and barriers to their participation in fisheries management and ecosystem conservation.

Representative publications

If you can’t access a paper you are interested in, email Kai Lorenzen (klorenzen@ufl.edu) to receive it for free. 

National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). (2021) Data and Management Strategies for Recreational Fisheries with Annual Catch Limits. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. LINK (open access)

Crandall, C.A.C., Monroe, M.C., Dutka-Gianelli, J. & Lorenzen, K. (2019). Meaningful action gives satisfaction: Stakeholder perspectives on participation in the management of marine recreational fisheries. Ocean and Coastal Management 179: 104872. LINK

Dutka-Gianelli, J., Crandall, C.A., Garlock, T.M., Camp, E.V. & Lorenzen, K. (2019) Effects of short educational workshops on stakeholder knowledge and attitudes on coastal fish stocking programs. Fisheries Management and Ecology 26: 306-309. LINK

Crandall, C.A., Monroe, M., Dutka-Gianelli, J., Fitzgerald, B. & Lorenzen, K. (2018).
How to bait the hook: identifying what motivates anglers to participate in a volunteer angler data program. Fisheries 43: 517-526. LINK

Miller, T., Jones, C.M., Hanson, C., Heppell, S., Jensen, O., Livingston, P., Lorenzen, K., Mills, K., Patterson, W., Sullivan, P. & Wong, R. (2018) Scientific considerations informing Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act reauthorization. AFS Special Committee. Fisheries 43: 533-541. LINK

Crandall, C.A.C., Garlock, T.M. & Lorenzen, K. (2018) Understanding resource-conserving behaviors among fishers: Barotrauma mitigation and the power of subjective norms in Florida’s reef fisheries. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 38: 271-280. LINK

Camp, E.V., Ahrens, R.N.M., Crandall, C.A & Lorenzen, K. (2018) Angler travel distances: implications for spatial approaches to marine recreational fisheries governance. Marine Policy 87: 263-274. LINK

Garlock, T.M. & Lorenzen, K. (2017) Marine angler characteristics and attitudes toward stock enhancement in Florida. Fisheries Research 186: 439-445. LINK