Social and economic aspects of marine recreational spearfishing

SBRAGAGLIA, VALERIO; ARLINGHAUS, ROBERT; BLUMSTEIN, DAN T.; COLL, MARTA; DIOGO, HUGO; GIGLIO, VINICIUS J.; GORDOA, A.; JANUCHOWSKY-HARTLEY, FRASER A.; LAPORTA, MARTÍN; LINDFIELD, STEVEN J.; LLORET, JOSEP; MANN, BRUCE; MCPHEE, DARYL; ANCHIETA C.C. NUNES, JOSÉ; PITA, PABLO; RANGEL, MAFALDA; RHOADES, OLIVIA KENNEDY; VENERUS, LEONARDO A. (EXPOSITOR); VILLASANTE, SEBASTIÁN

Conferencia; 9th World Recreational Fishing Conference Online; 2021

Sportvisserij Nederland

Expositor. La presentacion esta disponible en: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32mVJFEUmq0. Social and economic aspects related to recreational spearfishing are largely unexplored and, most importantly, there is little information related to the motivations of recreational spearfishers compared to recreational anglers. Here, we provide a compilation of recent studies to advance these gaps of knowledge and stimulate more research. From a social perspective, it emerged that one of the main non-catch related motivations for recreational spearfishers is to be underwater or in touch with the sea. Therefore, spearfishers? connection with the water (?aquaticity?; i.e., capacity to relax and move in a fluid and smooth way underwater) is a crucial aspect for understanding the human dimension of this unique form of recreational fishing. This suggests that social, psychological and physiological benefits provided by recreational spearfishing may differ from recreational angling, making this an interesting topic for future research. From an economic perspective, some studies estimated the expenditures of recreational spearfishing with respect to angling at local, regional and national level. Despite spearfishing is practiced by a small fraction of recreational fishers, its economic contribution could be relevant and we showed that there is a growing interest in the economic contribution of the activity, at least in several areas of the Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic Ocean.