"The Impact of U. S. Recreational Fisheries on
Marine Fish Populations"

F. C. Coleman, W. F. Figueira, J. S. Ueland, and L. B. Crowder

Science, August 26 2004

Please cite the journal Science as the
source of this peer-reviewed information.

Despite the perception that recreational fishing has little impact on U. S. stocks, this study finds that recreational fishing results in significant landings of species of concern (those species considered by the National Marine Fisheries Service to be overfished or experiencing overfishing) across the country (64% in the Gulf of Mexico, 38% in the South Atlantic, 59% off the Pacific Coast, and 14% in the northeast). Recreational landings exceed commercial landings in a number of major stocks, including red snapper, bocaccio, and gag.

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