Fishing for Sport

Recreational fishing or sport fishing is a leisure activity that involves the pursuit of fish for personal pleasure or competition. Sport fishing is [Page 511]most commonly practiced using angling techniques (i.e., rod, reel, line, and hook) but may utilize a range of other technologies and methods to fish in a variety of freshwater and marine environments. This type of fishing differs from commercial fishing and sustenance fishing in its primary goal, which is often less focused on providing food. Even so, many sport fishers justify the sport by eating self-caught fish. Recreational fishing is a highly regulated, multibillion-dollar industry in the United States and includes a number of large, politically active organizations that represent sport fishers and their interests in fisheries management, land use, water ...