Wednesday August 5, 2026
Wired2Fish —
The numbers don’t lie, though sometimes new findings rewrite old estimates: Recreational fisheries in the 48 U.S. contiguous states contribute far more to both local economies and household food supplies than originally thought. And non-commercial anglers seem to be catching a lot more fish than previously believed, too.
According to the journal article Inland recreational fisheries harvest far exceeds reported inland harvest in the United States, published in May, its authors have “estimated that recreational lake fisheries in the conterminous USA likely harvest 236,000–671,000 tonnes of fish per year.”
In terms of how that research compares to initial numbers, “these findings equate to a range of 17–48 times greater than total inland fisheries harvest reported to the United Nations.”
First, Some Background
The collaborative team of North American fishery scientists conducted the study, which focused on recreational fishing in landlocked waterbodies like lakes and rivers across the lower 48 states. They referred to thousands of fishing surveys spanning the country’s inland waters.