Size‐ and species‐selective harvest inevitably alters the composition of targeted populations and communities. This can potentially harm fish stocks, ecosystem functionality, and related services, as evidenced in numerous commercial fisheries. The high popularity of rod‐and‐reel recreational fishing, practiced by hundreds of millions globally, raises concerns about similar deteriorating effects. Despite its prevalence, the species and size selectivity of recreational fisheries remain largely unquantified due to a lack of combined catch data and fisheries‐independent surveys. This study addresses this gap by using standardised monitoring data and over 60,000 digital angling catch reports from 62 distinct fisheries. The findings demonstrate a pronounced selectivity in recreational fisheries, targeting top predators and large individuals. Catch‐and‐release practices reduced the overall harvest by 60% but did not substantially alter this selectivity. The strong species‐ and size‐specific selectivity mirror patterns observed in other fisheries, emphasising the importance of managing the potential adverse effects of recreational fisheries selective mortality and overfishing.

中文翻译：

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休闲渔业有选择地捕获和收获大型捕食者


规模和物种选择性收获不可避免地改变目标人群和社区的组成。正如许多商业渔业所证明的那样，这可能会损害鱼类种群、生态系统功能和相关服务。全球数以亿计的卷线筒休闲钓鱼方式非常受欢迎，引发了人们对类似恶化影响的担忧。尽管休闲渔业普遍存在，但由于缺乏综合捕捞数据和独立于渔业的调查，休闲渔业的物种和规模选择性在很大程度上仍未量化。本研究通过使用标准化监测数据和来自 62 个不同渔业场的 60,000 多份数字钓鱼渔获量报告来解决这一差距。研究结果表明，休闲渔业具有明显的选择性，目标是顶级捕食者和大型个体。捕捞后释放的做法使总收获量减少了 60%，但并没有实质性改变这种选择性。强烈的物种和尺寸特异性选择性反映了在其他渔业中观察到的模式，强调了管理休闲渔业选择性死亡率和过度捕捞的潜在不利影响的重要性。