Marine recreational fishery trends in total catch, catch per unit effort, and release rates in Delaware during 1981–2021

Abstract
The impact of recreational fisheries on marine ecosystems is often overshadowed by commercial fisheries, although recreational fishing harvest can be substantial, especially for species that are either overfished or experiencing overfishing. Delaware is a small coastal state with ~1,000,000 residents and nearly 272,000 resident and non-resident anglers. We used publicly available data for Delaware's recreational fisheries during 1981–2021 to determine the nine most caught fish species and to evaluate trends in total numbers caught, harvested, released, and catch per unit effort (CPUE). The top nine most frequently captured fish by recreational anglers were Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata), Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), White Perch (Morone americana), Tautog (Tautoga onitis), Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), and Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus). The proportion of fish released increased through time for all nine species, suggesting that the recreational fishery in Delaware is transitioning from a harvest-oriented to a catch-and-release-oriented fishery. Observations of higher release rates in recreational fisheries of Delaware are consistent with the findings elsewhere in the world for freshwater and marine systems.
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Whaley, N., Fontana, J., Hicks, M., Marsaly, B.P., Smoot, T., Bandlow, S. et al. (2024) Marine recreational fishery trends in total catch, catch per unit effort, and release rates in Delaware during 1981–2021. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 00, e12742. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12742, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12742. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited. © 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article will embargoed until 9/25/2025.
Keywords
catch and release, fishes, harvest, marine, marine fishery, recreational fishery
Citation
Whaley, N., Fontana, J., Hicks, M., Marsaly, B.P., Smoot, T., Bandlow, S. et al. (2024) Marine recreational fishery trends in total catch, catch per unit effort, and release rates in Delaware during 1981–2021. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 00, e12742. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12742