Marine recreational fishing in Greece: Evidence from the field

During the period 2019–2022, we conducted on-site face-to-face interviews in selected areas of the North Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Saronikos Gulf, Greece, under the European Union Multi-Annual Programme, in order to evaluate the status of marine recreational fishing (MRF) in the country. We recorded 43,294 fish of 171 taxa from MRF trips (shore, boats and spearfishing), with 6790 fish being released, resulting in a total release ratio of 18 %. Shore fishing showed the highest release rate (21.14 %), followed by boat fishing (17.08 %), while no releases were recorded from spearfishing, thus indicating the high selectivity of this practice. Species composition, in terms of mean abundance per trip, was similar for both the North Aegean and Ionian Seas, while a somewhat different profile was observed for the Saronikos Gulf. In terms of mean biomass per trip, each area was characterized by diverse dominant species. Shore and boat fishing do not seem to exert pressure on any vulnerable species. In contrast, spearfishing, due to its high selectivity and the targeted species may exert pressure on vulnerable species and especially the endangered Dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus . The current study provides an exceptionally large, for the Mediterranean region, amount of data offering valuable information regarding both fishing activity and the profile of recreational fishers in Greece. Results from the on-site survey suggest that the implications of MRF are far from negligible. Despite the on-site survey's constraints, this approach allowed the collection of accurate first-hand data, mapping of MRF activity in the surveyed areas and high participation of foreign recreational fishers. The enforcement of a licensing system for MRF in Greece is considered essential for coherent monitoring and management of the sector.