RECREATIONAL anglers are doing more damage to some marine fish stocks off the US coast than commercial fishing boats. They are taking a particularly heavy toll on threatened species for which commercial fishing is already restricted.
The finding may come as a surprise to many, because each commercial boat catches far more fish than any amateur could. But over 10 million people fish recreationally in US waters, says marine biologist Larry Crowder of Duke University in Beaufort, North Carolina. And their combined catch adds up.
Recreational fishing accounts for 64 per cent of the reported catch of overfished species along…
