Abstract

Recreational catch and release is a management option for some species that are treasured for their sporting value. This management option for shared fisheries is not entirely compatible with the management objective of obtaining maximum sustainable yield as envisioned by many management institutions. Released recreational catch can simply be caught and removed from the population by commercial interests thereby increasing their catches while still maintaining the population at the same level. A logistic surplus production model is applied to an arbitrary fish stock to show that if the commercial harvest is not allowed to increase, the stock will grow because of the recreational releases, eventually resulting in higher catch rates for both recreational and commercial fishers. This option has the potential to benefit both user groups

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