“This survey shows freshwater fishing remains an incredibly popular pastime for New Zealanders all around the country,” said Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan.
The latest National Angler Survey conducted by NIWA for Fish & Game released today also shows far more people getting out fishing in the South Island compared to the North Island, with 77 per cent of angling activity occurring in the South Island and 23% in the North Island.
The survey, conducted every seven years, records angling activity for all lake, river and hydro canal fisheries managed by Fish & Game and collects data on the number of angling days (one angler fishing on one day, irrespective of the number of hours spent fishing). Some 15,000 people were surveyed from December 2021 to October 2022.
About 92,000 angling licences were sold in New Zealand for the survey period – down by around 10 per cent from the last survey, likely due to Covid lockdowns and international travel restrictions. Almost 97per cent of angler days were attributed to New Zealand resident long term season licences. Total angler usage was 991,700 angler days – 38 per cent of angler days were for lakes; and 62 per cent were for rivers and hydro canals.
“These findings are a great snapshot of how many Kiwis are getting out in nature, fishing for fun, food and their mental health and doing something together with family and fri
