ABSTRACT
Fly-fi shing incorporates at least three features that it shares with activities like hunting and shooting. First, it has a long history, probably extending over thousands of years (Herd 2005), during which fl y-fi shing transformed from a survival strategy into a consumptive recreational pursuit. Today, fresh and saltwater fl y-fi shing plays an important role in the tourism consumption of wildlife with fi shers travelling to destinations where environmental conditions favour the occurrence of trout or other fresh or saltwater gamefi sh in South and North America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia and Europe (World Angler 2006; On Fly Fishing Directory 2006). Second, this process of change was shaped by emerging technologies and innovative strategies in the creation of rods, fl ies, lines and reels and how to use them, environmental knowledge about fi sh and their ecosystems and ethical concerns that emerged from notions of humane behaviour towards animals. Finally, fl y-fi shing has retained, and possibly even expanded, its following of enthusiastic supporters and their economic contributions help to sustain a network of fl y-fi shing services such as specialist shopping outlets, fl yfi shing books and magazines, fl y-fi shing tours and accommodation providers and the owners of fi shable waters.
