ABSTRACT
Fishing tourism is an important segment of the water-based activities tourists may enjoy along rivers, lakes and on the coast. Economically, and by numbers, marinebased fi shing tourism is the most widespread and it has been growing substantially during the last decades (Gartside 2001; Higham 2005; Hallenstvedt and Wulff 2004). The mature markets in the USA and Canada have developed over several decades, and in the USA alone recreational fi shing represents 1.4 million standard work years and participation in recreation fi sheries is as big as golf and American football together (Simonsen 2002; NOAA 2005). As long as marine fi sh are a freely available resource, recreational fi shing will continue to increase with a growing population and extended leisure time (Gjøsæter and Sunnanå 2005). It will therefore be an important pull factor in many decisions to travel, whether the activity is a primary or secondary feature (Hinch and Higham 2003).
