One of the major reasons for the slow progress in the economic evaluation of sport fisheries in Europe has been the lack of adequate recognition of their value to the individual, the economy and society at large (Norling, 1968).
A rapid survey made in the region at the end of 1972 has yielded interesting data on sport fishermen, fishing waters, fishing rights (licences), species exploited, the management of sport fisheries, and sport fishing for local populations and tourists and has brought into clearer focus the economic issues and opportunities facing Europe in this field. It emerges that there is a growing awareness in the various countries of the region of the need to measure the national importance of sport fishing which was evidenced at the First European Consultation on the Economic Evaluation of Sport and Commercial Fisheries (Gaudet, 1972).
For a variety of reasons - political, economic and social - only a few countries have made definite progress in attempting to assess the importance of their sport fisheries. The majority, however, are still in total darkness or at best have only very general data. Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands are among the few where priority is given to questions of economic evaluation of sport fisheries. Details are given in Gaudet, 1972, together with the historical aspects of the development of this subject in Europe.
