Game fish

Game fish are fish pursued for sport by recreational anglers. They can be freshwater or marine fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, though increasingly anglers practise catch and release to improve fish populations. Some game fish are also targeted commercially, particularly salmon.

Examples

The species of fish pursued by anglers varies with geography. Some fish are sought for their value as food while others are pursued for their fighting abilities or for the difficulty of pursuit. The thrill of reeling in the biggest fish of your life is what keeps this sport going.

Big game fish are bony saltwater fish such as tuna and billfish (sailfish, marlin and swordfish).

* In North America, anglers fish also for salmon, trout, bass, pike, catfish, walleye and muskellunge. The smallest fish are called panfish, because they can fit in a normal cooking pan. Examples are crappies, perch, rock bass, bluegill and sunfish. Panfish are often hunted by younger anglers.

* In Europe, anglers fish for the traditionally premier species, salmon and trout, as well as for other fish which are called coarse fish, such as carp, pike, tench, rudd, roach, European perch and barbel (especially in stillwaters).

* In Japan, recreational angling and fly fishing is also very popular.

Common game fish have been transported worldwide. Rainbow trout, for instance, can now be found nearly anywhere that the climate is appropriate, from their original home on the Pacific Coast of North America to the mountains of southern Africa.

References

* Dunn, Bob (2000) "Saltwater Game Fishes of the World." Australian Fishing Network.ISBN 978-1865130101