Funded through recreational sea fishing licence fees, the What’s the Catch? survey is conducted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies every five years.

Primary Industries and Water Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the survey had confirmed what residents had always suspected – Tasmanians love fishing.

‘‘Recreational fishing is one of the many wonderful experiences enjoyed by thousands of locals, and it also attracts fishers from interstate and across the globe,’’ he said.

‘‘The 2012-13 survey found that recreational fishing is a hugely popular pastime for Tasmanians, with almost one in four dropping in a line at least once in 2012-13.

‘‘Flathead remains the catch of the day, with more than 1.6 million taking the bait, and almost half of those released. Australian salmon is the second most hooked fish, followed by trout.’’

The survey also states that fishing is more popular among men than women.

‘‘Fishing is most popular among men, with the highest numbers of fishers aged between 45 and 59 years of age,’’ Mr Rockliff said.

‘‘There are major spin-offs for the economy, with fishers spending an average of $1000, or a total of $93 million on boats, fuel, fishing gear and other equipment.’’

FISHING FIGURES

●Almost one in four Tasmanians (about 98,000 people) went fishing at least once in 2012.

●1,611,300 flathead were caught in 2012-13; 924,900 were kept and 43 per cent were released.

●An estimated 13,800 licensed people  fished for rock lobster in 2012-13. Recreational fishers harvested 83,800 rock lobster, equating to 82 tonnes, in 2012-13.

●The number of days that Tasmanians spent fishing has declined, from about 746,000 fisher days in 2000-01 to 640,000 in 2007-08 and to 507,000 in 2012-13.

●In 2012-13 recreational fishers spent an average of $1000 per person on recreational fishing, with total expenditure in Tasmania estimated at $93 million.