Urban Fee Fishing in China: a Case Study From Wuhan

Authors: Jianzhong Shen and Robert Ditton

China has 1.3 billion people and an annual economic growth rate of 8-10%. Recreational fishing is one of the most popular outdoor activities. Wuhan is one of the largest cities in China with a population of more than 8 million. Several types of fee fishing are available there based on income levels and needs. The most common type is where anglers pay to fish lakes by the day, month or year. The daily fee ranges from US 1.25- 7.75, and sometimes as high as US 13.00, depending on the quantity/quality of catch and whether there are harvest limitations. A second type is at ponds with minimal facilities and costs US .50 - 1.00 higher than the market price of the fish caught. A third type of fee fishing takes place at ponds with extensive facilities and angler services. This type of fishing costs about twice that of the market price of the fish caught. We explored the demographic characteristics, motivations, and attitudes of anglers making use of these various types of fee fishing opportunities to better understand group differences. Data were collected through personal interviews with questions used previously to study fee fishing in the U.S.