One of the big debates in sportfish regulation is how more restrictive regulations impact the recreational fishing industry.
Surveys have shown that, while bringing fish home remains among anglers’ priorities, intangible values are more important; anglers rank spending time with family and friends and merely catching fish even if they don’t keep them far above bringing home fish to eat. Such surveys also show strong support for marine conservation. Because fishing is primarily recreational, they argue, regulations that increase the abundance of fish and allow for a higher number of angler encounters with their chosen quarry actually benefit the industry, even if they reduce the number of fish that anglers may retain.

LINK (via One Angler’s Voyage)