Game fish: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Popular fish targeted in recreational fishing}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
[[File:Photography by Victor Albert Grigas (1919-2017)00037 Hatteras 1949 (36884488103).jpg|thumb|Big-game saltwater fish caught off of [[Cape Hatteras]] in 1949.]]
[[Image:Game fish collage.JPG|thumb|right|A few popular game fish around the world.]]
[[File:PB-LMB.jpg|thumb|[[Largemouth bass]] is one of the most popular game fish in [[North America]]]]
'''Game fish''', are'''sport fish''' or '''quarry''' refer to popular [[fish]] species pursued by [[Recreationalrecreational fishing|recreational fishers]] (typically [[Anglingangling|anglers]].), Theyand can be [[freshwater fish|freshwater]] or [[saltwater fish]]. Game fish can be [[fish as food|eaten after being caught]], preserved as [[taxidermy]] (though rare), or [[catch and release|released after capture]]. Some game fish are also targeted [[Commercialcommercial fishing|commercially]], particularly less bony species such as [[salmon]] and [[tuna]].
 
Specimens of game fish whose [[fish measurement|measurement]]s (body length and [[standard weight in fish|weight]]) significantly exceed the species' average are sometimes known as '''trophy fish''', as such captures are often presented as [[bragging rights]] among fishers.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}
 
==Examples==
{{main|List of freshwater game fish|List of marine game fish}}
[[File:Photography by Victor Albert Grigas (1919-2017)00037 Hatteras 1949 (36884488103).jpg|thumb|Big-game saltwater fish caught off of [[Cape Hatteras]] in 1949.]]
[[File:EsoxStriped luciusBlue ZOO 1Marlin.jpg|thumb|The [[Esox|pikeMarlin]]s isare apopular classic freshwaterblue-water game fish.]]
[[File:Esox lucius ZOO 1.jpg|thumb|The [[Esox|pike]] is a classic freshwater game fish]]
[[File:Pan-fried-fish.jpg|thumb|Cooking panfish]]
The species of fish pursuedprized by anglers varies with geography and tradition. Some fish are sought for their value as [[Seafoodseafood|food]], while others are pursued for their fighting abilities, or for the difficulty of pursuitsuccessfully enticing the fish to bite the [[fish hook|hook]].
* [[Big-game fishing|Big-game fish]] or [[blue water]] game fish are large [[pelagic]] [[saltwater fish]] such as [[tuna]], [[tarpon]], [[grouper]] and [[billfish]] ([[sailfish]], [[marlin]] and [[swordfish]]). Occasionally other [[predatory fish]]es such as [[shark]]s, [[barracuda]] and [[dolphinfish]] are also pursued. Large powerful [[freshwater fish]] such as [[alligator gar]], [[lake sturgeon]] and [[flathead catfish]] can also be considered big-game fish.
* Freshwater fish targeted by anglers in [[North America]] include [[bass (fish)|bass]] (especially [[black bass]]), [[salmon]]/[[trout]], [[Salvelinus|char]], [[walleye]]/[[sauger]], [[common snook]], [[red drum|redfish]], [[northern pike]] and [[muskellunge]], [[sturgeon]], [[gar]] and several [[catfish]] species. In [[Europe]] and [[Asia]], large [[cyprinid]]s (e.g. [[carp]]s, [[barbel (fish)|barbel]]s, [[bream]]s, [[chub]]s, [[Leuciscus|dace]]s and [[tench]]), [[perch]]es, freshwater [[salmonid]]s (trout, [[Thymallus|grayling]]s, [[Coregoninae|whitefish]] and [[taimen]]), [[freshwater drum|drum]], [[Esox|pike]]s, catfish, [[eel]]s and [[snakehead (fish)|snakehead]]s are also popular, although many of them are regarded derogatorily as "[[trash fish]]", "dirt fish" or "[[pest (organism)|pest]] fish" in America.
** In the [[United Kingdom]], "game fish" refers specifically to [[salmonid]]ssalmonids (other than [[Thymallus|grayling]])graylings – that is, [[salmon]], [[trout]], and [[Salvelinus|char]]. Other popular freshwater fish are called [[Coarsecoarse fishing|coarse fish]] or rough fish.
* Small/medium-sized freshwater fish routinely sought by anglers are called [[panfish]] in the [[United States]], because they typically can fit wholly into a normal [[cooking pan]] without needing to be [[fish steak|cut]] or [[fish fillet|fillet]]ed. Examples are [[crappie]]s, [[yellow perch]], [[rock bass]], [[bluegill]]s and [[Lepomis|other sunfish]] ([[Centrarchidae]]). Panfish are often sought by younger, more inexperienced anglers, at least partly due to their proactivity to feed and the relative ease to be caught; although adult anglers sometimes consider them as "nuisance fish" due to their tendency to opportunistically strike the [[fishing bait|bait]]s/[[fishing lure|lure]]s intended for other larger fishes.
 
Some popular game fish have been transported[[introduced species|introduced]] and [[fish stocking|stocked]] worldwide. [[Rainbow trout]], for instance, can now be found nearly anywhere the [[climate]] is appropriate, from their original[[native homerange]] on the [[Pacific Coast]] of [[North America]] to the [[mountains]] of southern [[Africa]].,<ref name=skel01>{{cite book|last1=Skelton|first1=Paul|title=A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa|date=2001|publisher=Struik|location=Cape Town|isbn=9781868726431|page=72|edition=New|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bURse4a-2m8C&pg=PA72}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and is now [[100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species|listed as one of the worst]] [[invasive species]].<ref name=100WW>{{cite web|url=http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/100_worst.php |title=100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species|publisher=Global Invasive Species Database |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
The species of fish pursued by anglers varies with geography. Some fish are sought for their value as [[Seafood|food]], while others are pursued for their fighting abilities or for the difficulty of pursuit.
* [[Big-game fishing|Big-game]] fish are bony saltwater fish such as [[tuna]], [[tarpon]], and [[billfish]] ([[sailfish]], [[marlin]] and [[swordfish]]).
* In North America, many anglers fish for [[common snook]], [[Red drum|redfish]], [[salmon]], [[trout]], [[bass (fish)|bass]], [[Esox|pike]], [[catfish]] of several species, [[walleye]], and [[muskellunge]]. The smallest fish routinely sought by anglers are called [[panfish]], because they can fit in a normal cooking pan. Examples are [[crappie]]s, [[perch]], [[rock bass]], [[bluegill]]s, and [[Lepomis|other sunfish]] ([[Centrarchidae]]). Panfish are often sought by younger anglers, at least partly due to the relative ease with which they can be caught.
* In the [[United Kingdom]], "game fish" refers to [[salmonid]]s (other than [[Thymallus|grayling]]) &ndash; that is, [[salmon]], [[trout]], and [[Salvelinus|char]]. Other freshwater fish are called [[Coarse fishing|coarse fish]] or rough fish.
 
Some popular game fish have been transported worldwide. [[Rainbow trout]], for instance, can now be found nearly anywhere the [[climate]] is appropriate, from their original home on the [[Pacific Coast]] of [[North America]] to the [[mountains]] of southern [[Africa]].<ref name=skel01>{{cite book|last1=Skelton|first1=Paul|title=A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa|date=2001|publisher=Struik|location=Cape Town|isbn=9781868726431|page=72|edition=New|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bURse4a-2m8C&pg=PA72}}</ref>
 
==Game-fish tagging programs==
[[File:Mark Cantrell tagging a fish (8696825616).jpg|thumb|Biologists in [[North Carolina]] injecting a [[Moxostoma#Species|sicklefin redhorse]] with an identifying tag]]
{{main|Tag and release}}
As part of the [[catch-and-release]] practice encouraged to promote [[Wildlife management|conservation]], tagging programs were createdestablished. Some of their goals are to improve the [[fisheries management|management]] of fisheriesfishery resources and to keep records on [[fish stocks|abundance]], age, [[Populationpopulation growth rate|growth rate]]s, age, [[Animalanimal migration|migrations]], and strain[[breed]] [[animal identification|identification]].
 
Some well-known tagging programs in the United States are the [[South Carolina]] Marine Game Fish Tagging Program and the [[Virginia]] Game Fish Tagging Program. The South Carolina Marine Game Fish Tagging Program began in 1974 and it is now{{when|date=October 2021}}<!--Since what year?--> the largest public tagging program in the [[Southeastern United States]]. Anglers are trained and then receive a tag kit with tags, applicator, and instructions. When they tag a fish, anglers use a reply postcard they receive in advance to send the information on the tag number, tag date, [[Location (geography)|location]], [[species]], and [[Measurement|size]]. This program issues anglers who tag and release 30 or more eligible species within a year a conservation award. When an angler recaptures a tagged fish, hethey then should report the recapture. If possible, the tag number and the mailing address should be reported, along with the location and date of the recapture, as well with the measurement of the fish. The objective is to provide [[biologists]] with the necessary information to determine growth rate through an accurate measurement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/tagfish.html|title=SC Marine Game Fish Tagging Program|accessdateaccess-date=2010-05-07|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509170801/http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/tagfish.html|archivedatearchive-date=9 May 2010}}</ref> The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program started operations in 1995 and keeps records on recaptured fish since then. This is an annual program that starts in January and it is limited to 160 anglers. Anglers receive training workshops in February and March.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.vims.edu/adv/recreation/tag/index.html| title=Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program|accessdateaccess-date=2010-05-07|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924090005/http://web.vims.edu/adv/recreation/tag/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
As part of the catch-and-release practice encouraged to promote [[Wildlife management|conservation]], tagging programs were created. Some of their goals are to improve the management of fisheries resources and to keep records on abundance, [[Population growth rate|growth rate]]s, age, [[Animal migration|migrations]], and strain identification.
 
Some well-known tagging programs in the United States are the [[South Carolina]] Marine Game Fish Tagging Program and the [[Virginia]] Game Fish Tagging Program. The South Carolina Marine Game Fish Tagging Program began in 1974 and it is now the largest public tagging program in the [[Southeastern United States]]. Anglers are trained and then receive a tag kit with tags, applicator, and instructions. When they tag a fish, anglers use a reply postcard they receive in advance to send the information on the tag number, tag date, [[Location (geography)|location]], [[species]], and [[Measurement|size]]. This program issues anglers who tag and release 30 or more eligible species within a year a conservation award. When an angler recaptures a tagged fish, he then should report the recapture. If possible, the tag number and the mailing address should be reported, along with the location and date of the recapture, as well with the measurement of the fish. The objective is to provide [[biologists]] with the necessary information to determine growth rate through an accurate measurement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/tagfish.html|title=SC Marine Game Fish Tagging Program|accessdate=2010-05-07|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509170801/http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/tagfish.html|archivedate=9 May 2010}}</ref> The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program started operations in 1995 and keeps records on recaptured fish since then. This is an annual program that starts in January and it is limited to 160 anglers. Anglers receive training workshops in February and March.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.vims.edu/adv/recreation/tag/index.html| title=Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program|accessdate=2010-05-07}}</ref>
 
==Records==
The official guide to world salt- and [[freshwater]] fish records is the ''World Record Game Fishes'', published annually by the [[International Game Fish Association]] (IGFA), which maintains records for nearly 400 species around the world. The records are categorised, with separate records for juniors, for the type of tackle and line used, for fly fishing, and locality records.<ref>[http://fishing.about.com/library/review/books/blrvigfa.htm Fishing Book Review: ''World Record Game Fishes''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225209/http://fishing.about.com/library/review/books/blrvigfa.htm |date=3 March 2016 }} About.com. Retrieved 19 April 2009.</ref> The IGFA also organize the world saltwater championship tournaments.<ref>[http://www.igfa.org/tour.asp World Championship Tournaments] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210041131/http://www.igfa.org/tour.asp |date=10 February 2010 }} – [[International Game Fish Association]]</ref>
 
==See also==
* [[Coarse fishing]]
* [[Fishing tournament]]
* [[CoarseGame fishing(hunting)]]
* [[List of freshwater game fish]]
* [[List of marine game fish]]
 
==References==
{{reflistReflist}}
 
==Sources==
* Dunn, Bob (2000) ''Saltwater Game Fishes of the World.''. Australian Fishing Network.{{ISBN|978-1-86513-010-1}}
 
{{angling topics}}
{{fisheriesFisheries and fishing}}
{{diversityDiversity of fish}}
{{Authority control}}
 
[[Category:Recreational fishing]]
[[Category:SportGame fish| ]]
 
[[pt:Peixe esportivo]]