The Marine Resources Section of the Department of Environmental Protection has invited recreational fishers to attend an upcoming town hall meeting to discuss the results of the 2011 Recreational Fishing Activity Survey.The survey was done in two parts; a shoreline survey and a mailing to owners of private vessels, with several meetings scheduled to take place on various dates throughout the island for residents convenience.On the agenda for the meetings will be results of the survey data as well as a question and answer period for those who attend.Although the findings won’t be 100 percent accurate, Marine Resources Officer at the department, Dr Joanna Pitt, believes it was something worthwhile doing in order to get a better reading of the local fishing climate.“While not conclusive, this survey provides a good start for evaluating the impacts of recreational fishing on Bermuda’s fishery resources,” explained Pitt. “The survey has provided valuable insight into the recreational fishing population, their fishing habits, their motivations and their attitudes towards fisheries management measures.“We were pleased to see that awareness of key fisheries regulations was good across both survey categories and those surveyed were generally supportive of the measures currently in place.”The primary goal of the survey was to investigate the levels of various forms of recreational fishing in Bermuda and to acquire estimates of the types and numbers of fishes being caught.The survey also aimed to find out whether the fishing public was familiar with, and generally supportive of, the new fishing regulations brought in at the end of 2010, with opinions on licensing and reporting options also sought.The report discusses the information on reported catches, and compares the fishing activity of the two groups surveyed.The Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Marc Bean said: “Recreational fishing has always been a popular pastime in Bermuda, for its social value as well as its role in supplementing the household diet.“There was a need for information on recreational fishing practices and estimates of recreational landings in order to facilitate better management of recreational fishing activity.“Data on the recreational landings of pelagic species are also required for our reporting obligations to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).“Therefore I wish to congratulate the staff at the Department of Environmental Protection for collecting and analysing this information.”The meeting on October 16th will take place at St James Church Hall in Sandys, while October 17th will be held at the Jack King Building in the Botanical Gardens.St Peter’s Church (Spencer Hall), St George’s will be the venue for the final meeting on October 18th, with 7pm the start time for all three meetings.