Inland recreational fishing is primarily considered a leisure-driven activity in freshwaters, yet its harvest can contribute to food systems. Here we estimate that the harvest from inland recreational fishing equates to just over one-tenth of all reported inland fisheries catch globally. The estimated total consumptive use value of inland recreational fish destined for human consumption may reach US$9.95 billion annually. We identify Austria, Canada, Germany and Slovakia as countries above the third quantile for nutrition, economic value and climate vulnerability. These results have important implications for populations dependent on inland recreational fishing for food. Our findings can inform climate adaptation planning for inland recreational fisheries, particularly those not currently managed as food fisheries.

Applied Aquatic Ecology Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action Heidelberg Victoria Australia

Canadian Centre for Evidence Based Conservation Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science Carleton University Ottawa Ontario Canada

Centre for Blue Governance University of Portsmouth Portsmouth UK

Department of Environmental Science and Policy George Mason University Fairfax VA USA

Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg VA USA

Department of Fish Biology Fisheries and Aquaculture Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Berlin Germany

Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science Rhodes University Makhanda South Africa

Department of Nutrition Department of Environmental Health Department of Global Health and Population Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health Boston MA USA

Division of Integrative Fisheries Management Faculty of Life Sciences Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany

Gulbali Institute for Agriculture Water and Environment Charles Sturt University Albury New South Wales Australia

Institute for Evaluations and Social Analyses Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Environmental Research and Engineering National University of San Martin CONICET Buenos Aires Argentina

International Fisheries Institute University of Hull Hull UK

Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center United States Geological Survey St Paul MN USA

National Climate Adaptation Science Center United States Geological Survey Reston VA USA

Pure Harvest Smart Farms Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Makhanda South Africa

Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement Saint Denis France

The Nature Conservancy London UK

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