[Survey on health benefits and well-being of recreational fishing in a champion population]

Introduction. The goal of this work is to investigate the impact of recreational fishing on health and well-being on a sample population. Specifically, the study’s perspective consists in verifying how much a population of amateur fishermen has, with respect to a comparison group of non-fishermen, documentable variables relating to conditions of well-being. Secondly, in relation to this, the study aims in the future to hypothesize a benefit in terms of both direct costs (hospitalization, drugs, medical assistance, etc.) and indirect costs (premature mortality, long-term disability, reduced quality of life). Methods. The survey provided for the sending of a questionnaire via e-mail with an online response to members of FIPSAS, the Italian Federation of Sport Fishing and Underwater Activities, and in a small part to a sample group of non-fishermen, registered with SIMFER, the Italian Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, which promoted this survey. The questionnaire used reproduces the experience already made by Professor Alexandra McManus, Director of the Center of Excellence Science Seafood & Health (CESSH), Faculty of Health Sciences of the Curtin University of Perth in Western Australia, who gave us authorization for its use after having validated it and adapted it to the Italian reality.

Results and Conclusions. From the comparative analyses, it emerged that the sample extracted from the population of active fishermen on average declares to: have a better state of health, to carry out more physical activity, to be subjected less frequently to negative moods, to have a better quality of sleep and a greater ability to concentrate than the sample extracted from the population of non-fishermen / inactive fishermen.