Abstract
A nationwide recreational fishing survey in Sweden was used to estimate the benefits of recreational fishing in Sweden. The survey targeted the Swedish population and, consequently, the sample contained a large fraction of zero fishing days. To consider this, a zero‐inflated Poisson model was used in the estimations. Swedes fished about 15.6 million days in 2013, of which two‐thirds were spent on inland fishing, and one‐third on marine and coastal fishing. Expected consumer surplus per fishing day varied with the season; SEK 193 for winter fishing, SEK 787 for summer fishing and SEK 95 for autumn fishing. Although about 70 per cent of total fishing days were spent on inland fishing, the weighted consumer surplus per fishing day in marine and coastal areas were higher. The results also demonstrated strong positive effects of increases in expected catch per day on number of fishing days demanded and consumer surplus, which have important implications for fishery policies directed at recreational fishing.