The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism formed a committee that should research all opportunities to further develop recreational fishing. The aim is to attract more visitors interested in fishing and thus boost the tourist arrivals.
The committee is composed of members of the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. The team has 90 days to create an action plan to develop recreational fishing in the country.
The government plans to use the fishing potential of Brazil to greater extent since the country boasts of more than 8000 km long coast and 12% of all fresh water in the world. Altogether, there are more than 4000 fish species in the country including marlin and the swordfish.
Ocean fishing is practiced especially in Bahia up to Santa Catarina. In rivers, sport fishing can be practiced on the 35,000 km of navigable waters, and in the 9,000 km reservoirs margins. Among the typical fish from Brazilian rivers there are the Tucunaré, the Pacu and the Dourado. The states where the sport fishing are more common are: Amazonas, Pará, Mato Groso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins and Goiás.
Sport fishing generates about USD 40 billion each year in the United States, but in Brazil, the value is still unknown. According to the data of the former Ministry of Fishery, the country has 1 million fans of the sport and 140 fishing tournaments took place in Brazil last year. The potential of recreational fishing is thus believed to be immense.
In May 2015, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and the former Ministry of Fishery to strengthen the fishing tourism sector, identify destinations and tourist routes related to the segment, evaluate possible conflicts between amateur and professional fishing, and to map the profile of national and international tourists interested in recreational fishing.