Fishing and Happiness

I’ve been putting together some research for a class where I’m completing a project about recreational activities, and through this, I discovered something that I already pretty well knew to be true already but seems to be a secret to a lot of the people in the world.  It’s time the world knew – it’s a proven, researched fact that fishing makes people happier! 

 

In fact, according to several studies, higher rates of recreational outdoor activity on a regular basis consistently show a negative relationship to significantly lower rates of depression for people across the board.  What that means is that participating in an outdoor activity such as fishing regularly is likely to keep you from getting depressed, and it is also likely to assist in depression recovery as well. 

The focus of my study has been on the affects of recreational fishing on individuals with injuries and disabilities.  Did you know that people with permanent, debilitating injuries and inhibiting disabilities have higher rates of clinical depression than non-injured and non-disabled people?  This is thought to be, at least partially, a result of limited opportunity for engagement in social and recreational activity and, for some, competitive activity. 

Fishing is a great option for many injured and disabled people.  In fact, fishing seems to be one of the most adaptive, inclusive competitive and recreational sporting activities out there.  With appropriate accommodation and organization, almost anyone can fish in the same manner and (in some cases) on the same level as the pros.  And these accommodations and organizations are out there.  There are networking organizations and fishing tournament series’ devoted to the paired fishing of “able-bodied” and disabled anglers.  There are boat and rod modifications that meet a variety of needs.  There are organizations devoted to creating fishing opportunities for those that might think they would never have the option to fish. Some of these organizations include the Paralyzed Veterans of America, who put on a bass tournament series every year, Make a Difference Fishing, who organize fishing experiences for handicapped kids, and Blind Fishing Boat, a site started by a blind technological engineer and fishing/boating enthusiast that connects blind fishermen to local boaters/anglers with similar fishing interests and methods. 

 

And these organizations and opportunities are on the right track.  By creating opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to participate in recreational and competitive fishing, they are also helping fight depression through recreation.