What Exactly is a “Game Fish”?
What makes a fish a “game fish”? Does it have to be targeted widely by recreational anglers, be above a specific average size threshold, or just have a gaggle of warm-blooded humans bored enough to attempt to catch it? I’ve often considered this question, and while I wish I could remove this thought from my brain and replace it with something actually useful and/or meaningful, alas, here we are. I finally made it my mission to find out what exactly it means to be classified as a game fish. First off, the terms “game fish” and “sport fish” appear to be used interchangeably and generally refer to a popular fish species that is targeted by recreational fisherman. This definition is about as vague as I expected it to be and it leaves a rather large grey area around which fish species should be classified as a “game fish” and which should not. Hell, my brother Grady would argue that targeting inshore cunner in Maine is some of the most fun fishing in this hemisphere, but does that make the cunner a game fish? God, I sure hope not.
My brother Grady happily catching a cunner.
Looking up the term “game fish” on the internet didn’t exactly yield plentiful results. I found a few interesting fish-themed video games and some articles here and there talking about the top game fish species in specific geographic locales. However, these designations seemed to be too region specific, just speculated using local landings records or fishermen survey data. Was there some globally recognized entity that was in charge of game fish designations? I was about to conclude that you could make an argument that any fish caught with line and reel could be classified as a game fish until I happened across the website of the International Game Fish Association.
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has a simple vision: “Establish the IGFA as the most widely recognized authority on game fish and angling-related matters in the world”. So what exactly is the IGFA? I’ll let them explain: “The IGFA is a nonprofit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices, through science, education, rule making, record keeping and recognition of outstanding accomplishments in the field of angling”. This seemed as good a place as any to find out the requirements necessary to be classified as a game fish.
To begin, I did a little background research on the association. Surprisingly, the IGFA was founded all the way back in 1939, publishing its first set of rules and designations in 1945 and beginning to document world record catches. Since becoming a non-profit organization in 1962, they have greatly expanded their record keeping, documenting the largest fish caught of each species across all tackle, spin fishing vs. fly fishing, specific line-strength classes, and for both men and women. Additionally, they have become active in global fish conservation efforts, tackling issues surrounding the restoration of the Everglades, protection of fragile billfish species, and the advancement of research on golden dorado in South America, to name a few. All of this was pretty interesting to read, and it was nice to see an international organization that was focused on promoting and protecting angling while also advocating for species preservation. As I was scrolling through the menu of their website, I finally found what I was looking for: The Game Fish Database.
The Atlantic cod is recognized as a game fish by the IGFA.
While the IGFA doesn’t have a list of requirements for a fish species to be classified as a game fish, they do have a database of all of the species that are globally recognized by the IGFA. You have the expected heavy hitters like yellowfin tuna, goliath grouper, striped bass, musky, and walleye, as well as some bizarre species I’d never even heard of such as the Samson fish, Sorubim, and Tambaqui (I encourage you to look these up - in fact, the whole list is quite fascinating). In total, there are 195 species that are recognized as game fish across the globe. To my delight, the cunner was not listed as one. I for one have caught a total of 23 of the 195 species to date, which was rather disappointing as I hoped to be a little farther along than that. At least I now know where to look when I want to daydream about traveling around the world and catching every game fish, returning proudly back home with leathery skin, a peg leg, and a story about a golden trevally named Ahab that got away. And hey, then next time you catch a northern pike on 6 lb test make sure check the IGFA records, as you might be able to add your name to the history books.
- Declan
Source: International Game Fish Association - https://igfa.org/
