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¹ University of Extremadura, Faculty of Sciences, Zoology Unit, Freshwater Ecosystems Investigation Group, 06071, Badajoz, Spain DOI : 10.4194/1303-2712-v14_1_15 Viewed : 4423 - Downloaded : 3235 The human dimension of recreational fishing has gained interest worldwide during the last decade for proper management of the natural resources. However, in many rural regions in Southern Europe, the social and economical aspects of recreational fishing remains poorly studied. In this study we conducted a survey to cover this gap of knowledge and draw potential management recommendations for proper exploitation. A survey of recreational fishing was conducted during the 2008-2009 fishing seasons. Data were collected following creel survey procedures and responses to 171 interviews were analyzed for 27 variables. To associate these variables a categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA) was performed. On the first CATPCA axis (44.24% of variance), the correlations among variables showed an “economic” dimension. The most influential variables in this dimension were expenditure, the season, and number of fishing days per year, together with the distance travelled to fishing sites. The second dimension (24.47% of variance) was related to the preferred species, the gear necessary to catch them, and with facility off access to sites where these species are found. The data showed some differences between both young and old fishermen with respect to the variables analysed. Keywords : Recreational fisheries, anglers, attitudes, sociological characteristics