Fishing may be known as the art of drowning worms, but a Report has found recreational angling has landed £22.5m for the Northern Ireland economy.

It also said teaching youths to fish can keep them out of trouble.

Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister Edwin Poots said the survey highlighted significant economic and social benefits from angling.

He described angling as the most popular participation sport in Northern Ireland and a valuable tourist resource.

"It (the report) also estimates that angling supports a total of approximately 778 full-time equivalent jobs," he said.

His department provides the public angling estate, which includes a total of 64 fisheries available to the public for all types of angling.

Spending recreational time with a rod, line and hook has been popular since ancient times with a Babylonian proverb noting: The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. This would be about 57 days a year for local anglers, according to the report.

There are almost 30,000 resident anglers in Northern Ireland who spend about £1,313 a year on their hobby.

Since 1995 about £9m of peace funds have been allocated to improve angling and to encourage angling tourists.

With its unspoiled fisheries, lakes, rivers and streams, Ireland has been proving a draw for years for anglers from the UK and across the world.

The report, by consultants PriceWaterhouseCoopers, estimates that more than 4,000 visitors - mostly from Great Britain - come each year to fish in Northern Ireland and brought in £1.8m during 2005.

The report also highlighted the social benefits of angling from better health to a way of cutting down anti-social behaviour.

It said that 15 youths had been introduced to angling under a youth justice scheme and that fishing charity, Angling First, had introduced 596 young people from deprived areas of Belfast and Portadown to the sport.

The report said more female participation in the sport should be encouraged and that by not being associated "with any particular flags or emblems, angling has strong levels of participation across the political divide".