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I found this sentence while reading Great Barrier Reef.

Together with the fishing industry, tourism reels in about $6 billion annually and supports some 69,000 Australian jobs.

Would anyone guide me reel in meaning in this sentence? I tried Cambridge which have different phrasal verbs for reel in. I also tried Macmillan dictionary. I understand it giving the sense of overall or pull overall. Although this is not exactly mention in dictionaries. Here are the entries

  1. reel in (Cambridge)
    to get control of something or someone, sometimes by offering something in exchange: The article offers tips on how computer users can avoid being reeled in by internet scams.
  2. reel in (Macmillan)
    to bring a fish toward you by turning the reel of a fishing rod

Please suggest the meaning of reels in related to context in aforementioned sentence.

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  • Which online dictionaries have you tried?
    – Alan Carmack
    Nov 3, 2016 at 7:36
  • I tried cambridge which have different phrasal verbs for reel in. I also tried macmillan dictionary. I understand it giving the sense of overall or pull overall. Although this is not exactly mention in dictionaries.
    – Trevor
    Nov 3, 2016 at 9:37
  • Thanks for adding meaning from dictionaries. However you looking cambridge online you will find different versions of reel in that creating the confusion as well.
    – Trevor
    Nov 3, 2016 at 11:04

1 Answer 1

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When talking about fishing, a reel refers to a fishing reel. enter image description here

A fishing reel is a cylindrical device attached to a fishing rod used in winding and stowing line.

You use a reel to draw the fishing line to recover a fish you have caught. The use of reel in in the example is a play on words. It's being used figuratively to mean that tourism and the fishing industry together bring in (generate) about $6 billion annually. Notice that tourism isn't actually pulling a line.

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  • 1
    Nothing fishy about your excellent answer!
    – Peter Point
    Nov 3, 2016 at 6:25
  • I think the exact phrasal verb is 'reel in' not just reel. Also it's not talking about fishing reel.
    – Trevor
    Nov 3, 2016 at 9:39

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