26256 Recreational Angler Attitudes Data Set Published / External 20980 Attitudes and Preferences of Saltwater Recreational Anglers Project In Work NOAA Fisheries implemented a national survey of saltwater recreational anglers beginning in February 2013. The survey was implemented in six regions including the North Atlantic, MidAtlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, and Alaska. This report, Volume I, presents the survey results at the national scale only. The survey was developed through a collaborative process that underwent extensive reviews by NOAA Fisheries’ economists, NOAA Fisheries’ regional recreational coordinators and by key recreational fishing stakeholder groups. The survey was also tested with four focus groups. Following these reviews and testing, the survey was approved for an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Surveys were administered using a mail survey and followed the Modified Dillman Method (Dillman 2007). Overall, a total of 33,673 anglers were recruited for the survey; just over 27% (9,200) returned a completed survey. Response rates were highest in the North Atlantic region (38.3%) and lowest in the Gulf of Mexico (21.1%). On average, respondents have participated in recreational saltwater fishing for 28 years, and fished 25 days during the last year. The majority of the respondents fish from a private boat within three miles of shore; however, most trips were taken from a shore mode, including beaches, piers or bridges. The vast majority of respondents stated that they would not decrease their number of fishing trips in the following year. For the majority of those who would reduce their trips, it would be for financial reasons. Anglers responding to the survey usually used friends and family as sources of information about fishing. Spending time with family friends is an important part of a fishing trip, but catching fish and fishing in uncongested areas are also important to anglers. Anglers who anticipated they would fish less in the coming year did not primarily identify fishing regulations as the cause, but rather most frequently cited financial considerations and lack of leisure time as the likely causes of decreased fishing trips. Broadly, anglers think that the most important recreational fisheries management objectives should be: providing high quality fishing opportunities for future generations, providing different types of fish, and providing large quantities of fish. Anglers also want federal and state agencies to have consistent and simple regulations. While providing substantial numbers of fish to catch and providing species diversity were rated as important for most anglers, only about half of the respondents were satisfied with how recreational fisheries management addresses these issues. The most important management strategies that recreational fisheries should focus upon are: providing enough fish for recreational fishermen, incorporating stakeholder interests in the policy process, and monitoring and enforcing recreational fishing regulations. When designing specific management regulations, anglers tended to prefer management measures such as restoring habitat, establishing minimum size limits, and providing artificial habitat. The purpose of the survey was to assess the attitudes and preferences of U.S. saltwater anglers. Theme attitudes preferences Temporal one time Spatial national NMFS Office of Science and Technology Silver Spring MD USA Data Set MS Excel Spreadsheet Unknown Document (hardcopy) Saltwater Recreational Fishing Attitudes and Preferences Survey Internet Survey Physical Collection/Fishing Gear Not Applicable 28454 Saltwater Anglers Attitudes and Preferences Survey Published / External Completed Loaded by batch 7496, 11-03-2015 08:35 Data Table Yes Kristy Wallmo Data collected through a mail survey implemented using a random sample of the national angler registry. 1 regionL NUM 8 No No Active Region NUM 2 SubRegionL NUM 8 No No Active States NUM 3 Q1L NUM 8 No No Active Q1. How many years have you been saltwater recreational fishing? NUM 4 Q2L NUM 8 No No Active Q2. During the past 12 months, how many days have you spent saltwater recreational fishing? NUM 5 Q3L NUM 8 No No Active Q3. During the past 12 months, has most of your fishing been from? NUM 6 Q4L NUM 8 No No Active Q4. During the past 12 months, which area did you most frequently fish from? NUM 7 Q4multiL NUM 8 No No Active Q4. Multi-Other NUM 8 Q5L NUM 8 No No Active Q5. What species do you frequently target when you fish? NUM 9 Q5multiL NUM 8 No No Active Q5. Multi-Other NUM 10 Q6_1L NUM 8 No No Active Q6. During the past 12 months, most of my fishing trips were taken from . . . ? NUM 11 Q6_2L NUM 8 No No Active Q6. During the past 12 months, I took at least one fishing trip from . . . ? NUM 12 Q7L NUM 8 No No Active Q7. Thinking ahead to the next 12 months, is it likely that the number of fishing trips you take will decrease? NUM 13 Q7BAL NUM 8 No No Active Q7ba. In the next 12 months, fishing trips you take will DECREASE for the following reasons - Availability of leisure time. NUM 14 Q7BBL NUM 8 No No Active Q7bb. In the next 12 months, fishing trips you take will DECREASE for the following reasons - Personal finances. NUM 15 Q7BCL NUM 8 No No Active Q7bc. In the next 12 months, fishing trips you take will DECREASE for the following reasons - Fishing trip costs. NUM 16 Q7BDL NUM 8 No No Active Q7bd. In the next 12 months, fishing trips you take will DECREASE for the following reasons - Change of residence. NUM 17 Q7BEL NUM 8 No No Active Q7be. In the next 12 months, fishing trips you take will DECREASE for the following reasons - Recreational fishing regulations. NUM 18 Q7BFL NUM 8 No No Active Q7bf. In the next 12 months, fishing trips you take will DECREASE for the following reasons - Conditions of the fishery. NUM 19 Q8L NUM 8 No No Active Q8. Where do you get information about fishing and other marine related activities and issues? NUM 20 Q8multiL NUM 8 No No Active Q8. Multi-Other NUM 21 Q9AL NUM 8 No No Active Q9a. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Catch fish? NUM 22 Q9BL NUM 8 No No Active Q9b. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Catch as many fish as I can for consumption? NUM 23 Q9CL NUM 8 No No Active Q9c. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Catch-and-release as many fish as possible? NUM 24 Q9DL NUM 8 No No Active Q9d. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Catch a trophy-sized fish? NUM 25 Q9EL NUM 8 No No Active Q9e. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Target a particular species? NUM 26 Q9FL NUM 8 No No Active Q9f. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Catch the bag limit of a species I am targeting? NUM 27 Q9GL NUM 8 No No Active Q9g. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Know that I will encounter abundant fish? NUM 28 Q9HL NUM 8 No No Active Q9h. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Fish in an area that is not heavily-congested? NUM 29 Q9IL NUM 8 No No Active Q9i. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Be close to amenities such as parking, restrooms, cleaning stations, boat launches, etc? NUM 30 Q9JL NUM 8 No No Active Q9j. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - See information concerning fishing regulations clearly posted? NUM 31 Q9KL NUM 8 No No Active Q9k. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Have access to staff to answer questions or provide information? NUM 32 Q9LL NUM 8 No No Active Q9l. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Have easy access to weather and tide information? NUM 33 Q9ML NUM 8 No No Active Q9m. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Fish in a scenic area? NUM 34 Q9NL NUM 8 No No Active Q9n. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Fish with family or friends? NUM 35 Q9OL NUM 8 No No Active Q9o. On most of your fishing trips, how important is it to - Teach others about fishing? NUM 36 Q10AL NUM 8 No No Active Q10a. Establish minimum size limits of the fish you can keep. NUM 37 Q10BL NUM 8 No No Active Q10b. Establish maximum size limits of the fish you can keep. NUM 38 Q10CL NUM 8 No No Active Q10c. Limit the total number of fish you can keep. NUM 39 Q10DL NUM 8 No No Active Q10d. Manage some species as catch-and-release only. NUM 40 Q10EL NUM 8 No No Active Q10e. Establish longer seasons with more restrictive bag limits. NUM 41 Q10FL NUM 8 No No Active Q10f. Establish shorter seasons with less restrictive bag limits. NUM 42 Q10GL NUM 8 No No Active Q10g. Establish shorter seasons with a larger variety of species you can legally catch. NUM 43 Q10HL NUM 8 No No Active Q10h. Increase the recreational harvest limit by decreasing the commercial harvest limit. NUM 44 Q10IL NUM 8 No No Active Q10i. Divide the recreational harvest limit among different modes. NUM 45 Q10JL NUM 8 No No Active Q10j. Restrict certain types of fishing gear. NUM 46 Q10KL NUM 8 No No Active Q10k. Require the use of release techniques that reduce fish mortality. NUM 47 Q10LL NUM 8 No No Active Q10l. Provide artificial fish habitat (e.g. artificial reef) in some areas of the ocean. NUM 48 Q10ML NUM 8 No No Active Q10m. Protect and restore fish habitat that has been degraded. NUM 49 Q10NL NUM 8 No No Active Q10n. Designate some areas of the ocean as marine reserves with catch-and-release fishing only. NUM 50 Q10OL NUM 8 No No Active Q10o. Close some areas of the ocean for certain seasons. NUM 51 Q11AL NUM 8 No No Active Q11a. Ensure that large quantities of fish are available to catch. NUM 52 Q11BL NUM 8 No No Active Q11b. Ensure that many different fish species are available to catch. NUM 53 Q11CL NUM 8 No No Active Q11c. Ensure that adequate numbers of trophy-sized fish are available to catch. NUM 54 Q11DL NUM 8 No No Active Q11d. Reduce the mortality associated with releasing fish that are not legal to keep. NUM 55 Q11EL NUM 8 No No Active Q11e. Ensure that future generations will have high quality fishing opportunities. NUM 56 Q11FL NUM 8 No No Active Q11f. Allocate some quota from commercial fisheries to recreational fisheries. NUM 57 Q11GL NUM 8 No No Active Q11g. Recover fish stocks that have been depleted. NUM 58 Q11HL NUM 8 No No Active Q11h. Protect marine biodiversity. NUM 59 Q11IL NUM 8 No No Active Q11i. Protect threatened or endangered marine species. NUM 60 Q11JL NUM 8 No No Active Q11j. Achieve consistency between state and federal fishing regulations. NUM 61 Q11KL NUM 8 No No Active Q11k. Simplify recreational fishing regulations. NUM 62 Q11LL NUM 8 No No Active Q11l. Monitor and enforce recreational fishing regulations. NUM 63 Q11ML NUM 8 No No Active Q11m. Ensure that the opinions of all recreational fisheries stakeholders are considered in policy-making. NUM 64 Q11NL NUM 8 No No Active Q11n. Ensure opportunities to fish in high quality fishing areas. NUM 65 Q11OL NUM 8 No No Active Q11o. Ensure that fishing sites are not heavily congested. NUM 66 Q12AL NUM 8 No No Active Q12a. Managing fish stocks to provide high quality fishing opportunities. NUM 67 Q12BL NUM 8 No No Active Q12b. Restoring fish stocks that have been depleted. NUM 68 Q12CL NUM 8 No No Active Q12c. Adjust regulations in a timely manner to address changing conditions of the fishery. NUM 69 Q12DL NUM 8 No No Active Q12d. Using management strategies that minimize costs to anglers. NUM 70 Q12EL NUM 8 No No Active Q12e. Ensure that the annual harvest limit provides enough fish for recreational fisheries. NUM 71 Q12FL NUM 8 No No Active Q12f. Ensuring that state and federal regulations are consistent. NUM 72 Q12GL NUM 8 No No Active Q12g. Monitoring and enforcing recreational fishing regulations. NUM 73 Q12HL NUM 8 No No Active Q12h. Using high quality data and assessments in policy-making. NUM 74 Q12IL NUM 8 No No Active Q12i. Incorporating stakeholder interests in policy-making. NUM 75 Q12JL NUM 8 No No Active Q12j. Protecting fish or shellfish species that are declining. NUM 76 Q12KL NUM 8 No No Active Q12k. Protecting marine habitats. NUM 77 Q12LL NUM 8 No No Active Q12l. Addressing conflicts between anglers and marine mammals. NUM 78 Q13AL NUM 8 No No Active Q13a. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Industrial pollution? NUM 79 Q13BL NUM 8 No No Active Q13b. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Oil and gas extraction? NUM 80 Q13CL NUM 8 No No Active Q13c. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Climate change? NUM 81 Q13DL NUM 8 No No Active Q13d. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Ocean acidification? NUM 82 Q13EL NUM 8 No No Active Q13e. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Shipping? NUM 83 Q13FL NUM 8 No No Active Q13f. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Overfishing in commercial fisheries? NUM 84 Q13GL NUM 8 No No Active Q13g. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Overfishing in recreational fisheries? NUM 85 Q13HL NUM 8 No No Active Q13h. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Non-native species? NUM 86 Q13IL NUM 8 No No Active Q13i. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Aquaculture? NUM 87 Q13JL NUM 8 No No Active Q13j. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Alternative energy (e.g. wave or wind) development? NUM 88 Q13KL NUM 8 No No Active Q13k. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Coastal development? NUM 89 Q13LL NUM 8 No No Active Q13l. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Algal blooms? NUM 90 Q13ML NUM 8 No No Active Q13m. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Marine habitat loss or degradation? NUM 91 Q13NL NUM 8 No No Active Q13n. How much of a threat does the following factor pose to the marine environment - Dams/barriers? NUM 92 Q14L NUM 8 No No Active Q14. In the past 12 months, how many hours per week did you typically work for pay? NUM 93 Q15L NUM 8 No No Active Q15. Which of the following categories best describes your household''s total annual income before taxes in 2012? NUM 94 Q16L NUM 8 No No Active Q16. Do you or anyone in your household make a living part-time or full-time from work directly associated with marine resources or the marine environment? NUM 95 Q16AL NUM 8 No No Active Q16a. How concerned are you that fisheries management decisions will impact your livelihood? NUM 96 Q17L NUM 8 No No Active Q17. Are you male or female? NUM 97 Q18L NUM 8 No No Active Q18. In what year were you born? NUM 98 Q19L NUM 8 No No Active Q19. What is your ethnicity? NUM 99 Q20L NUM 8 No No Active Q20. What is your race? NUM 100 Q20singleL NUM 8 No No Active Q20. Single race NUM 101 Q20multiL NUM 8 No No Active Q20. Multi-race NUM 102 Q21L NUM 8 No No Active Q21. What is the highest level of education you have completed? NUM Data Steward 2013 Person Wallmo, Kristy A kristy.wallmo@noaa.gov 1315 East West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 USA 301-427-8190 301-713-4137 Data Steward 2013 Person Brinson, Ayeisha A ayeisha.brinson@noaa.gov 1315 East West Hwy Silver Spring MD 20910 301-427-8198 301-713-4137 Distributor 2018 Organization NMFS Office of Science and Technology OST https://ror.org/04950b532 1315 East West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 USA 301-427-8100 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/office-science-and-technology NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology Online Resource 0700 - 1800 EST/EDT Metadata Contact 2013 Person Wallmo, Kristy A kristy.wallmo@noaa.gov 1315 East West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 USA 301-427-8190 301-713-4137 Point of Contact 2013 Person Wallmo, Kristy A kristy.wallmo@noaa.gov 1315 East West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 USA 301-427-8190 301-713-4137 Point of Contact 2013 Person Brinson, Ayeisha A ayeisha.brinson@noaa.gov 1315 East West Hwy Silver Spring MD 20910 301-427-8198 301-713-4137 Publisher 2013 Person Curtis, Rita Rita.curtis@noaa.gov 1315 East-West Hwy Silver Spring MD 20910-3282 USA 301-427-8122 301-713-4137 National Discrete 2013 Six-month implementation period Unclassified Person can request the data. All confidential information must be stripped before data access is granted. Person can request the data. All confidential information must be stripped before data access is granted. https://noaa-fisheries-hq.data.socrata.com/resource/svb5-e9w2.json 2018 Organization NMFS Office of Science and Technology https://ror.org/04950b532 Recreational Angler Attitudes Data 2013 Socrata API Endpoint Web Service (Other) Focus groups conducted to ensure unbiased instrument, QA/QC check at data entry, Peer review results No Unknown No No Yes 14 Days NCEI-CO Unknown This application is hosted by the Office of Science and Technology within the NOAA System 4020 and is compliant with all applicable Federal Government security policies. Edit access to data is subject to role-based authentication and access control. Data collected from a survey instrument 28454 Entity gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:26256 Jackie Locks 2015-08-04T13:24:04 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2026-03-29T23:00:34 2016-02-10 NMFS Office of Science and Technology OST 1315 East West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 USA 301-427-8100 https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/ 0700 - 1800 EST/EDT 1001 Public No No 2016-02-10 1 Year 2017-02-10