Differences in Information Use and Preferences Among Recreational Salmon Anglers: Implications for Management Initiatives to Promote Responsible Fishing

摘要

British Columbia salmon fisheries are encouraging anglers' adoption of responsible and selective fishing methods to avoid or live-release vulnerable non-target species. Promoting adoption of responsible fishing will require that managers understand angler motivations and fishing behavior. During interviews with Fraser River recreational salmon anglers, we found that their most common information channel on responsible fishing was the Internet and interpersonal interaction while fishing. These did not necessarily align with their preferred information sources. Latent-class cluster analysis identified three patterns of anglers' current and preferred information sourcing. We found traditional (35% of sample), investigative (33%), and networking (32%) anglers, who were differentiated by their preferences for obtaining information via in-person communication, regulation handbooks, media, and the Internet. Heterogeneous communication preferences imply that fisheries managers need a mix of outreach approaches to effectively engage all anglers in responsible fishing practices, even when anglers are targeting the same species in a reasonably discrete geographic location.