Justification for change

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE

UNDERSTANDING RECREATIONAL ANGLER ATTITUDES AND PREFERENCES FOR SALTWATER FISHING

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0656

To date, relatively little information has been collected in a systematic manner concerning stakeholder perceptions and preferences for recreational fisheries management. An understanding and knowledge of stakeholder preferences for broad-level management objectives, as well as opinions regarding the current management system and status of marine resources would assist the agency in making decisions that maximize the total societal benefits from marine resources. Furthermore, a systematic understanding of stakeholder preferences for broad-level management objectives would assist the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in understanding the likely social impacts of conservation or management measures on recreational fisheries participants.

Previous surveys work looked at the for-hire fleet charter boat (6 passengers) and party boat (50-70 passengers) operators and included economic data collection. This survey is targeting private anglers who fish from the shore, docks, kayaks, or private boats. It does not seek economic data or to determine economic value, nor economic impacts/contributions. It seeks to identify preferred management objectives, preferred approaches to achieve those objectives, satisfaction with management, perceptions of the quality of the fishing experience, and the motivations of anglers which in total can allow fishery managers to better tailor management measures in a way that is more amendable to the angling public. The surveys look at different segments of the fishery and ask about different issues.

NMFS originally planned to execute the survey nationwide in February 2013. However, the Agency delayed implementation in Hawaii at the request of its Pacific Islands regional office to avoid fatiguing individuals in the Hawaii boating and fishing registry databases and the Hawaii State Commercial Marine License (CML) database who may have been selected in previous studies and may have again been selected for this study. The CML database is part of a valid frame because in Hawaii, recreational/non-commercial anglers can sell their fish, but have to hold a CML.

To enhance survey relevance and likelihood of success, regional NMFS and Western Pacific Fishery Management Council staff recommended re-phasing questions and providing additional response options in some instances, relative to the original national survey. Several questions were also added. Overall the substance and utility of the two surveys remain similar. A detailed comparison between the national and the Hawaii survey was done by those involved, and the conclusion was that there is comparability on all the key questions and points, with the national survey.

The objective of the amended survey will be to understand the range of attitudes, preferences, and concerns that recreational anglers hold towards saltwater fishing in the Pacific Islands Region. Furthermore, the survey elicits the types of management goals and objectives that should be pursued (e.g., in developing guidelines), and overall attitudes and concerns regarding recreational fisheries management. The questionnaire is well timed to establish a baseline for outreach and planning, including reauthorization of the Magnuson-Steven Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The information will provide fisheries managers with quantitative information on stakeholder preferences for recreational fisheries management, so that when goals and objectives of fisheries management are being reviewed or developed, managers will understand the priorities and preferences of a diverse group of fisheries stakeholders. Council staff and staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries may refer to the information periodically as management policies and regulations are revised, and future decisions concerning fisheries management may refer to the information to anticipate what stakeholder responses might be to particular management decisions.

With the changes, the Hawaii survey is estimated to take 25 minutes, rather than the 20 minutes estimated for the original instrument. With an estimated 1,000 respondents (already included in the total estimate, at 20 minutes per response), at an extra 5 minutes, this would add 83 hours to the current burden of 2,180.

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