Most (98%) anglers were male and they averaged 49 years of age. They were predominantly white (98%) and non-hispanic (97%).

The median income category was $160,000 - $179,000 (U.S. Dollars), with 43% reporting incomes of $200,000 or more. Their median education level was one year of graduate school and 30% reported more than two years of graduate education.

Most (54%) had been saltwater fishing for 20 years or more (average = 25 years), and fishing for billfish specifically for 10 years or more (average = 14 years).

Most (61%) rated fishing as their most important outdoor activity.

The most preferred species anglers sought were marlin, sailfish, and tarpon, respectively. Most (61%) anglers reported not putting most of their fishing effort into one particular species.

Anglers reported an average of 40 days of recreational fishing (median = 30) in the previous 12 months.

When asked to list the two most critical issues facing the recreational billfish fishery in Costa Rica, longlining was identified most often. This was followed by commercial fishing in general.

One half (50%) of the anglers reported their household owns one or more power boats, with an average length of 29 feet.

Only 34% of the anglers were members of either The Billfish Foundation or the International Game Fish Association.

Most (74%) of the anglers reported they subscribed to fishing or boating magazines. The most frequently mentioned magazine was Marlin Magazine.

The 88 charter boats identified for study purposes reported chartering an estimated 5,219 billfish boat trips during the past year (Sept. 1993- Aug. 1994), resulting in a total of 15,657 individual angler days on the water.

Forty-eight percent of these boats were based in Flamingo, 16% in Quepos, 10% in Golfito, and 9% in Ocotal.

Most (61%) anglers took one billfish trip to Costa Rica during the previous 12 months, with an average of four days spent fishing on the most recent trip.

A median of 1 (average = 1.02) day of fishing per person was required to boat a billfish (bring a billfish to the boat), or .34 days per boat.

Billfish anglers brought an average of .1 billfish to the dock during the previous 12 months.

When anglers were asked how their travel plans would change if longlining in Costa Rica reduced billfish populations so their chances of a successful trip were decreased by 25%, about 82% indicated they would travel to a new destination to go billfish fishing.

Most likely destinations for displaced anglers were Panama (45%), Venezuela (38%), Mexico/Pacific (34%) and Guatemala (30%).

Most anglers indicated support for four recreational billfish fishery options: catch and release only (zero bag limit) (86%), mandatory "no kill" tournaments (85%), minimum sizes for billfish (78%), and not allowing stainless steel hooks (53%).

Most anglers indicated they were opposed to the following options: allow hand lining and harpooning for recreational purposes (84%), a one fish bag limit per boat (53%) and a one fish bag limit per person (53%).

There was no clear consensus on some management options. About one-third of the anglers were neutral on the following options: no live baiting (39%), artificial baits only (39%), seasonal closures for billfish (35%), no double hooks (35%), and area closures for billfish (34%).

Anglers reported spending an average of $3,446 on the most recent trip to Costa Rica.

The trip averaged 7 days with just over 4 days of fishing.

Total direct expenditures for billfish angling trips to Costa Rica (excluding airfare) were estimated at $5,492,006.

Total billfish charter boat angler expenditures for their entire 7 day trip (excluding air transportation costs to Costa Rica) were estimated at $8,880,986. Unlike previous studies of resident billfish anglers in the U.S. Atlantic and Puerto Rico, this is "new money" to Costa Rica.

Total trip expenditures by billfish anglers in Costa Rica (excluding airfare) had a total economic impact of $17,761,972 on the nation's economy.

Every U.S. dollar worth of expenditures in Costa Rica by non-resident anglers results conservatively in $2 in indirect and induced economic impact before the money eventually leaves the country.

Since an angler's actual expenditures are only a partial measure of the true value of the recreational fishery to the individual, they are not a useful measure of its total economic benefit. Measures of willingness to pay in excess of trip expenditures can be used to estimate the value of these additional benefits (consumer surplus) to anglers.

Consumer's surplus for billfish trips in Costa Rica was estimated at $1,777 per trip.

When the total number of charter boat billfish angler trips taken in Costa Rica last year (15,657) is multiplied by $1,777, anglers received an annual economic benefit of $18,428,289 above total direct expenditures for the trip.

When the total annual consumers surplus ($18,428,289) is combined with the total annual expenditures associated with billfish fishing ($9,886,430), the total present economic value of the charter boat billfish fishery in Costa Rica is estimated at $28,314,720.

Billfish anglers in Costa Rica can be characterized as an experienced, committed, and conservation-minded group of individuals for whom recreational fishing is a central life interest. There was even more homogeneity among this group of anglers on conservation and management issues than seen previously with billfish anglers in the U.S. Atlantic and in Puerto Rico.

Using several definitions of ecotourism, we concluded that billfish angling in Costa Rica qualifies as an ecotourism activity. This is important because Costa Rica is widely recognized for its policy of promoting ecotourism as a potential source of earnings supplemental to and possibly replacing those of agriculture and extractive industries.

Tourism is voluntary, however, in that billfish anglers can choose to fish elsewhere if they continue to see a decline in the quality of billfish angling in Costa Rica. Tourism officials need to work to maintain abundant billfish stocks in support of a sustainable billfish fishery if they are to be effective in an economic development sense. The more Costa Rica can do to maintain/enhance its billfish angling assets, the more competitive it will be among angling tourism destinations.

The total economic impact (direct, indirect, and induced expenditures) of the recreational charter boat billfish fishery is only about 3% of the total economic impact of the nation's entire tourism industry ($600 million). However, only when the total recreational billfish fishery (we weren't able to study it all) is taken into account, along with other recreational fisheries in the Pacific as well as those in the Atlantic, can we begin to comprehend the enormity of overall economic impact associated with recreational fisheries in Costa Rica and the need to protect the fishery resource base upon which it depends.

There are sufficient economic data ("best available technical data") to justify a re- allocation of fishery resources to favor the recreational fishery with more attention to resource protection/enforcement efforts. Decision makers need to view the billfish fishery as they do other critical elements of the tourism industry, with emphasis on economic impacts on local communities as well as the nation, jobs and earnings associated with tourist expenditures, and indirect and induced economic effects. The extent to which billfish resources are seen as in jeopardy will demand decisions be made immediately.

A new set of negotiated rules and regulations are necessary; one where resource abundance is maintained to meet the needs of anglers who release alive the vast majority of fish caught and also, one whereby billfish that are legitimately caught as by-catch by domestic longliners can be utilized as a source of protein by Costa Rican citizens.

The proposed ban on billfish exports is probably a sufficient dis-incentive to directed commercial billfish fisheries, but it needs to be extended beyond sailfish to include all billfish species. If a ban on exports doesn't discourage a directed commercial fishery and further the commercial industry indicates by its actions that it is willing to jeopardize the economic impacts and values associated with the recreational fishery, more stringent regulations and enforcement efforts may be necessary.

La mayor¡a (98%) de los pescadores son hombres con un promedio de edad de 49 anos. Son predominantemente blancos (98%) y no Hispanos (97%).

El ingreso promedio estaba entre $160,000 y $179,000 (Dolares Estadonidense) teniendo un 43% de los consultados un ingreso promedio de $200,000 o mas. Su volante central en educacion es de un ano de maestria y un 30% reportaron mas de dos anos de maestria.

La mayor¡a (54%) ha estado pescando en agua salada por 20 anos o m s (un promedio de 25 a¤os) y pescando agujas especificamente por 10 anos o mas (un promedio de 14 anos).

Muchos (61%) categorizaron la pesca como su m s importante actividad al aire libre.

Las especies m s preferidas para la pesca son: Marlin, Pez Vela, y S balo; respectivamente. Un 61% de los pescadores reportaron no poner la mayor¡a de sus esfuerzos en pescar una sola especie.

Los pescadores reportaron un promedio de 40 d¡as de pesca recreacional (con un volante medio de 30 d¡as) en los 12 meses previos a el estudio.

Cuando se les pregunto cuales eran los dos problemas mas cr¡ticos por los que atraviesa la pesca de agujas en Costa Rica, se nombro la pesca de longlining como primer problema y segundo la pesca comercial en general.

La mitad (50%) de los pescadores reportaron tener uno o mas botes de por lo menos 29 pies de largo en su hogar.

Solo un 34% de los pescadores eran miembros de The Billfish Foundation o The International Game Fish Association .

La mayor¡a (74%) de los pescadores contestaron que estaban suscritos a una revista de pesca o botes, y la revista m s mencionada fue Marlin Magazine.

Los 88 botes de alquiler identificados para el estudio, reportaron un estimado de 5,219 en viajes de alquiler para la pesca durante el periodo entre Septiembre de 1993 y Agosto de 1994, resultando en un total de 15,657 d¡as pescando.

Un cuarenta y ocho porciento de las embarcaciones ten¡an como puerto base Flamingo, 16% Quepos, 10 % Golfito y 9% Ocotal.

La mayor¡a (61%) de los pescadores hicieron un viaje de pesca de agujas en Costa Rica durante los pasados 12 meses, con un promedio de cuatro d¡as de pesca en el ultimo viaje hecho.

Un volante medio de 1 (promedio = 1.02) por cada d¡a de pesca por persona se utilizo para traer un pez a el bote, o 0.34 d¡as por embarcacion.

Los pescadores trajeron un promedio de 0.1 agujas a el muelle durante los pasados doce meses.

Cuando se les pregunto como cambiarian sus viajes de pesca si la pesca comercial en Costa Rica segu¡a reduciendo la poblacion de agujas, y su chance de tener un viaje de pesca exitoso se redugera en un 25%, como un 82% indicaron que viajar¡an a otro lugar para ir a pescar agujas.

Los lugares preferidos para pescar fueron: Panama  45%, Venezuela 38%, el Pac¡fico de Mexico 34 % y Guatemala 30%.

Muchos de los pescadores apoyaron cuatro de las opciones para la pesca recreativa de peces de agujas, entre ellas estaban: captura y liberalizacion de la presa (cero retencion) 86%, torneos mandatorios de no matar 85%, tamano m¡nimo de las agujas 78%, y prohibir el uso de anzuelos de acero inoxidable 53%.