Executive Summary

A self-administered mail questionnaire was used to collect information from general fishing license holders in Texas regarding their household characteristics, fishing patterns, motivations and attitudes, and expenditures. The survey was sent to 10,000 resident licensed anglers between February 1994 and April 1994, and was conducted by the Human Dimensions of Fisheries Lab, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University. A total of 4,888 questionnaires were completed by Texas anglers. After eliminating non-deliverables, the resulting overall effective response rate was 60%. Results were adjusted for non-response bias and expanded to provide population estimates of Texas anglers.

Characteristics of Texas Anglers

Most anglers were white (89%) males (80%). Ten percent of the anglers were of Spanish/Hispanic ethnic origin. Most anglers were between 30-49 years of age (Average age = 42). Most anglers lived in or near major population centers in Texas. About 47% of respondents were from the Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio area. When asked about their reasons for fishing, over 75% of anglers rated "For relaxation" (85%), "To be outdoors" (83%), "For the fun of catching fish" (80%), and "To get away from the regular routine" (78%) as very or extremely important. Most anglers agreed with the statements: "I like to fish where there are several kinds of fish to catch" (77%); "A fishing trip can be successful even if no fish are caught" (75%); "I usually eat the fish I catch" (66%); "The more fish I catch, the happier I am" (61%), "I'm just as happy if I release the fish I catch" (56%), and "I'm happiest if I catch a challenging gamefish"(53%). Over 16% of anglers (16% of freshwater anglers; 18% of saltwater anglers) reported they have participated in fishing tournaments. Only 9% of anglers indicated they were members of fishing clubs or organizations. About 11% of anglers indicated they fished with a fishing guide in the previous twelve months.

Freshwater Fishing Participation

About 87% of respondents indicated they had fished in fresh water in the previous twelve months. Freshwater anglers had been fishing an average of 27 years in fresh water, and spent an average of 24 days freshwater fishing in the previous 12 months. Largemouth bass was the most preferred species to catch for 57% of freshwater anglers. Other species most preferred by freshwater anglers included catfishes (20%), crappie (14%), and members of the temperate bass family (striped bass, hybrid striped bass, and white bass) (5%). Over 32% of freshwater anglers indicated they had fished within their city or town limits in the previous 12 months. Overall, 48% of freshwater anglers were "very" or "extremely satisfied" with freshwater fishing in Texas.

Freshwater Anglers' Opinions on Management Tools

Most anglers supported the following fishery management tools used in freshwater: stocking native freshwater fish (93%), minimum size limits (85%), daily bag limits (81%), a voluntary catch and release program (68%), "Not being allowed to fish in certain restricted areas" (51%), "Not being allowed to keep certain species of fish during certain times of the year" (50%), and "Stocking fish not native to Texas" (50%). A plurality of anglers supported "Prohibiting the use of certain types of sport fishing gear" (49%), "Not being allowed to keep certain types of fish in certain areas" (49%), "Having certain fishing areas closed during part of the year" (42%), and slot-length limits (40%). A plurality (40%) were neutral on "Stocking saltwater fish in freshwater", and "prohibiting the use of certain type of bait" (34%). A plurality (44%) opposed the use of "A tag to retain a trophy fish". Most (54%) freshwater anglers opposed "A mandatory stamp to retain a specific species".

Economics of Freshwater Fishing Trips

On average, freshwater anglers spent $140 on a typical freshwater fishing trip. The trip lasted 2.5 days (84% of trips were three days or less), and involved one-way travel of 80 miles.

Saltwater Fishing Participation

About 48% of respondents indicated they had fished in saltwater in the previous twelve months. Saltwater anglers had been fishing an average of 20 years in saltwater, and spent an average of 17 days saltwater fishing in the previous 12 months. Red drum was the most preferred saltwater fish to catch for 33% of saltwater anglers. Other species most preferred by saltwater anglers included spotted seatrout (18%), members of the drum family (including red drum and spotted seatrout) (18%), flounder (11%), red snapper (5%), and king mackerel (4%). Overall, 47% of saltwater anglers were "very" or "extremely satisfied" with saltwater fishing in Texas.

Saltwater Anglers' Opinions on Management Tools

Most anglers supported the following fishery management tools used in saltwater: minimum size limits (81%), stocking saltwater fish (80%), daily bag limits (77%), "A voluntary catch and release program" (63%), saltwater slot-length limits (53%), "A catch and release area for a specific saltwater fish" (52%), "Prohibiting the use of certain types of sport fishing gear" (51%), maximum size limits (51%), and "Not being allowed to fish in certain restricted areas" (51%). A plurality supported "Not being allowed to keep certain species of fish during certain times of the year" (47%), "Having certain fishing areas closed during part of the year" (45%), and "Not being allowed to keep certain species of fish in certain areas" (43%). A plurality (49%) opposed "A mandatory stamp to retain a specific species", and a plurality (33%) were neutral on "Prohibiting the use of certain types of bait".

Economics of Saltwater Fishing Trips

On average, saltwater anglers spent $228 on a typical saltwater fishing trip. The trip lasted 2.4 days (84% of trips were three days or less), and involved one-way travel of 113 miles

Constraints to Fishing

Over 72% of anglers who fished last year, and 61% of anglers who did not fish last year indicated there were factors which prevented them from fishing as often as they would like. About 89% of anglers indicated that "Too many work/family commitments" prevented them from fishing more often. "Other activities take up my leisure time" prevented 66% of anglers from participating more often. Additional constraints on anglers included "The cost of equipment is too high" (38%), "It is difficult to find others to fish with" (33%), and "License fees are too expensive" (29%).

Selected Group Differences

There were statistically significant differences between male anglers and female anglers, white/Anglo and black/African-American anglers, and Hispanic and non-Hispanic anglers in personal characteristics, previous experience, social organization variables, species sought, fishing motivations, orientation towards catching fish, and level of support for various fisheries management tools. Examples of significant group differences with implications for fisheries management are as follows:

Women were more likely to fish with family groups while men were more likely to fish alone or with friends. Women had less years of fishing experience than men, and were more likely to report that they were "less skilled" than men. Women were more likely than men to support prohibiting certain types of gear and bait used for fishing.

Black/African American anglers were more likely than white/Anglo anglers to fish in saltwater and fish within their city or town limits. Black/African American anglers were more likely than white/Anglo anglers to be shore-based anglers. White/Anglo anglers were more likely than black/African American anglers to be members of fishing clubs or organizations, and to participate in fishing tournaments. Black/African American anglers preferred to catch crappie most often in fresh water, whereas white/Anglo anglers preferred to catch black bass most often.

Hispanic anglers had less years of experience in both fresh and saltwater fishing than non- Hispanic anglers, and were more likely than non-Hispanic anglers to indicate they were "less skilled" when compared to other anglers in general. Hispanic anglers were more likely than non-Hispanic anglers to fish in salt water and within their city/town limits.

Discussion

Aggregate results from this survey look much the same as those in three previous statewide angler surveys (Ditton et al. 1990, Ditton et al. 1991, Hunt et al. 1991). This indicates a high level of reliability among the questions used in the statewide angler survey.

Whereas the statewide angler survey was designed to produce aggregate results representative of the population of licensed anglers in Texas, an exploratory effort was made to partition survey results based on anglers' personal characteristics (i.e. gender, race, and ethnicity) to test for and better understand group differences. There were three reasons why this research effort to better understand the diversity of the angler population is timely. First, four population trends (decreased rate of growth, the population is aging, minority populations are increasing, and traditional, married couple households are decreasing) will have tremendous implications for recreational fishing participation and financial support for fisheries management unless intervention efforts are made. Second, programs that seek to socialize new participants to fishing, mainly youth and women, are underway. Other groups need to be targeted with recruitment programs as well. And third, the new electronic licensing system being implemented by TPWD makes it easier than ever before to understand the wants and needs of particular angler market segments in support of agency programs and services.