Great Lakes Recreational Fisheries and Their Role in Resource Management and Policy

In 1999, Bence and Smith presented a comprehensive characterization of Great Lakes recreational fisheries as part of the first bi-national perspective of Great Lakes fisheries management and policy.  In the 2010 update, we focus on the types of recreational fishing data and their application in fisheries management and policy.  In both U.S. and Canadian waters, recreational anglers form a significant and ubiquitous component of the fishery, both as harvesters and stakeholders of Great Lakes fisheries.  As a result, they have tremendous impact on Great Lakes management and policy.  Important angler data include angling effort and catch of fish, status and trends in recreational participation, socio-economic characterization of recreational anglers, and information on how to engage anglers in proactive policy to benefit Great Lakes fisheries management.  Across countries and states, most programs that gather angler data are locally and independently designed, often based on agency management needs, budgets, and other factors.  Despite this, the network of established programs can be loosely linked to provide a comprehensive and somewhat cohesive picture of Great Lakes recreational angling.  We discuss some angler data collection efforts and ways in which these data have been used in Great Lakes fisheries management and policy.   We also suggest program changes that could create greater collection efficiency and regional application of information, particularly in regard to data that characterize anglers themselves.