Applications of a Telephone-Diary Survey Method for Estimating Participation, Effort and Catch: Examples from Australia Including Developments in the Analysis of Complex Survey Data

Telephone-diary surveys have been applied to estimate recreational fishing activities at state and national scales in Australia.  These surveys represent an off-site approach designed to provide detailed information about participation, effort and catch. The method involves a two stage process; initial selection of a sample of fishers and then repeated contact with respondents throughout a survey period (effectively a panel survey).  The primary contact method is by telephone, with fishers initially identified through general population screening (directory lists) or sampling of licence-frames.  Respondents are encouraged to use a simple memory-jogger diary to record key data and are contacted frequently by survey interviewers who are responsible for recording the fishing information.  Substantial reporting detail is achieved by this approach, with data collected at the level of individual fishing events. Furthermore, by effectively transferring much of the burden from respondents and customising the survey for each respondent, we have consistently achieved diary response rates of >90%.  To facilitate the analysis of survey data, we have developed an analytical package in R. This package provides for non-response adjustment, calibration against benchmark data, and the capability to account for the dynamic nature of fishing participation, i.e. persons entering and exiting the fishery. Using examples from recent state-wide surveys we demonstrate the sensitivity of catch and effort estimates to the different adjustments.