Examining the Effect of Catch-Related Attitudes on Angler Preferences Using a Stated Choice Analysis

Changing angler preferences, diversifying demands, and shrinking budgets will challenge fisheries agencies in the coming decades to allocate scarce resources in a more efficient manner.  One method available to make this more manageable is market research which better defines desired angler opportunities.  To assist the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in developing a statewide catfish management plan, a survey of 1,078 catfish anglers was conducted to examine angler catch-related attitudes and trip preferences using a stated choice experiment.  Cluster analysis was used to assign anglers to five market segments based of their scores on four constructs of catch-related attitudes. Multinomial logit models were then used to analyze stated choice data for each market segment where choice of a hypothetical fishing trip served as the dependent variable and trip attributes served as the predictor variables. Market segments ranged from harvest-oriented anglers that obtained the greatest utility from harvesting fish to eat to size-oriented anglers whose utility was unaffected by harvest levels, but benefited greatly from catching large, trophy fish.  This methodology can assist agencies in better understanding the diversity of angling opportunities demanded by anglers, identify market shares for specific angling opportunities, and allocation of needed management resources.