Anglers' Avidity, Agency Trust, and Support for Policy Changes in Ohio

Sea lampreys present an evolving threat to sport fish restoration across the Great Lakes. While chemical treatments to control lamprey have been applied for years, public support for chemical use in general has eroded, and understanding the underlying causes may be important to maintaining support. Anglers are impacted by both the positive effects of control of lamprey and any possible risks. Anglers spend time and money on the resource, but their knowledge of chemical controls, and possibly the scope of the problem may be limited. Risk literature suggests that trust plays an important role in resource user's support of agency actions, such that as trust increases so does support. The present study surveyed steelhead anglers in Ohio (n=848), and investigated the impact of trust and two measures of avidity (days spent on Lake Erie and tributaries and dollars invested in steelhead fishing equipment) on support for continued chemical control of lamprey. Both trust and days spent on Lake Erie and tributaries were positively related to support for lamprey control. These results emphasize the need for agencies to maintain high levels of trust among anglers, especially in light of declining overall public support for actions perceived to be risky.