Case Studies in Combining Recreational Fisheries Data Collected from Multiple Agencies- How Can Creel Data Best be Used?

In the last decade, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, invested heavily in obtaining recreational fisheries data by conducting creel surveys at Great Lakes ports and inland lakes and rivers in Michigan. Creel surveys were conducted continuously for major Great Lakes ports and at approximately one hundred discrete inland waters as one-time survey efforts.  In recent years, attempts have been made to combine Michigan recreational fisheries data with recreational fisheries data collected by adjacent states and provinces and to translate the importance of recreational fisheries through economic valuation. This talk will outline the major outcomes of collaborative endeavors using examples from a Lake Michigan lake-wide creel database, a St. Mary’s River-wide creel survey, and a global inland assessment of recreational fisheries response to climate change. Discussion will include the challenges and benefits of combining recreational fisheries data obtained from multiple sources and explore how recreational fisheries data can be used to communicate the importance of fisheries to audiences beyond biologists and local anglers.