A Mixed Logit Model Approach to Investigate Trout Angler Preferences for Fishing Site Attributes

At the 2014 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, I presented research which used a stated preference choice experiment to examine trout angler preferences for gear and harvest regulations.  This research found that while trout anglers on average have strong preferences against Catch & Release Only and Flies Only regulations, there are sizable components of the trout angler population have preferences for these regulations (while holding catch-related fishing site attributes constant). Exploiting this heterogeneity in angler preferences, policy simulations were then developed to illustrate how the proportion of anglers preferring these strict regulations changes when these regulations are accompanied by increases in trout catch rate and catch size.  This research into angler preferences for regulations has attracted the attention of fisheries managers, who have continued to fund my research in this area.  The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has recently funded a similar survey to examine Maryland trout angler preferences for regulations and other fishing site attributes.  This survey will be implemented in Spring 2016, with preliminary results on Maryland trout angler preferences being available in late Summer 2016.