Sutton, 2006:

"A combination of telephone and mail survey methods was used to collect information from Great Barrier Reef area (GBR) and non-GBR area recreational fishers in Queensland regarding their demographic and fishing participation characteristics, the importance of fishing, their motivations and consumptive orientation, their beliefs, opinions and involvement in fisheries management, stocked impoundment fishing and social values. The telephone survey contacted 13,390 fishers between February 16, 2004 and March 18, 2004. In total, 9,754 interviews that provided basic household-level information were completed (73% response rate). Only active recreational fishers (those who had fished in the previous 12 months)
were interviewed further. This resulted in 2,733 full interviews and a sample of 2,355 fishers who agreed to participate in the follow-up mail survey. Questionnaires were mailed to these fishers on May 5, 2004. In total, 1,385 usable surveys were returned. After non-deliverables were eliminated, the effective response rate was 60%. A nonresponse bias check suggested that older more experienced and committed fishers may be somewhat overrepresented in the mail survey. This should be taken into consideration when viewing and using the results of this study.

Demographic and fishing participation characteristics

• Most (81%) GBR and non-GBR area fishers were male.
• Average age was 41 years.
• Median household income was $30,000 - $39,999.
• Fishers from both areas had approximately 27 years fishing experience.
• Significantly more GBR area fishers (27%) than non-GBR area fishers (17%) said they go fishing fortnightly or more often.
• Average number of days fished during the previous 12 months was significantly higher for GBR area fishers (23.5 days) than for non-GBR area fishers (20.5 days).
• For both groups, most fishing over the previous 12 months occurred in inshore and offshore marine waters. However, GBR area fishers fished significantly more days in offshore water and significantly fewer days in freshwater lakes, dams and weirs than non-GBR area fishers.
• A majority (61%) of GBR area fishers and a minority (18%) of non-GBR area fishers reported fishing in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park during the previous 12 months.
• Coral trout and barramundi were the most preferred species for GBR area fishers, whereas whiting, flathead and silver bream were most preferred by non-GBR area fishers.
• Most GBR (90%) and non-GBR (85%) area fishers said that they usually fish with family and/or friends.
• A majority of GBR (64%) and non-GBR (51%) area fishers reported that someone in their household owns a boat that they use for fishing. Most (73% GBR; 77% non-GBR) reported single boat ownership with an average length of 4.9m.
• A minority of fishers (6% GBR; 8% non-GBR) reported being a member of a fishing club or conservation organization.
• A majority of fishers (75% GBR; 73% non-GBR) said that they were moderately or very satisfied with fishing in Queensland.
• Seventy two percent of GBR area fishers and 70% of non-GBR area fishers reported that there are factors that prevent them from fishing as often as they would like.
• Statements about why fishers do not fish more often that received the highest level of agreement/strong agreement were "I have too many work/family commitments" (75% GBR; 75% non-GBR), and "Other leisure activities take up too much of my time" (38% GBR; 47% non-GBR).

The importance of fishing

• Statements about the importance of fishing to the fisher's lifestyle that received the highest level of agreement/strong agreement were "Most of my friends are in some way connected with fishing" (41% GBR; 26% non-GBR), "I would rather go fishing than do most anything else" (35% GBR; 26% non-GBR), and "Other leisure activities don't interest me as much as fishing" (33% GBR; 27% non-GBR).
• Mean centrality to lifestyle (i.e., the extent to which a fishers' lifestyle and social networks are connected to fishing) for GBR area fishers (2.47 out of 5) was significantly higher than for non-GBR area fishers (2.27 out of 5).
• Significantly more GBR area fishers (42%) than non-GBR area fishers (26%) said that fishing is their most important outdoor activity.
• A majority of fishers in both areas (54% GBR; 63% non-GBR) agreed that other activities could be substituted for fishing.
• GBR area fishers most commonly cited camping (36%) and hiking (23%) as potential substitutes for fishing. Non-GBR area fishers most commonly cited camping (45%), hiking (34%) and surfing/waterskiing (32%) as potential substitutes for fishing.

Motivations and consumptive orientation

• Individual questions designed to measure motivations for fishing that received the highest level of very important/extremely important were "For relaxation" (78% GBR; 78% non-GBR), "To be outdoors" (67% GBR; 69% non-GBR), and "To experience unpolluted natural surroundings" (65% GBR; 68% non-GBR).
• For GBR area fishers, the motivation that received the highest score (i.e., level of importance) was "relaxation" (3.53 out of 5), followed by "socialization" (3.46), "experiencing nature" (3.45), "catching fish" (3.14), and "experiencing excitement" (3.12).
• For non-GBR area fishers, the motivation that received the highest score was "relaxation" (3.55), followed by "experiencing nature" (3.49), "socialization" (3.39), "catching fish" (3.14), and "experiencing excitement" (3.07).
• Individual questions designed to measure consumptive orientation that received the highest level of agreement/ strong agreement were "I usually eat the fish I catch" (84% GBR; 77% non-GBR), "A fishing trip can be successfuleven if no fish are caught" (78% GBR; 75% non-GBR), and "I'm happier if I release some of the fish I catch" (72% GBR; 70% non-GBR).
• For GBR area fishers, the catch-related aspect of fishing that received the highest score (i.e., level of importance) was "size of fish caught" (3.21 out of 5), followed by "keeping fish" (2.72), "catching something" (2.69), and "number of fish caught" (2.58).
• For non-GBR area fishers, the catch-related aspect of fishing that received the highest score was "size of fish caught" (3.28 out of 5), followed by "catching something" (2.67), "keeping fish" (2.66), and "number of fish caught" (2.57).

Fisheries management beliefs, opinions and involvement

• Statements about the effects of recreational fishing and the effects of catch reductions on fish populations that received the highest level of agreement/strong agreement were "Recreational fishing regulations are necessary to protect fish populations from over fishing" (84% GBR; 92% non-GBR), "Strict bag limits on recreational catch will lead to healthier fish populations in the future" (76% GBR; 85% non-GBR), and "Limiting recreational fishing catch today will help ensure quality recreational fishing in the future" (73% GBR; 79% non-GBR).
• Factors rated as a "major threat" to recreational fishing were "Over fishing by commercial fishers" (89% GBR; 89% non-GBR), "Loss or destruction of fish habitat" (82% GBR; 91% non-GBR), and "Pollution" (80% GBR; 89% non-GBR).
• Statements about recreational fishing issues that received agreement/strong agreement from a majority of GBR area fishers were "Recreational fishing regulations are adequately enforced" (53%), and "There are enough public boat ramps to meet my needs" (53%).
• Statements about recreational fishing issues that received the highest level of agreement/strong agreement from non-GBR area fishers were "There are enough public boat ramps to meet my needs" (49%), and "The quality of public boat ramps is good" (43%).
• Fisheries regulations that received the highest level of support/strong support were "Releasing fish below a certain length" (97% GBR; 98% non-GBR), "A limit on the number of fish you can catch at any one time" (88% GBR; 90% non-GBR), and "No fishing during spawning seasons" (88% GBR; 84% non-GBR).
• Sources of information about recreational fishing in Queensland that received the highest level of use were "Television shows" (46% GBR; 51% non-GBR), "Newspaper columns and articles" (46% GBR; 41% non-GBR), "Local bait or tackle shop" (43% GBR; 40% non-GBR).
• A minority of fishers reported ever attending a public meeting (25% GBR; 7% non-GBR), making a formal submission to a government agency (17% GBR; 7% non-GBR), or contacting their government representative (11% GBR; 7% non-GBR) about a fisheries-related issue.

Stocked impoundment fishing

• Approximately 15% of GBR area fishers and 20% of non-GBR area fishers had ever purchased a Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP).
• Impoundments fished most often by GBR area fishers were Tinaroo (35%), Teemburra (21%), and Peter Faust (21%). Dams fished most often by non-GBR area fishers were Somerset (16%), Bjelke-Petersen (11%), and Boondooma (11%).
• A majority of GBR area fishers listed barramundi as the species they most preferred to catch in stocked impoundments, whereas most non-GBR area fishers listed either bass (40%) or yellowbelly (23%).
• A majority of GBR (75%) and non-GBR (78%) area fishers said that they were either moderately or very satisfied with stocked impoundment fishing in Queensland.
• The most frequently cited reasons for why fishers had never purchased a SIP were "I don't live near a stocked dam requiring a permit to fish" (64% GBR; 64% non-GBR), and "I have no interest in fishing a stocked dam" (47% GBR; 50% non-GBR).
  

Social values

• Statements about the importance of recreational fishing and fisheries resources to fishers and society that received the highest level of agreement/strong agreement were “Even if I didn’t fish, it would still be important for me to know that healthy fish populations exist” (94% GBR; 96% non-GBR), “We should do everything we can today to ensure that future generations inherit healthy recreational fisheries” (91% GBR; 95% non-GBR), and “It is important that people have opportunities to view aquatic wildlife such as fish, coral and whales” (87% GBR; 90% non-GBR).
• The social value that received the highest rating was “Bequest and existence” (4.07 out of 5 GBR; 4.20 out of 5 non-GBR), followed by “Aesthetic/spiritual” (3.75 GBR; 3.84 non-GBR), “Research/education” (3.64 GBR; 3.74 non-GBR), “Subsistence” (3.31 GBR; 3.13 non-GBR), and
  “Intrinsic value” (3.08 GBR; 3.13 non-GBR).

Conclusions

• This study provides an extensive database on the social aspects of recreational fishing in Queensland. As such, it should begin to give managers and other stakeholders a better understanding of the recreational fishing sector, and allow the needs, concerns, and values of recreational fishers to be incorporated into the management process.
• The results presented in this report are primarily descriptive in nature, with the aim of providing a broad overview of the social characteristics of recreational fishing in Queensland. There is scope for future analysis of the dataset described to provide a further understanding of recreational fishers and their relationships with fisheries resources and fisheries management.
• A number of projects using the dataset collected here are currently be conducted including: 1) understanding constraints on recreational fishing activity; 2) investigating participation by recreational fishers in public consultation programs; and 3) analysing the content of the open-ended comments provided by respondents.
• Further work using the data collected here should explore managerially useful ways of segmenting the recreational fisher population with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the level of diversity within and between various segments.
• Variables such as satisfaction, social values, motivations, catch orientation, perceptions of threats and issues facing recreational fishing, and beliefs about fisheries management provide a baseline for monitoring future changes in the social characteristics of recreational fishing in Queensland. Such monitoring should be done in conjunction with State and Commonwealth efforts to monitor recreational fishing activity and recreational use of marine parks."

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Citation and/or URL

Sutton, S.G. 2006, An assessment of the social characteristics of Queensland's recreational fishers. Technical Report 65, CRC Reef Research Centre, Townsville, Australia

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Spatial Coverage

 Great Barrier Reef

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Temporal Coverage

 2004

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Update Frequency

 Not applicable 

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Other Information

 None