2011 Online Survey Helps the Ohio Division of Wildlife Better Know Ohio Anglers

The Division of Wildlife conducted an Internet-based survey from May 3 to September 30, 2011 to continue learning more about fishing preferences and concerns of Ohio anglers.  Anglers taking the survey responded to 21 questions designed to provide information on a number of topics, including angler fishing habits, where they fished most often, their fishing preferences, and opinions on various fishing concerns. In addition, the survey was a component of a study designed to help the Division of Wildlife evaluate angler survey methods and approaches to gathering public input.

Fishing Preferences

Fish anglers prefer. Click to enlarge.

Over 1,700 anglers responded to the survey. The majority of anglers (65%) indicated that they fished less than once a week in 2010, but an appreciable proportion of anglers (18%) indicated that they fished 100 days or more last year. Eighty-three percent of anglers responding fished about the same number of days or more during the past five years. The greatest  percentage of anglers (42%) surveyed  preferred to fish inland lakes and reservoirs, followed by Lake Erie (26%), inland rivers and streams (15%), and private ponds (8%). Half of these anglers  preferred to fish for either black bass species (25%), or walleye, saugeye, and sauger (25%), with fewer preferring catfish (11%), crappie (8%), multiple types of fish (8%), anything that bites (6%), yellow perch (6%), sunfish (4%), steelhead (3%), muskellunge (2%), brown trout (1%), and catchable-sized rainbow trout (1%). Sixty percent of anglers said they fished outside of Ohio during the last three years, with locations such as Canada, Michigan, and Kentucky being the most popular out-of-state destinations.

Fishing Regulations

The Ohio Division of Wildlife incorporates anglers’ opinions when considering changes to fishing regulations and developing fishing opportunities. In this survey, anglers’ opinions of Ohio fishing regulations were generally positive. A vast majority of anglers (73%) believed that Ohio has “just the right amount” of fishing regulations compared to other states, with remaining anglers split among those that believe Ohio has too many (13%), or too few (14%) regulations.  Considering regulations specific to the American Electric Power (AEP) recreation lands, 59% of anglers that fished AEP lands said they approved of implementation of a 14- to 20-inch slot limit for black bass, where three black bass total may be kept per day, consisting of no more than two under 14 inches and no more than one greater than 20 inches. Twenty-nine percent of anglers either felt neutral regarding the regulation or did not know or care, whereas only 4% actually opposed this idea for AEP lands. 

Fishing Opportunities

In addition, anglers appeared supportive of the Division expanding fishing opportunities for hybrid striped bass and blue catfish in inland lakes and reservoirs. Sixty-seven percent of anglers responding indicated they would approve of increasing stocking of hybrid striped bass and 59% would approve of increasing stocking of blue catfish. Only 13% and 11% were unsupportive of stocking of more hybrid striped bass and blue catfish respectively, with the remainder of anglers responding as neutral on the subject.

Another series of questions was also used to better understand angler motivations for fishing and concerns about potential threats to fishing in Ohio. For example, in terms of selecting a place to fish, 81% of anglers said that reports of blue-green algae blooms were at least somewhat likely to affect where they fished, and 79% of anglers were at least slightly concerned about eating contaminated fish caught in Ohio. Consequently, it was not surprising to find that pollution (61%) was second only to invasive species (67%) among threats to fishing that anglers were very concerned about. To a lesser extent, anglers were very concerned about the affects of habitat loss (55%), misuse of lands (47%), over-fishing (46%), fish diseases (41%), and climate change (13%).

Conclusion

Results from this survey not only provided useful information about angler behavior and opinions, but  also help the Division of Wildlife better understand differences in angler responses among the different types of survey and public input approaches used by the Division. The Division uses a variety of survey and public input methods to better understand anglers including mail, creel, and online surveys, as well as open houses and public meetings. Each approach can provide useful information, but different methods likely reach different segments of the angling public. To better understand how different survey methods compare, the Division of Wildlife has partnered with social scientists at The Ohio State University (OSU) to explore how survey responses may differ based on the survey method used.  Over the next year, responses from this online survey will be compared to responses from identical questions asked during a mail survey conducted by OSU in 2010 and from those collected during on-the-water creel surveys.  Results will help the Division understand limitations of certain survey methods and identify the best approach for collecting different types of information.

Surveys such as the 2011 online survey assist the Division by tracking the trends in fishing participation and preferences of the fishing community, and by providing vital information on angler opinions regarding important fisheries management and policy issues.  Results from this, and other surveys conducted by the Division, help to develop a more complete picture of Ohio’s anglers, which is valuable information for working to improve fishing opportunities in Ohio. The Division plans to release more online angler surveys in the coming years and thanks anglers for their continued input and support.