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Species‐specific preferences of German recreational anglers for freshwater fishing experiences, with emphasis on the intrinsic utilities of fish stocking and wild fishes
Author(s) -
Arlinghaus R.,
Beardmore B.,
Riepe C.,
Meyerhoff J.,
Pagel T.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.12546
Subject(s) - stocking , fishing , preference , fishery , biology , recreational fishing , recreation , hatchery , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , economics , microeconomics
To answer the question, whether anglers have an intrinsic preference for stocking or a preference for catch outcomes ( e.g . catch rates) believed to be maintained by stocking, a discrete choice experiment was conducted among a sample of anglers ( n = 1335) in Lower Saxony, Germany. After controlling for catch aspects of the fishing experience, no significant influence of two stocking attributes (stocking frequency and composition of the catch in terms of wild v . hatchery fishes) on the utility gained from fishing was found for any of the freshwater species that were studied. It was concluded that the previously documented large appreciation of fish stocking by anglers may be indicative of an underlying preference for sufficiently high catches rather than reflect an intrinsic preference for stocking or the catching of wild fishes per se .