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Do Anglers and Fishery Professionals Think Alike?
Author(s) -
Connelly Nancy A.,
Brown Tommy L.,
Knuth Barbara A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fisheries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1548-8446
pISSN - 0363-2415
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8446(2000)025<0021:daafpt>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - fishing , license , fishery , business , agency (philosophy) , fisheries management , stakeholder , marketing , public relations , political science , sociology , biology , social science , law
Understanding differences and similarities between anglers and fishery managers can serve to inform and improve communication between the groups. Misperceptions about anglers' desires may lead to inappropriate management responses. Our study compared the views of anglers who bought a license to fish in New York State in 1996 with those of New York Bureau of Fisheries (BOF) staff and included a comparison among BOF staff to identify intra‐agency differences. Fishing activities were similar between anglers and BOF staff, although BOF staff interests were more strongly linked to coldwater species and ice fishing. BOF staff and 1996 anglers had similar preferences and opinions on many fisheries management topics and were generally satisfied with the bureau's overall performance. Both BOF staff and 1996 anglers also rated their support for many fishery management actions similarly; however, some differences were noted. Results from these comparisons should be viewed as an opportunity to increase communication and understanding among groups. We encourage other management agendes to compare their professional staff's views with those of key stakeholder groups.