Factors influencing fishing participation by bass anglers residing in

New York’s Lake Ontario Region

Diane KuehnMatt Brincka

Valerie LuzadisSUNY College of Env. Science and Forestry

Funding provided by NY Sea Grant

Purpose

• To identify the motivations, constraints, facilitators, and demographics influencing resident bass angler fishing participation.

Theoretical background

• Motivations: the “cognitive forces that drive people to achieve particular goal states” (Decker, Brown, & Siemer, 2001).

• Constraints: elements that intervene between leisure preferences and participation (Crawford and Godbey, 1987; Henderson, Stalnaker, and Taylor, 1988).

• Facilitators: the factors that “enable or promote the formation of leisure preferences and encourage participation” (Raymore, 2002).

Sample

• Random sample:• 7,000 property owners

from Lake Ontario counties

• 1,000 per county

• Survey conducted fall, 2009

Questionnaire

• Questions included:• Species preference• Demographics & experiential characteristics• Motivations, constraints, facilitators

Survey questions

• Motivations• “I go fishing…”• Scale: -2 (strongly disagree) to 0 (neutral) to 2

(strongly agree)

• Constraints and facilitators• “Does this factor limit or enable your fishing

participation?”• Scale: -2 (greatly limits) to 0 (neutral) to 2

(greatly enables)

Survey questions

• Participation• Number of trips each year (2005-2009)• Average calculated• Converted to categories:

• 0 = 0 - 2 trips/year• 1 = 2.1 - 5 • 2 = 5.1 – 10• 3 = 10.1 – 20• 4 = 20.1 +

Methods

• Modified Tailored Design Method used (Dillman, 2007)

• Two Confirmatory factor analyses (EQS):

• Constraints and facilitators

• Motivations

• Stepwise linear regression

Response

• 5,580 in qualified sample

• 1,303 respondents (response rate = 23%):• 681 anglers completed full survey• 165 bass anglers (24% of anglers)

Bass Angler Demographics

Age (average) 57 years

Education (avg.) 15 years

Gender 91% male; 9% female

Income $51,000-100,000: 47%

Residence

Participation (avg.)

Rural: 69%; suburbs: 19%; city: 12%

15 trips/year

Confirmatory Factor analysis: Motivations

• Affiliation (0.845)• Nature appreciation (0.879)• Nurture (0.916)• Personal achievement (0.831)• Competition (0.881)• Success (0.722)• Satisfaction with catch (0.880)• Escape (0.801)

Root Mean-Square Error of Approx. (RMSEA) = 0.05

Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.919(Cronbach’s alpha)

Confirmatory Factor analysis: Constraints & facilitators

• Health/Well-being (0.894)• Past experience (0.894)• Social support (0.779)• Economic costs (0.815)• Time (0.831)• Access/Equipment (0.883)• Level of knowledge (0.844)• Level of interest (0.765)• Level of commitment (0.822)• Perceptions of environment (0.876)

RMSEA = 0.048CFI = 0.896

(Cronbach’s alpha)

Factor means: Motivations

Motivation Mean Motivation Mean

Nature appreciation

1.3 Escape 0.6

Affiliation 1.2Satisfaction with catch

0.5

Personal achievement

1.0 Success 0.4

Nurture 0.7 Competition -0.9

Scale: -2 = strongly disagree, -1 = disagree, 0 = neutral, 1 = agree, 2 = strongly agree

Factor/Variable means: Constraints

Constraint Mean

Bad weather -0.8

Time -0.6

Perceptions of environment -0.3

Economic -0.1

Scale: -2 = greatly limits, -1 = limits, 0 = neutral, 1 = enables, 2 = greatly enables

Factor/Variable means: Facilitators

Facilitators Mean

Good weather 0.9

Social support 0.7

Access & equipment 0.6

Level of knowledge 0.6

Level of interest 0.5

Level of commitment 0.4

Scale: -2 = greatly limits, -1 = limits, 0 = neutral, 1 = enables, 2 = greatly enables

Regression

R2 = 0.375

F = 14.529

p < .001

n = 127

Summary

Motivations: Personal achievement

Constraints: None

Facilitators: Social support (-)Level of interestLevel of commitment

Experiential: If the angler fishes with a child

Management implications

• Bass anglers are very committed to bass fishing – not as dependent on social support as other angler groups.

• Efforts to increase skills, challenge, & interest will likely increase participation.

• Family-based fishing events may also increase participation.

Questions?

Thanks to

New York Sea Grant

for funding this study!