New York Sea Grant Releases Strategies Report for Hooking More Anglers: NY

New York Sea Grant has released a new Sportfishing Fact Sheet and a report suggesting ³Strategies for Increasing Sportfishing Participation in New York¹s Great Lakes Region.²

Sea Grant and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry conducted a two-year study to identify the factors influencing angling participation in three life stages groups: children, adolescents and adults.

After analyzing survey and interview data from anglers, Coastal Tourism Specialist Diane Kuehn (who is also an Assistant Professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse) organized two focus groups comprised of anglers, coastal business owners, and government agency staff that worked together to identify forty-four different options for increasing angling participation.

Highlights of the Sportfishing Fact Sheet and Strategies for Increasing Sportfishing Participation report include:
€ male anglers begin fishing at an average age of 6.8 years,
while female anglers begin fishing at an average age of 9.8 ;
€ most anglers of both sexes began fishing with their fathers
€ the greatest factors influencing early participation: the angler's success rate for catching fish, opportunities to fish, and the skills of the person teaching the angler how to fish.
€ among the reasons kids stop fishing: they get bored, or dislike handling live or cut bait
€ schools, not-for-profits, businesses, corporations, government agencies and sportfishing promotion groups all have a role to play in attracting and keeping anglers fishing on New York¹s waters.

Sportfishing: A study of gender and life stage along New York's eastern Lake Ontario coast and the Strategies report are online at www.nysgtourism.org (go to Newsletters & Publications, then go to Sportfishing). To request a free printed copy, contact New York Sea Grant, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-312-3042, SGOswego@cornell.edu.

Source: NY Sea Grant