Changes in the Utilization of New York's Great Lakes Recreational Fisheries

Abstract

Given the biological, environmental, and regulatory changes that have occurred over the past 10 years with New York's Great Lakes fisheries, it is important to update estimates of angler effort and expenditures. Changes in angler effort and expenditures may relate to changes in fish stocks, habitat, and other more general demographic trends. Data from two mail surveys conducted in early 1997 were used to estimate angler effort and expenditures on New York's Great Lakes waters for calendar year 1996. In 1996, 37% of people who bought a fishing license in New York, or 392,270 anglers, fished at least 1 day on New York's Great Lakes waters. Approximately one-quarter (24.1%) of these anglers came from outside New York State. Anglers fished an average of 13.7 days for a total of 5.4 million days on Great Lakes waters in 1996. The most striking changes in Great Lakes fishing effort in New York over the past 20 years have occurred on Lake Ontario. Effort increased during the 1970s and 1980s and was highest in the late 1980s to early 1990s, at over 2.5 million days. Effort has dropped by one-third between 1988 and 1996. Lake Erie did not experience the increase in fishing effort seen on Lake Ontario in the early 1980s, but did experience a similar decrease in effort between 1988 and 1996. Despite changes in fishing regulations to remove snagging on the Salmon River, angler effort was basically unchanged between 1988 and 1996. Fishing effort along the St. Lawrence River was relatively constant between 1973 and 1988, but increased by almost 30% between 1988 and 1996. Possible explanations for changes in fishing participation using both biological and sociological data are discussed.