Angler Population Research Articles

Angler’s sense of place as an indicator for perceived vulnerability to shifting stock distributions

Climate change continues to warm ocean waters and cause fish stocks to redistribute to untraditional locations, prompting changes in angler behavior and destabilizing the connection they have built with particular places in order to fish successfully. This research evaluates recreational anglers’ sense of place in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (USA), as an indicator to assess perceptions of vulnerability in relation to shifting fish stock distributions through a mixed-methods research design. The findings of this research suggest that recreational anglers’ sense of place can be significantly associated with vulnerability perceptions as environmental conditions continue to shift. Sense of place is a key component of an angler’s identity and therefore must be preserved to promote community resilience, encourage sustainable behavior, and help anglers better adjust to change. Implementing sense of place as an indicator within vulnerability and well-being assessments may contribute to the robustness of the socio-cultural data collected within recreational saltwater angler populations to build holistic and adaptive ecosystem-based management plans, as well as assist with the movement towards climate-ready fisheries policy.

Catch orientation and public lake stocking preferences: A typology of freshwater anglers

Angler populations at public fishing areas are often heterogenous, implying that they seek a variety of fishing experiences. Understanding the typology of anglers that value different experiences and comparing their management preferences helps fishery managers meet angler expectations and enhance satisfaction. This study clustered a sample of the freshwater angler population in Tennessee based on the importance placed on catch-related aspects of fishing and compared the demographic characteristics, fishing behavior, public lake stocking preferences, and importance of non-catch-related aspects of fishing of the different clusters. A hierarchical cluster analysis of survey responses collected with a mixed-mode survey yielded four distinct angler clusters that varied in the importance that they placed on the catch-related aspects of fishing: Trophy anglers (30%), Native fish enthusiasts (45%), Non-specific consumers (17%), and Non-consumptive anglers (8%). There were significant differences in the demographic characteristics, fishing behavior, importance of non-catch-related aspects of fishing and preferred fish of the identified clusters. Findings from this study offer important insights to fishery managers on the underlying variation in the angler population that could inform the selection of fish taxa for stocking public lakes.

Been there, done that? Effects of centrality-to-lifestyle and experience use history on angling tourists’ loyalty to a Swedish salmon fishery

The incorporation of theories and methods from tourism research in recreational fisheries research is not common practice, despite many parallels between the two research fields. Adopting a tourism perspective could contribute to our understanding of angling tourists' attitudes and preferences and help identify the factors affecting the recruitment and retention of anglers. The concept of destination loyalty reflects a tourist's intention to revisit or recommend a destination, and provides a suitable avenue for studying (repeated) visits to a fishing destination. This study assessed the destination loyalty of angling tourists targeting Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) and sea trout ( Salmo trutta L.) at the Mörrum river in southern Sweden. A structural equation model validated positive relationships between the psychological dimensions of destination image, satisfaction, place attachment and destination loyalty. In addition, centrality of the angling activity to the anglers' life was identified as a precursor of place attachment and subsequent loyalty. Moreover, anglers with a high experience use history for fishing at Mörrum scored higher than other anglers on several of the indicators for image, satisfaction, place attachment and loyalty. These results show how applying a tourism perspective to traditional recreational fisheries research may help to explain angler loyalty to a recreational fishery, which ultimately contributes to the management of visitor numbers and experiences. The measurement model used in this study can inform future studies involving angling destination loyalty and contribute to creating a universal measurement scale for this construct and its antecedents. Finally, this study holds several implications for fishing destination marketing and management in terms of supporting diversification of the visiting angler population and the experiences the destination provides. The model presented in this study highlights the importance of destination image in promoting satisfaction, place attachment and ultimately destination loyalty in a fishing destination. Moreover, we discuss how understanding angler heterogeneity may inform selective marketing efforts and promote loyalty in a variety of anglers. Additionally, we suggest how improving catch and non-catch related destination attributes could enhance the quality of the fishing experience as a whole, which improves satisfaction and fosters place attachment. • Fishing destination loyalty depends on image, satisfaction and place attachment. • High-centrality anglers are more likely to attach, which increases their loyalty. • Image and satisfaction of Mörrum specialists differ from place-generalists. • Destination improvement should focus on the whole experience, not just the fishing.

Focusing on what matters most: Evaluating multiple challenges to stability in recreational fisheries

AbstractRecreational fisheries were traditionally theorized to self‐regulate in a sustainable feedback loop in which recreational anglers moderate their fishing effort in response to population declines. However, several mechanisms are hypothesized to break down this self‐regulatory process, including recruitment variability and depensatory population dynamics. Although many of these mechanisms of instability have been estimated in empirical systems and explored using modelling, we still do not know the extent to which these mechanisms can (1) erode stability at their observed strength in real systems and (2) interact to dampen or intensify each other's effects. In this study, we synthesize existing data on four of these mechanisms: (1) depensation in the stock‐recruit relationship, (2) recruitment stochasticity, (3) density‐dependent catchability and (4) the strength of anglers' responsiveness to changing catch rates. We report the range of observed values for these four mechanisms in real‐world fisheries and observe their effect on a simplified recreational fishery model. We find that at moderate fishing effort none of the mechanisms was destabilizing enough on its own to collapse the modelled population, but that an angler population that was likely to keep fishing when catch rates approached zero was a key element of interactions that caused collapse. The strongest interaction was between an angler population with this characteristic and a fish population with hyperstable catch rates. Our results highlight the need for more consistent and widespread estimation of utility‐based angler effort functions as well as the importance of interdisciplinary teams that can gather both social and ecological data.

Determinants of the value of fishing tourism experience among anglers

In this study, we aim to use survey data to define the value of the fishing tourism experience to anglers. Customer value is examined within the framework of Sheth et al. (1991) consumption value theory, complemented by the togetherness value suggested by Komppula and Gartner (2013). Our study, based on 937 responses from Finnish anglers, shows that value expectations differ. Six experience value-based segments within the tourist angler population were identified: service-minded novelty seekers; tranquillity seekers; service-oriented catch keepers; recognition seekers; food anglers; and novelty seeking experts. We propose that the customer value framework by Sheth et al. (1991), complemented by a two-dimensional togetherness dimension (family, friends), is well suited for defining the value of a hobby-related tourist experience. Additionally, three sub-dimensions of epistemic value are distinguished. The study presents numerous managerial implications for fishing tourism service providers.

An Online Voluntary Angler Catch Reporting Program for Managing Muskellunge Fisheries in Ohio: Trends in Catch Data and Angler Participation

AbstractMuskellunge Esox masquinongy fisheries in Ohio are maintained through annual stocking of advanced fingerlings (25–30 cm) at nine reservoirs. Voluntary angler catch reporting is the principal method for monitoring (stocking and angling success) these fisheries. During 1960–2007, anglers reported catching over 47,000 Muskellunge by mailing catch cards to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. In 2008, a new online catch reporting system, the Muskie Angler Log (MAL), was launched. Designed in collaboration with anglers, the MAL provides important fishery data to biologists while also serving as a fishing resource for anglers. Anglers who use the MAL can view, summarize, and download their personal catches, review reservoir‐specific stocking records and catch histories, and examine recent catch details that are voluntarily shared by other anglers. Catch data from the MAL is vital to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife for characterizing fisheries, tracking fishery performance (numbers and sizes), leveraging Muskellunge management decisions, and supporting Muskellunge‐specific research. Total reported catches in the MAL have increased over time, with most (six of nine) reservoirs showing increased or stable trends in reported catches. Despite increasing catch reports, annual angler participation in the MAL has declined, which could reduce the effectiveness of the system in monitoring these fisheries. It is not known whether this trend represents an actual decline in participation or is a function of the periodicity in catches among anglers. We modeled the change in the population size (λ) of anglers participating in the MAL using a mark–recapture method (Pradel model). Overall, the modeling indicated that the population of anglers using the MAL has declined since 2008, with the number of anglers belonging to a Muskellunge fishing club declining slower than that for nonclub members. Intervention methods promoting and incentivizing the use of the MAL will be required to assure that the MAL provides the necessary data for managing Muskellunge.

Spatial and temporal behavioral differences between angler-access types

Recreational angler surveys typically collect information on how anglers access a fishery. Yet, it is unclear how this information is useful for fisheries management and conservation. The objective of this study was to compare behavior (e.g., party size, time fished, and numbers of fish released and harvested) of bank and boat anglers, representing two angler-access types. Bank and boat anglers were surveyed across 29 Nebraska waterbodies from April through October, 2007–2017. We documented behavioral differences between bank and boat anglers that varied as a function of waterbody size and season. Patterns of party size, time fished, and numbers of fish released and harvested for bank and boat anglers differed across extra small, small, medium, and large waterbodies and across spring, summer, and fall. How anglers choose to access a fishery appears to be a source of heterogeneity within angler populations. Accounting for these spatial and temporal behavioral differences between angler-access types will be important for designing and implementing management regulations. We predict that angler-access types may respond uniquely to different management actions (e.g., size and bag limits, access maintenance, and cleanliness of amenities) that could lead to local and regional changes within and across fisheries (e.g., shift the composition of angler-access types). Continued collection and assessment of angler-access information is warranted and should lead to improved management and conservation of recreational fisheries.

Catch reporting in recreational fishing: Swedish anglers’ attitudes and preferences, and the effect of social factors

Recreational fishing activities have the potential to negatively affect fish populations worldwide, but data about fishing pressure is lacking in many countries. The Swedish government anticipates tackling this problem by implementing a national catch reporting program. Through an online survey among members of the Swedish Anglers Association (±60.000 members), this study gathers the attitudes and preferences of Swedish anglers (n = 910) through a variety of statements relating to the potential introduction of a catch reporting program and investigates the effects of different social factors (consumptive orientation, motivations to fish, centrality to life and environmental attitude) on these attitudes and preferences. The results reveal that support for a potential catch reporting program was high for most anglers. Significant positive relationships were found between support for a catch reporting program and the sense of responsibility towards conservation issues, the desire to catch big fish and experiencing the environment as a motivation to fish. On the other hand, the desire to keep fish and catch large numbers of fish had a significant negative relationship with catch reporting support. Support for a mandatory catch reporting program increased with age, education level, income and years of fishing experience. Despite the generally positive attitude towards a potential catch reporting program, consumptive orientation, motivations to fish, environmental attitude and demographic characteristics were proven to play an important role in the anglers’ preferences towards catch reporting, and should not be overlooked when designing such a program. Our study shows that investigation of the social composition of an angler population is vital to obtain a better understanding of the diversity of attitudes and preferences towards recreational fisheries management, which can in turn facilitate implementation of management measures, such as catch reporting programs. Since this study focused only on members of the national angling association, who are likely more avid than non-members, additional research is needed to obtain results that are more representative of the total Swedish angler population.

Angler preferences and satisfaction in a high-threshold bucket-list recreational fishery

It is important to understand recreational anglers’ motivations for fishing in order to predict when, where, and how they interact with species that can be sensitive to overfishing. So far, few studies have investigated angler motivation in recreational fisheries that are extremely distant from their angler population, require specialized angler skill, and pose other barriers to participation like high travel and equipment costs. We collectively refer to these as “high-threshold” fisheries and explore angler motivation and its implications for anglers’ decision-making in one particularly remote example, the Mongolian fly fishery for endangered taimen, Hucho taimen, the largest salmonid in the world. We used a mixed-methods approach that enriched discrete choice experiments with in-depth qualitative interview data to investigate anglers’ motivations for participating in the taimen fishery, their satisfaction with the fishing experience, and their stated interest in participating in the fishery in the future. We found that anglers preferred fewer high-quality, trophy-sized fish to a higher catch rate of smaller taimen, but that activity-general factors like the opportunity to travel to an “exotic” wilderness destination were also highly motivating. The anglers we sampled were all first-time taimen fishermen and many were bucket-list anglers who sought a wide variety of fishing tourism experiences throughout their lifetime and therefore and had no intention to return to the taimen fishery. Instead, these fishermen selected their future trips from among a set of similarly remote, specialized, and costly fisheries throughout the world, especially in developing countries. We argue that these high-threshold fisheries should not be studied in isolation but instead would benefit from a unified research approach that accounts for their unique traits and shared angler population.

Species-specific preference heterogeneity in German freshwater anglers, with implications for management

Abstract We used a stated choice experiment answered by 1335 German anglers and fit latent class models to understand preference heterogeneity where context was accounted for by species choice. Information theoretic approaches were used for model ranking, indicating that a three-class latent class model provided the best fit to the data. The three angler classes differed in centrality to life-style and harvest orientation as well as in the general utility experienced by fishing as opposed to not fishing. Moreover, the three angler types varied in their aversion towards cost, collectively suggesting that the three anglers classes differed by psychological commitment to fishing. The three angler types differed in the importance they attached to a range of attributes across several target species, most notably in relation to cost of fishing, catch-related angling qualities and crowding. Both catch rate and average size of the fish in the catch showed evidence of diminishing marginal utility returns, while the probability of catching trophy fish did not. Although not consistently significant across all target species, the most committed angler class benefited most consistently from size of fish, and the intermediately committed angler group from both catch numbers and size. By contrast, the least committed angler group was largely indifferent to many attributes of the fishing experience. Preferences for catch-related attributes and crowding were most pronounced in experiences targeting pike, carp, eel, zander and “other species”. There were no significant preferences for harvest regulations, stocking frequency and the composition of the catch in terms of wild vs. hatchery fish in any of the three angler types, independent of which species was targeted. Collectively, our study reveals the presence of substantial preference heterogeneity, most notably related to catch-related aspects of the fishing experience, crowding and cost of fishing. These preferences, however, are species- and angler-type dependent. Management implications Angler populations are heterogeneous with respect to preferences. Thus, one-size-fits-all policies are unlikely to be optimal for all. Managing freshwater fisheries for high catch rates, large sizes in the catch and limited crowding aligns well with the preferences of more committed anglers across most species and can thus be considered generic management objectives that safeguard high angler well-being of more specialized anglers. Alternatively viewed, alteration of catch prospects and to a lesser degree increased crowding is bound to produce disutility to more specialized anglers, particularly when fisheries move to low catch rates and small fish sizes as fishing pressure rises. Such changes are unlikely to cause large aversion to casual anglers, but this angler group is in the minority compared to more committed fishers, at least in our sample.

Review of best practices in recruitment and retention of North American hunters and anglers

The aging population of hunters and anglers, and the low rate of recruitment of new participants, represent major challenges for this sector of activities and for the regions where these activities are practiced, especially in North America. To counter this decline, initiatives and programs aimed at the recruitment and retention of new participants have been developed in recent years. This study tries to identify and evaluate the best practices in recruitment and retention of hunting and fishing clienteles. Generally speaking, these programs are intended to educate, inform, and initiate new participants and beginners about these outdoor activities in an entertaining fashion. They mainly take the form of weekend camps, special events targeting different market segments, competitions, seminars, and educational courses. These initiatives typically combine an educational component with a hands-on experience. In the end, the study highlights the need to develop a global strategy for the recruitment and retention of hunting and fishing clienteles in the province of Québec. Consequently, the programs and initiatives need to have a common vision and need to be developed in such a way as to complement one another, thus contributing to the optimization of financial resources as well as to recruitment and retention of hunters and anglers.

A Mark–Recapture‐Based Approach for Estimating Angler Harvest

AbstractFishing effort in “traditional” creel surveys is derived from instantaneous angler counts, which in some fisheries can carry a high cost in personnel time, resources, and safety. To estimate angler effort more efficiently and at lower cost, we used mark–recapture methods to estimate weekly angler populations in Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead O. mykiss fisheries on the Salmon River, Idaho. Weekly harvest estimates were the product of weekly angler population, mean number of days fished per angler per week, and mean harvest per angler per day. We compared traditional and mark–recapture estimates of weekly harvest using paired analysis on a sample of 48 weeks. We found no significant difference in harvest estimates between traditional and mark–recapture methods, and the mark–recapture estimates in our fisheries could be made at a savings of up to 50% in vehicle mileage associated with conducting angler counts. However, the width of 95% CIs around harvest estimates was significantly higher for the mark–recapture method, due to higher upper confidence limits resulting from right‐skewness of the sampling distribution of the mark–recapture‐based estimator. Precision could be improved by replacing time spent on counts in the traditional method with more time spent “capturing” anglers at access sites, still providing savings in vehicle mileage.

Comparing the Developmental Process of Consumptive Orientation Across Different Population Groups

ABSTRACTRecreational fishing provokes conservation concerns given the growing recreational demands on fisheries resources in different countries. Despite the negative impact of recreational fishing on fishery resources, it can contribute to improving resource conditions if appropriate legal and management institutions and understanding anglers' attitudes and behaviors are successfully accomplished. The purpose of this study is to investigate how anglers develop consumptive orientation using the concept and propositions of recreation specialization and to examine how the formation process of consumptive orientation is dissimilar across angler populations between Texas of the United States and Queensland of Australia. Study results suggest that, in some angler populations, increasing specialization may actually increase anglers' level of consumptive orientation; further investigation is needed to better understand the linkages among specialization, experience preferences, and consumptive orientation; and how these linkages can vary between angler populations or population segments.

Backcountry Limnology: Engaging Citizen Scientists to Collect Data on High Country Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds to Develop a Database for Climate Change Research

Backcountry Limnology: Engaging Citizen Scientists to Collect Data on High Country Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds to Develop a Database for Climate Change Research

Estimating the number of recreational anglers for a given waterbody

Knowing how many anglers use a given body of water is paramount for understanding components of a fishery related to angling pressure and harvest, yet no study has attempted to provide an estimate of the population size of anglers for a given waterbody. Here, we use information from creel surveys in a removal-sampling framework to estimate total numbers of anglers using six reservoirs in Nebraska, USA, and we examine the influence of the duration of sampling period on those estimates. Population estimates (N±SE) of unique anglers were 2050±45 for Branched Oak Lake, 1992±29 for Calamus Reservoir, 929±10 for Harlan County Reservoir, 985±24 for Lake McConaughy, 1277±24 for Merritt Reservoir, and 916±18 for Pawnee Lake during April–October 2015. Shortening the sampling period by one or more months generally resulted in a greater effect on estimates of precision than on estimates of overall abundance. No relationship existed between abundances of unique anglers and angling pressures across reservoirs and sampling duration, indicative of a decoupling of angler abundance and angling pressure. The approach outlined herein has potential to provide defendable answers to “how many are there?”, questions we ask when subjects cannot be marked, which should provide new insights about angler populations and subpopulations.

Muddling management: heterogeneity of blue catfish anglers

ABSTRACTHyman AA, DiCenzo VJ, Murphy BR. 2017. Muddling management: heterogeneity of blue catfish anglers. Lake Reserve Manage. 33:23–31.A world-record blue catfish was caught from Kerr Reservoir in 2011; since then, the state has experienced an influx of tournaments and trophy anglers. As a result, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) has sought a holistic management approach for the blue catfish fishery. In a pilot study, we surveyed 61 catfish anglers on Kerr Reservoir, which spans the Virginia–North Carolina state line, to examine their angling habits, harvest behavior, and management preferences. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, we identified 4 distinct angler groups that, on a broad scale, parallel other specialization studies: Tournament Specialists, Consumptive Specialists, Avid Generalists, and Occasional Anglers. Results from this study depict a dualistic angler population, with many anglers seeking trophy catfish while others wish to harvest many catfish. The most-specialized anglers had a tendency to support stricter harvest limits and setline regulations, whereas the least-specialized opposed stricter regulations. With such polarized attitudes, we suggest that VDGIF and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission work with anglers to avoid disputes regarding gear and harvest regulations in the future. Specifically, we suggest state agencies test the use of spatial regulation of setlines (i.e., the agencies limit setline use in portions of the reservoir). Results from this research could help fisheries managers regulate trophy fisheries by understanding their anglers and in turn help to set management goals and objectives that best meet the desires of their stakeholders.

Interaction of ecological and angler processes: experimental stocking in an open access, spatially structured fishery.

Effective management of socioecological systems requires an understanding of the complex interactions between people and the environment. In recreational fisheries, which are prime examples of socioecological systems, anglers are analogous to mobile predators in natural predator-prey systems, and individual fisheries in lakes across a region are analogous to a spatially structured landscape of prey patches. Hence, effective management of recreational fisheries across large spatial scales requires an understanding of the dynamic interactions among ecological density dependent processes, landscape-level characteristics, and angler behaviors. We focused on the stocked component of the open access rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fishery in British Columbia (BC), and we used an experimental approach wherein we manipulated stocking densities in a subset of 34 lakes in which we monitored angler effort, fish abundance, and fish size for up to seven consecutive years. We used an empirically derived relationship between fish abundance and fish size across rainbow trout populations in BC to provide a measure of catch-based fishing quality that accounts for the size-abundance trade off in this system. We replicated our experimental manipulation in two regions known to have different angler populations and broad-scale access costs. We hypothesized that angler effort would respond to variation in stocking density, resulting in spatial heterogeneity in angler effort but homogeneity in catch-based fishing quality within regions. We found that there is an intermediate stocking density for a given lake or region at which angler effort is maximized (i.e., an optimal stocking density), and that this stocking density depends on latent effort and lake accessibility. Furthermore, we found no clear effect of stocking density on our measure of catch-based fishing quality, suggesting that angler effort homogenizes catch-related attributes leading to an eroded relationship between stocking density and catch-based fishing quality at the timescale of annual surveys. We conclude that declines in fishing quality resulting from understocking (due to declines in catch rate with low fish abundance) and overstocking (due to suppressed growth and limited recruitment at high density) give an optimal stocking rate that depends on accessibility and latent effort.

Demand for fishery regulations: Effects of angler heterogeneity and catch improvements on preferences for gear and harvest restrictions

Allocating limited funds across competing management actions to generate the fisheries improvements most desired by anglers requires in-depth knowledge of angler preferences for aspects of the fishing experience. Characterizing angler preferences in terms of a probability distribution, rather than simply a population mean, provides fisheries managers with insights into how preferences vary across the population of anglers. This is particularly important with respect to fishing regulations, for which anglers may have strong yet diverse preferences. To examine angler preferences and how these preferences vary across the population of trout anglers, we estimated a random parameters logit model of trout fishing site choice using data from a mail and internet administered choice experiment of Michigan trout anglers (response rate—44.6%). We found that, even though on average trout anglers do not prefer fishing at sites with the most strict fishing regulations (Catch and Release Only and Artificial Flies Only; p<0.01), about 18% and 26% of anglers do prefer sites with these regulations (all else equal). We then exploit positive and statistically significant (p<0.01) mean preferences for trout catch rates and sizes to examine how sites with regulations that result in offsetting catch-related improvements can increase the proportion of anglers preferring such sites. These results can help improve trout fishery management by focusing scarce resources on the improvement of the most-preferred catch-related attributes, while understanding how anglers are affected by gear and harvest regulations.

Quantifying the Seafood Consumption Patterns of Recreational Anglers in Charleston and Berkeley Counties, South Carolina.

This study was designed to provide self-reported data on the frequency of fish consumption and shellfish consumption in Charleston and Berkeley (CB) counties, South Carolina. While commercial fishing and recreational fishing have played an important role in the culture and history of the area, information on the specific patterns of consumption by recreational anglers has been previously unavailable. The pilot data presented here will help determine the feasibility of a large-scale survey of seafood consumption in coastal South Carolina. The study’s sampling frame consisted of CB county anglers who had purchased a recreational saltwater fishing license for the 2005/2006 year with oversampling in North Charleston. Survey recipients were asked to provide information on fish consumption and shellfish consumption, general angling habits, perception of water and fishing quality, and demographics. Of the 2500 individuals who were sent questionnaires, about one-fourth responded. Respondents were generally white, middle, or upper class and highly educated. The majority fished by boat and most often ate flounder, spotted sea trout, and red drum. Most respondents ate shrimp several times a month and also supplemented their recreational catch with seafood purchased from grocery stores, markets, and restaurants. Almost all respondents had eaten some seafood in the last year, and more than one-fourth ate seafood twice a week or more. Most anglers responded positively about the area’s fishing and water qualities, but many referred to areas where they would hesitate to eat their catch. Further research may need to incorporate direct distribution of surveys to underrepresented groups and financial incentives to encompass a more diverse population of anglers.

Optimal management of recreational fisheries in the presence of hooking mortality and noncompliance — predictions from a bioeconomic model incorporating a mechanistic model of angler behavior

Using a bioeconomic model, we systematically investigated how hooking mortality and regulatory noncompliance influenced management outcomes across a range of freshwater fish species exploited by diverse angler populations. The model integrated an empirically based submodel describing the behaviour of three angler types with an age-structured fish population submodel calibrated to five life-history types (LHTs). Increased hooking mortality generally undermined regulation effectiveness, decreased socially optimal input (license numbers) and output regulations (minimum-size limits), and eroded the social welfare anglers derived from the fishery. However, the results strongly varied with LHT and angler type. Noncompliance had an isolated effect, primarily affecting fish species with low compensatory reserves when hooking mortality was low. However, in the absence of regulatory constraints on effort, noncompliance facilitated recruitment overfishing and increased the minimum-size limit required to avoid it. Despite added mortality from hooking and noncompliance, the strong dependence of angler utility on catch rates usually meant socially optimal management safeguarded biological sustainability. Yet, ignoring hooking mortality and noncompliance when predicting optimal regulations often led to population collapse. To conclude, models designed to derive recommendations for recreational fisheries management must consider both hooking mortality and noncompliance. Otherwise, dissatisfied anglers or biologically overfished stocks are possible.