Saltwater Recreational Angler Attitudes Survey 2013: National Results

9,200 anglers responded to a 2013 NOAA Fisheries national survey on recreational fishing attitudes and behaviors. The survey was administered via mail across six U.S. coastal regions, with an overall response rate of just over 27%. It captures data on fishing frequency, trip characteristics, management priorities, and factors influencing future fishing activity.

Use Cases

• Modeling factors influencing fishing trip frequency based on reported financial and leisure time constraints.
• Analyzing regional differences in angler attitudes and response rates mentioned for the North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
• Assessing priorities for fisheries management policy based on angler-rated objectives like species diversity and regulation simplicity.
• Profiling typical angler experience and behavior based on reported average fishing tenure (28 years) and annual trip days (25).

Strengths

• Survey developed through a collaborative review process with NOAA economists, regional coordinators, and stakeholder groups.
• Data collection followed a standardized methodology (Modified Dillman Method) and was approved under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
• Provides a national-scale snapshot with a substantial sample size of 9,200 completed surveys.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data reflects a single time point (2013) and may not represent current attitudes.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mail survey administered using the Modified Dillman Method, with recruitment and testing via focus groups.

Time Range

2013

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-11 23:32:40.856033; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United States (North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Alaska)