The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission considers it essential to gather scientific information concerning the behaviors, attitudes, and preferences of licensed saltwater anglers in Florida. The Florida Saltwater Fishing Panel (FSFP) is a new approach being used by the Commission to gather social science information from and about anglers on a continuing basis. This information, along with the results of biological research, will provide important insight into fisheries management and policy decisions.

Panel members will be surveyed once each month over the course of twelve months concerning the number of days they went saltwater fishing, hours of fishing, catch and release rate of different species, the origins and destinations of their latest fishing trips, and the amount of money spent on those trips. Each month members of the panel will also be asked for their opinions about current and emerging fisheries management and policy-related issues.

These data will be used to estimate effort and catch rates, develop models for estimating the economic impacts and value of saltwater fishing, assess the return on investments in potential new saltwater fish hatcheries, and better understand anglers’ attitudes on a range of subjects, including proposed regulations and policies.

Two methods are being used to recruit licensed saltwater anglers to register for the FSFP. Emails were sent to all resident saltwater license holders who provided their emails when they purchased their licenses. Other resident anglers are being recruited through sport fishing organizations and media, and word-of-mouth promotion. The data from the FSFP surveys will be weighted to be representative of the distribution of licensed Florida saltwater anglers.

The surveys which Panel Members will complete were developed and will be managed by the Recreational Marine Research Center at Michigan State University. The Center regularly conducts research nationwide and internationally focusing on marine recreation.