Dropping Out and Dropping In: A Study of Factors for Changing Recreational Fishing Participation

We used a longitudinal study design to understand the factors that cause changes in recreational fishing participation over time for a sample of anglers who had purchased a fishing license in 1989 and responded to a 1990 Texas statewide angler survey. License records from 1991 were used to identify subsequent license purchasers. In 1994, we sent a follow‐up mail survey to a random sample of 1,600 respondents to the 1990 statewide survey. One‐half had purchased a Texas fishing license in 1989 but had not obtained a 1991 license; the remaining 800 purchased Texas fishing licenses during both license years (1989 and 1991). There were four combinations among the original sample of 1989 license buyers. Those who did not follow up and purchase licenses in 1991 or 1994 were termed “inactive anglers” (17%). The second group participated again in 1991 but not in 1994; this group was termed “recent dropouts” (6%). A third group of 1989 license purchasers did not participate in 1991 but did so again in 1994; this group was labeled “drop‐ins” (27%). The fourth group of 1989 license purchasers also participated in 1991 and 1994; this group was labeled “active anglers” (50%). Whereas the four groups studied did not differ in race, household size and composition, and marital status, gender was found to play a role in the consistency of recreational fishing participation. Women comprised a larger percentage of recent dropouts and inactive anglers. Results showed that nearly 25% of the anglers in a particular year will become inactive within 1 or 2 years. Whereas anglers cited “a lack of time” as their most common constraint, it was also their most important reason for quitting fishing. Pending replication elsewhere, these results will yield a more realistic understanding of the angler base population.