Summary

Freshwater fisheries management requires knowledge of not only the resource but angler preferences and the extent to which preferences vary. This paper reports results from an internet-based stated preference survey of anglers in the North Canterbury region. Discrete choice models are used to investigate how the quality of fishery attributes impact anglers ’ selection of fishing sites. The models reveal significant preference heterogeneity between anglers for particular fishing site attributes. Furthermore, anglers ’ preference intensities for identical attributes vary between sites. Consequently, efficient allocation of resources entails spatial and social components