Assessing Anglers Identification of Common Fish Species of Nebraska

Creel surveys, also known as angler surveys, entail individual interviews with anglers. The interviews include a variety of questions pertaining to their fishing trip on that particular day. The interviewer asks the angler questions that include, but are not limited to what species they caught that day, the size of the fish, how many hours they spent fishing that day, what bait they were using, etc. If the angler does not know the species caught or misidentifies the species there is the potential for the recorded data to negatively impact management techniques that rely on the creel survey data. One hundred sixteen anglers from Nebraska were surveyed at Cabela’s retail store in La Vista, Nebraska and tested on their ability to identify 14 common fish species found in Nebraska. Anglers were also asked their age, years of fishing experience, and the number of fishing outings the angler goes on annually. The results show that a potential problem exists when it comes to anglers being able to correctly identify common fish species found in Nebraska. The results show that age, years of fishing experience, and the number of fishing trips in the last year have almost no effect on the number of fish they were able to correctly identify