Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33840031
06/06/02
1996 Angler Effort and Expenditures on New York's Great Lakes Waters
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Coastal Recreation Fact Sheet
Source: New York Sea Grant
Authors:
Nancy A. Connelly, Research Specialist
Cornell University Department of Natural Resources
Diane Kuehn, Coastal Tourism Specialist
New York Sea Grant
Tommy L. Brown, Senior Research Associate
Cornell University Department of Natural Resources
Barbara A. Knuth, Associate Professor
Cornell University Department of Natural Resources
INTRODUCTION
Biological, environmental, and regulatory changes that
have occurred over the past 10 years with New York's
Great Lakes fisheries have made it necessary to update
estimates of angler effort and expenditures. The last
comprehensive assessment of these fisheries occurred in
1988 (Connelly et al. 1990). Previous assessments in
1973 (Brown 1975) and 1976-77 (Kretser and Klatt 1981)
provide valuable trend data.
This study was implemented by Cornell University
researchers with funding from New York Sea Grant and
the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation to determine current levels of angler use
on New York's Great Lakes waters (i.e., Lake Erie, the
Niagara River, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario and
its embayments, and the portions of tributaries up to
the first barrier impassable to fish).
METHODS
Data from two mail surveys conducted in early 1997 were
used to estimate angler effort and expenditures on New
York's Great Lakes waters for calendar year 1996. The
first survey, hereafter referred to as the statewide
angler survey, was sent to a sample of 17,000 fishing
license holders in January 1997. The sample was drawn
systematically from all resident and nonresident
licenses that permitted fishing for the license year
beginning October 1, 1995, and ending September 30,
1996. The questionnaire contained questions on 1996
fishing effort and expenditures by fishing location.
The layout of the questions was identical to the 1988
statewide angler survey (Connelly et al. 1990).
The second survey, hereafter referred to as the Great
Lakes survey, was sent to a sample of 5,000 fishing
license holders in January 1997. The sample was drawn
using the same criteria as for the statewide angler
survey.
Non-respondent telephone follow-ups were conducted for
both surveys. Estimates of angler effort and
expenditures were adjusted downward to correct for non-
response bias. As had been found in a previous survey
of anglers (Connelly and Brown 1992), those who
traveled farther were more likely to have reported
expenditures than those who traveled shorter distances.
Using only reported data would therefore lead to over-
estimates of total expenditures. We corrected for this
bias by weighting the data of those who traveled
shorter distances more heavily (corresponding to the
amount of non-response) than those who traveled farther
distances.
Estimates of 1996 effort and expenditures were made by
combining the two data sets according to methods
detailed in Connelly et al. (1997). For trend
comparisons between 1988 and 1996, we used only data
from the statewide survey to maintain comparability.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Survey Response
Of the 17,000 questionnaires mailed for the statewide
angler survey, 822 were undeliverable and 8,760
completed questionnaires were returned, for an adjusted
response rate of 54%. Of the 5,000 questionnaires
mailed for the Great Lakes survey, 222 were
undeliverable and 2,780 completed questionnaires were
returned, for an adjusted response rate of 58%.
1996 Angler Effort
In 1996, 37% of people who bought a fishing license in
New York, or 392,270 anglers, fished at least one day
on New York's Great Lakes waters. Approximately one-
quarter (27%) of these anglers came from outside New
York state.
Anglers fished Great Lakes an average of 13.7 days for
a total of 5.4 million days in 1996. Lake Ontario
received the largest proportion of fishing effort, with
its eastern end (Jefferson and Oswego Counties)
receiving the most use, Table 1(Vis. 1). The St.
Lawrence River and Lake Erie had almost one million
days and more than half a million days of use,
respectively, in 1996.
Fishing effort for 1996 was split between boat and
shore fishing for most water bodies, Table 1(Vis. 1).
Charter boat fishing was more popular on Lake Ontario
than on the other water bodies, accounting for about
14% of fishing effort. Shore fishing was the
predominant use (89%) on the Salmon River.
Detailed information about where anglers live in
general, what they fish for, and how much they spend at
the fishing site for each of the major Great Lakes
water bodies can be found in Tables 2 through 8. The
results for each water body are broken down by media
regions. These regions represent multi-county areas
served by the mass media, Figure 1(Fig. 1). Some
counties have overlapping media regions. This analysis
assigns each county to the single metropolitan media
area from which it draws most strongly in terms of
television and newspaper coverage (SRDS 1993). This
analysis indicates toward which media regions
fisheries-related promotional materials could be
directed (Brown 1981).
Table 1. 1996 angler numbers, effort, and expenditures
by major New York Great Lakes water bodies.(Vis. 1) *
* Data based on combination of statewide and Great
Lakes surveys.
**Insufficient sample size to estimate.
Figure 1. Major media regions in New York State.
(Fig. 1)
Anglers fishing Lake Ontario mainly come either from
media regions bordering Lake Ontario (59% of Lake
Ontario anglers) or from out-of-state (23%; Table 2)
(Vis. 2).
Table 3 (Vis. 3) includes media region information for
specific sections of Lake Ontario. For Lake Erie, 83%
of anglers come from the Buffalo media region and 10%
are from out-of-state, Table 4(Vis. 4). The St.
Lawrence River attracts 20% of its anglers from the
Watertown media region, 68% from other regions in New
York, and 12% from outside New York state, Table 5
(Vis. 5). The Niagara River draws anglers mainly from
the Buffalo media region (85%), with 11% from out-of-
state, Table 6(Vis. 6). The Salmon River attracts 15%
of its anglers from the Syracuse media region, 8% from
the Albany region, 8% from the New York City region,
19% from other regions in New York, and 50% from out-
of-state, Table 7(Vis. 7). Cattaraugus Creek receives
90% of its anglers from the Buffalo media region, Table
8(Vis. 8).
Coldwater and warm water fishing activities are
reported in Tables 2 through 8. Coldwater species
consisted of lake trout, rainbow/steelhead trout, brown
trout, coho or Chinook salmon, Atlantic/landlocked
salmon, and brook trout. Warm water gamefish consisted
of walleye, bass, crappie, northern pike, and muskie.
Anglers fishing Lake Ontario, the Salmon River, and
Cattaraugus Creek spent the majority of their time
fishing for coldwater species, while anglers fishing
Lake Erie, the St. Lawrence River, and the upper
Niagara River fished mainly for warm water species
(Tables 2 to 8).
1996 Angler Expenditures
In 1996 anglers spent more than $170 million on trips
to New York's Great Lakes waters. Most of this,
approximately $134 million, was spent at the fishing
site, with the remainder, $37 million, spent en route.
Per day expenditures were higher for out-of-state
residents ($57.03 at-site, $13.08 en route) than for
residents $13.08 at-site, $5.74 en route).
1996 Angler Satisfaction
Overall, anglers were neutral to satisfied with their
Great Lakes fishing experiences. Satisfaction with each
fishing location was measured on a 7-point scale where
1 = very dissatisfied, 4 = neutral, and 7 = very
satisfied. Anglers who fished the St. Lawrence River
had the highest mean level (5.2) of satisfaction. All
other water bodies were in the 4.5 to 4.8 range.
Table 2. 1996 number of anglers, angler effort,
expenditures, and species fished for on Lake Ontario by
New York state media regions. (Vis. 2)*
*Data based on combination of statewide and Great Lakes
surveys.
**Insufficient sample size to estimate.
Anglers also were asked to rate each location on a 7-
point scale where 1 = a common or ordinary fishing site
and 7 = a special or unique fishing site. Results of
this type of rating were more variable than
satisfaction; the Salmon River and the St. Lawrence
River were rated more unique (5.1 and 5.0 respectively)
and Lake Erie and the upper Niagara River more common
(3.9 and 3.8, respectively). Lake Ontario was rated
intermediate at 4.3 while the lower Niagara River rated
4.5 and Cattaraugus Creek rated 4.0.
Figure 2. (Fig.2) Estimated angler effort in number of
days by major New York Great Lakes water bodies.
(Sources: Brown 1975, Kretser and Klatt 1981, and
Connelly et al. 1990.)
Great Lakes Fishing Trends
The most dramatic changes in Great Lakes fishing effort
in New York over the past 20 years have occurred on
Lake Ontario, Figure 2(Fig. 2). Effort increased during
the 1970s and 1980s and was highest in the late 1980s
to early 1990s when it was over 2.5 million days.
Effort dropped by one-third between 1988 and 1996.1
Changes have occurred between 1988 and 1996 in the
species fished for on trips to Lake Ontario. The
proportion of effort associated with salmon decreased,
whereas the proportion of effort associated with warm
water fish, especially bass, increased, Table 9(Vis. (Vis.
9). The number of anglers fishing Lake Ontario
decreased by 44% between 1988 and 1996. This decline in
angler effort and numbers caused an estimated decrease
of approximately 23% in at-location expenditures (1988
estimates were adjusted upwards to account for
inflation for these comparisons with 1996 data).
1) Estimates of 1996 fishing effort reported in Table 1
(Vis. 1) differ somewhat from Figure 2
(Fig. 2). Data for 1996 in Table 1
(Vis. 1) represent a combination of the two angler
survey data sets and should be most accurate. To
analyze trends in Figure 2 (Fig. 2), we used only
statewide angler survey data to reduce chance for
methodologically based differences.
Changes in Lake Erie fishing effort were similar to
Lake Ontario but not as dramatic, Figure 2(Fig. 2).
Lake Erie did not experience the large increase in
fishing effort seen on Lake Ontario in the early 1980s
but did experience a similar decrease in effort between
1988 and 1996. Fifteen percent of this effort was
devoted to bass fishing in 1988 compared to 31% in
1996, Table 9(Vis. 9). The percentage of effort devoted
to walleye declined somewhat. The estimated number of
anglers fishing Lake Erie declined 29% between 1988 and
1996. This led to an estimated decline in at-location
angler expenditures of 33% between 1988 and 1996.
Despite changes in fishing regulations on the Salmon
River, angler effort was basically unchanged between
1988 and 1996, Figure 2(Fig. 2). The percentage of
anglers coming from out-of-state increased from 40% in
1988 to 48% in 1996. The percentage of total effort
associated with coho and Chinook salmon dropped from
47% in 1988 to 37% in 1996; the proportion of effort
associated with rainbow/steelhead trout increased
between 1988 and 1996, Table 9(Vis. 9). The estimated
number of anglers fishing the Salmon River remained
fairly stable between 1988 and 1996, while estimated
at-location expenditures for anglers increased by
approximately 40%.
Fishing effort along the St. Lawrence River was
relatively constant between 1973 and 1988, but
increased by 29% between 1988 and 1996, Figure 2
(Fig. 2). The distribution of effort among species
showed little change between 1988 and 1996, Table
9(Vis. 9). Although angler effort increased, the number
of anglers fishing the St. Lawrence River has decreased
by about 14%. Estimated at-location expenditures
increased by nearly two-thirds.
Table 3. 1996 number of anglers, expenditures, major
media regions that anglers reside in, and species
fished for on Lake Ontario by section of Lake Ontario
fished.(1)
(Vis. 3)
1) Data based on Great Lakes survey.
Table 4. 1996 number of anglers, angler effort,
expenditures, and species fished for on Lake Erie by
New York state media regions.(1)
(Vis. 4)
1) Data based on combination of statewide and Great
Lakes surveys.
**Insufficient sample size to estimate.
Table 5. 1996 angler numbers, effort, expenditures, and
species fished for on the St. Lawrence River by media
regions.(1)
(Vis. 5)
Table 6. 1996 number of anglers, angler effort,
expenditures, and species fished for on the entire
Niagara River, upper Niagara River, and lower Niagara
River by New York state media regions.(1)
(Vis. 6)
1) Data based on combination of statewide and Great
Lakes surveys.
**Insufficient sample size to estimate.
Angler effort decreased by an estimated 9% along the
Niagara River between 1988 and 1996. Angler effort for
different fish species showed little change along the
upper river, but changed somewhat on the lower river.
In 1988, the species most fished for on the lower river
was rainbow/steelhead trout; in 1996 bass was the
species most fished for. The number of anglers fishing
the Niagara River in 1996 decreased 24% from 1988,
while the at-location expenditures decreased by 35%.
Fishing effort increased slightly on Cattaraugus Creek
between 1988 and 1996. The number of anglers increased
by 29% and angler at-location expenditures doubled.
Table 7. 1996 number of anglers, angler effort,
expenditures, and species fished for on the Salmon
River by New York state media regions.(1)
(Vis. 7)
Table 8. 1996 number of anglers, angler effort,
expenditures, and species fished for on the Cattaraugus
Creek by New York state media regions.(1)
(Vis. 8)
1) Data based on combination of statewide and Great
Lakes surveys.
**Insufficient sample size to estimate.
Table 9. Percent of angler effort by species in 1996
and 1988 by major New York Great Lakes water bodies.(1)
(Vis. 9)
1) 1988 data based on Connelly et al. (1990); 1996 data
based on statewide survey.
*Percent of effort was less than 5%, so effort was
included in other category.
Literature Cited
Brown, T. L. 1975. The 1973 New York statewide angler
study. Cornell University/NYSDEC.
Brown, T. L. 1981. A market segmentation of New York's
Great Lakes anglers. Research report, New York Sea
Grant Institute: Albany, New York.
Connelly, N. A., and T. L. Brown. 1992. Item response
bias in angler expenditures. Journal of Leisure
Research. 24:288-294.
Connelly, N. A., T. L. Brown, and B. A. Knuth. 1990.
New York statewide angler survey 1988. New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation: Albany, New
York.
Connelly, N. A., T. L. Brown, and B. A. Knuth. 1990.
New York statewide angler survey 1988. New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation: Albany, New
York.
Kretser, W. A., and L. E. Klatt. 1981. 1976-77 New
York angler final report. New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation: Albany, New York.
SRDS. 1993. Spot TV and cable source. 75(10: PRA9-A15.
Copies of this publication are available from:
NY Sea Grant
101 Rich Hall
SUNY College at Oswego
Oswego, NY 13126
(315) 341-3042
This paper is a result of research funded by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award
#NA46RG0090 to the Research Foundation of the State
University of New York of the New York Sea Grant
Institute. The U. S. Government is authorized to
produce and distribute reprints for governmental
purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation that
may appear hereon. The views expressed herein are those
of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views
of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies.
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