The decisions anglers make regarding where to fish involve trade-offs amongst the qualities of fishing sites. The types of sites available (e.g., streams, rivers, lakes, etc.), the costs associated with visiting potential sites, and other factors are all weighed in anglers' site choice decisions. Economic models capable of quantifying the utility anglers derive from different site characteristics can inform policy and management decisions affecting those characteristics; they can also be used to evaluate the effects of demographic and environmental change on fishing. This research demonstrates one such model—a random utility travel cost model of Utah anglers' site choice decisions—constructed with data on nearly 3,000 fishing trips made during 2021 and 2022 as well as geospatial data characterizing fishing opportunities within the state. The model suggests the site choice decisions of anglers in Utah are driven, in part, by the size of human populations surrounding fishing locations as well as the weather on the day of the trip. Knowing the human population and climate will change in the years ahead, managers can anticipate the likely impact these forces will have on the well-being derived from fishing. We pair the results of our model with projections of population growth and changes in climate-dependent characteristics of fishing sites to quantify potential losses to angler welfare over the next several decades. Fisheries and land managers can make strategic policy decisions to mitigate these losses and ultimately support the sustainability of fish, fish habitat, and fishing experiences.
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Smith et al. (2024) studied this question.
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