Measuring Angler Attitudes Toward Catch-Related Aspects of Fishing

Although activity-general motivations in the context of recreational fishing have received attention previously, the catch-related aspects of recreational fishing are less well understood. Labeled as consumptive orientation, this article seeks to fill a gap in the literature concerning the measurement of these aspects. Based on a modified version of a scale originally developed by Graefe (1980) Graefe, A. R. 1980. The relationship between level of participation and selected aspects of specialization in recreational fishermen, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University. Unpublished doctoral dissertation [Google Scholar], the authors performed a confirmatory factor analysis on scale responses from a sample of Texas anglers. The model was based on the hypothesis that the modified scale measures angler attitudes toward four distinct constructs: catching something, retaining fish, catching large fish, and catching large amounts of fish. Results indicated that the scale measures each of these four constructs and identified the appropriate scale items to use for each construct. The article discusses the implications of consumptive orientation from a measurement perspective and highlights some future research needs.