The Effect of Angler Education Materials on the Practice of Selective Harvest: Evidence From a Survey Experiment

ABSTRACT Catch‐and‐release fishing campaigns have aided in fish conservation. In some cases, this success has perversely led to the decline of trophy fish via increased fish density. Little information exists on how to best address such cases of widely spread, but imperfectly implemented, social norms in fisheries. Our study tested a variety of message sources to establish the most effective format for changing angler behaviour. A survey experiment was administered online to licensed anglers in Wisconsin, Florida, and Missouri. All respondents were asked about their anticipated future behaviour regarding selective harvest after viewing at least two placebo videos related to fishing. Individuals in the treated groups watched a short additional video about the benefits of selective harvest, with the sole difference between treatments being the title given to the primary speaker. Anglers were significantly more likely to keep a small or big fish when presented with information on selective harvest regardless of the information source compared to not being provided information on selective harvest, except in the scenario of ‘at a fishery known for small fish, catch a big fish’. Anglers were significantly more likely to keep a small or big fish when presented with any information on selective harvest versus not, except in the scenario of ‘at a fishery known for small fish, catch a big fish’. Our results suggested that any information on selective harvest (contingent on anglers receiving it as was forced by our experimental design) had the potential to increase the likelihood of keeping a small fish. An overall reluctance to keep any size of fish was evident, particularly for big fish. Lingering reluctance to keep fish suggests a need for further research regarding revealed behavioural changes in response to education to promote selective harvest to satisfy diverse anglers desires of higher catch rates and trophy potential.