Management Briefs: Estimating Tag-Reporting Rates with Postcards as Tag Surrogates

We estimated angler tag-reporting rates by simulating the psychological environment associated with the decision to return a tag. Survey postcards were designed to serve as surrogate tags and measured the willingness of anglers to cooperate when given a certain level of reward. When no reward was offered, reporting rates in Alabama (37%) and Oklahoma (33%) conformed to nonreward tag-and band-reporting rates in the literature, When rewarded with limited-edition caps, reporting rates improved to 64% in Alabama and 67% in Oklahoma. Using postcards is quick, easy, and inexpensive compared with other techniques for estimating angler compliance but requires additional verification and refinement.