Cultural basis of sport anglers’ response to reduced lake trout catch limits

The cultural domain of southeastern Wisconsin anglers along Lake Michigan was assessed from responses to a state-proposed reduction in the daily allowable catch of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush. The study’s baseline was an extensive random survey in 1980 of the area’s anglers with respect to Lake Michigan fishery resources. The 1984 lake trout issue was addressed by a restudy involving a small dimensional subsample of 1980 respondents and was cross-validated with ethnographic interviews. The findings suggest that anglers have responded over time to the state’s policy proposals in a manner consistent with a stable value system that is not seriously masked by changes in short-term attitudes about the fishery. The results further indicate that, once a good cultural data base is established, the sociocultural impacts of proposed fishery policies can be evaluated inexpensively by a restudy approach.