Nebraska Catfish Anglers: Descriptions And Insights Derived From The 2002 Nebraska Licensed Angler Survey

, 5000 six-page surveys (Appendix 1) were sent to a stratified-random sample of Nebraska anglers drawn from the 2001 Licensed Anglers database. The database included all anglers who purchased a license in 2001 as well as all lifetime fishing permit holders who purchased their license before or during 2001. The database did not include those possessing a free permit, such as veteran's or senior citizen permits. The survey subsample (2.6% of the 2001-licensed angler database) was stratified such that the proportions of surveys in the subsample (4366 residents and 634 non-residents) matched the proportions of resident/non-resident license holders. Two weeks after the original mailing, a postcard reminder was sent to all 5000 survey recipients encouraging those who hadn't completed the survey to do so and thanking those that had. While postage procedures did not allow for non-deliverable surveys to be returned, 691 of the reminder postcards were returned as undeliverable indicating a valid mailing of 4309 surveys (2.2% of the 2001 licensed angler database). Surveys were completely anonymous and contained no linking identification. Respondents were asked their zip code which was used during analysis to identify Fisheries Division District of residence. Surveys were received through May of 2003 with 1386 surveys returned. This represented a 32.2% response rate. Generally, the more urbanized the district, the lower the response rate observed. Analyses in this report will refer to number of different groups. Catfish seeking anglers are defined as any angler who has spend at least 1 trip during 2002 in pursuit of a catfish species (channel, blue, flathead, or bullhead). This is the most general group included in the analyses and is also the least avid group of anglers in regards to their relationship to catfish angling. Catfish anglers are defined as those respondents who identified a catfish species as the species they most prefer to target. Catfish anglers represent a smaller group of respondents with a higher avidity for catfish angling than catfish seeking anglers. The third group identified and examined in this report are Nebraska Catfish Angler Association members, referred to as NCAA anglers. These anglers are the smallest segment of anglers sampled and represent the most avid catfish anglers in the state. Surveys results were obtained from NCAA anglers during their February 2003 business meeting and used the same survey instrument that was distributed during the 2002 NLAS. NCAA angler responses are not included in Catfish Seeking or …