| The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a theoretical understanding of catch-and-release behavior of recreational anglers. A theoretical framework was developed in which an angler's decision to keep or release caught fish was hypothesized to be a function of both personal factors (i.e., internal characteristics of the angler) and situational factors (i.e., characteristics of the situation in which the decision to keep or release fish takes place). Personal factors were expected to influence the catch-and-release decision directly by influencing the content of the angler's beliefs, norms, attitudes, knowledge, and values. Situational factors were expected to influence the angler's decision to keep or release caught fish by influencing what beliefs, norms, attitudes, values, and knowledge are brought to bear on the catch-and-release decision. This framework was tested using data collected from three different angler populations. For the personal factors included in the analysis, the odds of an angler releasing caught fish were negatively related to the importance placed on catching a "trophy" fish and the importance placed on keeping fish, and were positively related to centrality of fishing to the angler's lifestyle, but were not related to level of previous experience, importance placed on number of fish caught, or importance placed on catching "something". For the situational factors included in the analysis, the odds of an angler releasing caught fish were significantly related to fishing party size, number of fish caught, size of fish caught, species of fish caught, and whether the species caught was the angler's preferred species, but were not related to hours fished or whether another species of fish was retained. A number of significant interactions were observed between and among personal and situational variables, and the effects of some variables found to be significant predictors of catch-and-release choice were not consistent across all studies. Results support the general theoretical framework developed to explain catch-and-release behavior and suggest that the catch-and-release decision-making process is highly complex, with the potential to be influenced by a large number and wide range of personal and situational variables. Management implications of the results are discussed, and future research needs are identified. |
