Recreational angling demand in a mixed resource fishery

Several large Irish lake fisheries comprise both pike (Esox Lucius) and brown trout (Salmo trutta). Due to predation on trout, pike stocks are actively managed in several locations with the objective of enhancing the trout fishery, which is a policy strongly supported by some trout anglers but intensely opposed by pike anglers. In the context of scientific support for management decisions concerning these mixed resource fisheries there is a dearth of economics knowledge. This paper addresses some of that knowledge gap, investigating factors affecting angling recreational demand within these mixed resource fisheries and whether there are significant differences between pike and brown trout anglers. We estimate a travel cost model and test whether pike and trout anglers have different demand preferences. The most substantive policy-relevant finding from the research relates not to differences associated with target species but to angling club membership. Angling club members are more price inelastic in their demand and particularly so in the case of trout anglers.