Using angling logbook data to inform fishery management decisions

With the sustainability of fish resources threatened across many locations globally, decisions on fishery management are often based on inadequate information. This paper presents a methodology that uses fishery data collected for the purpose of administering and monitoring harvest quotas in a recreational fishery to give additional insights into effectiveness of various fishing methods, and expected catch rates associated with different licence types. The empirical application is based on the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recreational fishery in Ireland but the statistical analysis is easy to replicate and the models are flexible enough to allow different specifications applicable to other fisheries. The output of the analysis facilitates a better understanding of the factors associated with recreational catches, which in turn provides supplementary information to inform the regulation and management of recreationasl hfeiries.