Attitudes and perceptions influence recreational angler support for shark conservation and fisheries sustainability

Abstract

Despite the perilous status of many shark populations, rallying support for their conservation has been challenging, due in part to both long held negative perceptions and desire for shark fisheries. Recreational anglers are often advocates of conservation and can act as valuable partners with resource managers in developing fisheries management and conservation strategies. However, understanding their attitudes and perceptions, particularly towards resource status and management, is essential to developing successful management strategies and predicting outcomes. As a case study for assessing the complex challenges of sustainable shark fisheries, Florida recreational anglers were surveyed to understand how attitudes and perceptions influenced their willingness to donate for shark 1) conservation and protection or 2) fisheries sustainability. Overall, recreational angler willingness to donate was 25.5%, but attitudes and perceptions helped explain dramatic divides. For instance, willingness to donate was only 6% among the subset of anglers that perceived a growing large coastal shark population as a threat to recreational fishing opportunities. Highest support for shark conservation was shown by anglers who value seeing sharks in the wild (41.4%), and even more so among individuals who occasionally target sharks while fishing recreationally (65.8%). Pervasive among anglers unwilling to donate was a perception that shark populations were increasing, and thus not in need of further protection. These findings illustrate attitudes and perceptions that challenge shark conservation and fisheries management, as well as the critical importance of engaging anglers when developing strategies that rely on the recreational angling community for support.

An evaluation of the public’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) in Trinidad and Tobago regarding sharks and shark consumption

“…Understanding the local context of sharks is essential to planning effective sustainable management and conservation initiatives [49,50,51]. In Trinidad and Tobago, shark consumption is prevalent but not frequent, and consumers generally knew very little about sharks even though they had good attitudes towards sustainable shark use and the public health implications of shark consumption.…”

Modelling anglers' fish release choices using logbook data

“…Understanding public preferences for water pollution abatement is also a topic of scientific interest (Mahieu et al, 2012). Concerning fish stocks, some papers investigate WTP for increased catch (e.g., Cantrell et al, 2004;Olaussen and Liu, 2011) or for stock conservation using stated preferences, in which stocks are one attribute in the fishery management scenarios (Chhun et al, 2013;Drymon and Scyphers, 2017;Smyth et al, 2009). The wide employment of stated preference data is largely due to the difficulty in identifying an objective measure of revealed preferences for fish conservation.…”

Are we ready for elasmobranch conservation success?

“…Additionally, reports of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) depredating Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in Florida recreational fisheries are increasing, particularly at popular tarpon fishing spots. Some anglers perceive sharks as increasing in abundance and therefore posing a threat to their catch (Drymon & Scyphers 2017). Whether increased shark depredation is due to a learned behaviour, decreased prey abundance, increased shark abundance, or all three factors, it has substantial economic and sociocultural impacts in commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries (Mitchell et al 2018a) and so must be considered as a source of conflict that may affect conservation efforts, especially where it leads to fishers killing sharks and/or lobbying against management measures.…”