Exploring the Psychological Dimensions of Stewardship in Recreational Fisheries

Abstract

The sustainability of recreational fisheries is in part dependent on anglers acting as stewards of the resource. However, the psychological attributes that underpin anglers' adoption of voluntarily stewardship behaviors remain largely unknown. In this study, we tested a model of the factors that influence stewardship in the recreational fisheries sector. Specifically, we drew on identity theory to explore the role of one's identification as an angler in shaping moral norms and stewardship behaviors among anglers in Texas. Stewardship behavior was conceptualized along three dimensions related to private‐sphere, public‐sphere, and social stewardship activities. Data were taken from a statewide, mixed‐mode survey of Texas licensed anglers' attitudes, behaviors, and management preferences (n = 948). We hypothesized that one's identity as an angler and moral beliefs about acting as a steward of fisheries resources would predict three dimensions of stewardship behavior. Results indicated that one's identity as an angler is associated with normative beliefs and that these two factors have differential effects on engagement in multiple dimensions of stewardship behaviors.

Integrating multi-level values and pro-environmental behavior in a U.S. protected area

“…A total of 505 out of 667 respondents assigned a value above 0 to Ecological Integrity which was the one social value category selected for further analysis in this paper. Finally, three dimensions of intended pro-environmental behavior-Conservation Lifestyles, Social Stewardship, and Environmental Citizenship-were measured using nine survey items (three per construct) that were adapted from past research (Larson et al 2015) and later tested by Landon et al (2018).…”

Identifying and prioritizing human behaviors that benefit biodiversity

“…The human behaviors that influence biodiversity outcomes are multidimensional, requiring different types of engagement from a range of different audience segments (Larson, Stedman, Cooper, & Decker, 2015). These different behaviors can be classified as either public, private, or social sphere behaviors (Amel, Manning, Scott, & Koger, 2017;Landon, Kyle, van Riper, Schuett, & Park, 2018;Stern, Dietz, Abel, Guagnano, & Kalof, 1999), and are clustered within multiple behavioral "domains" (e.g., environmental activism, stewardship behaviors, donation of time and money, and consumption behaviors; Larson et al, 2015;Stern, 2000). Some behaviors are undesirable and behavior change programs encourage switching to a less undesirable behavior (i.e., that results in less adverse biodiversity outcomes), for example, switching from consuming beef to another animal protein (Searchinger, Waite, Hanson, & Ranganathan, 2018).…”

Tools for assessing the psychometric adequacy of latent variables in conservation research

“…Throughout the article, we reference terms from quantitative psychology (defined in Table 2). Data for the case study were drawn from Landon et al.’s (2018) investigation of the psychological drivers of anglers’ adoption of conservation behaviors in the United States. Data were collected in 2015 ( n = 948) through a tailored design method (Dillman et al.…”

“…In the context of Landon et al. (2018), latent variables hypothesized to influence behavioral intent were drawn from identity theory (Stryker & Burke 2000; Burke & Stets 2009) and the norm activation model (NAM) (Schwartz 1977). These types of theoretical frameworks are a crucial first step for any systematic inquiry of the psychological basis of conservation‐related behavior.…”

“…Landon et al. (2018) used several tests of convergent and discriminant validity that are commonly reported (Fornell & Larker 1981; Bagozzi & Phillips 1982; Bagozzi & Yi 1988). First, for convergent validity, we used 3 metrics to assess the extent to which each of the indicators shared a common factor: strength and statistical significance of factor loadings and estimated average variance extracted (AVE).…”