“Trust the process.” From professional sports to recreational fishing, that’s a term that’s been thrown around a lot. But just want kind of “trust” do saltwater anglers really have in the “process” of fisheries management?
That’s something that the researchers at Stockton University are hoping to learn in an ongoing study directed at the recreational fishing community in New Jersey. Dr. Dana Christensen is an adjunct professor at Stockton University and Ocean County College who has given presentations to saltwater fishing clubs throughout the state, and her latest work through Stockton is geared towards angler satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, as the case may be.
“In conducting this study, we hope to explore the patterns and preferences of our anglers separately from law enforcement and regulators,” Dr. Christensen said, explaining how this brief voluntary survey will provide an opportunity for anglers to share their wants, needs, opinions and concerns directly with the research community.
“There are many individual anglers who are dissatisfied,” said Dr. Christensen, adding “This survey allows us to systematically identify and analyze trends among our dissatisfied anglers for research purposes. Our intention (in the long run) is to develop a useful free technology to best support saltwater anglers that would also contribute to the efforts of scientific researchers and educators.”
Anyone who has any interest in saltwater fishing can complete the anonymous voluntary survey. The survey itself can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and Dr. Christensen hopes that the information collected can help establish trust and transparency between saltwater anglers and researchers on the fisheries management side.
To take the survey, simply point your camera phone at the QR image to open a browser on your phone cued up to the action survey. If you have questions, concerns, or even complaints, or perhaps you think the research questionnaire is harmful to the participants, contact the research team at Dana.Christensen@stockton.edu or by calling Stockton University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at 609-652-4844.
