A Comparison of the Demographic Characteristics, Movtiations for Fishing, and Consumptive Orientation of Texas Urban and Rural Anglers

Sales of Texas fishing licenses have declined since 1988. Several authors have suggested that this decline is related to changes in the demographic characteristics of the Texas population, including increasing urbanization. As urban residents have been shown to participate in fishing less frequently than rural residents, the population of Texas residents most likely to engage in angling has declined accordingly. Based on these population trends, urban resident anglers (urban anglers) may represent the future of fishing. Information on urban anglers? demographic characteristics, motivations for fishing and consumptive orientation may be used to tailor and modify programs and policies targeting urban anglers. The purpose of this thesis was to identify differences between urban and rural anglers and to determine if the two groups were distinct from so-called average anglers. The thesis utilized data from the 2002 Statewide Survey of Texas Anglers. The independent variable, residency, was determined on the basis of United States Census Bureau criteria. Dependent variables included demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, race/ethnicity, and income), motivations for fishing, and consumptive orientation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare mean ii scores among the three groups. The study found differences among urban anglers, rural anglers, and anglers in general in terms of their demographic variables, motivations for fishing, and consumptive orientation. The thesis also shows that by managing resources for average anglers, agencies may be ignoring important (and growing) constituencies.