“I catch whatever’s biting!”: Motivations, constraints, and facilitators of no-preference anglers residing along New York’s Lake Ontario Coast

Abstract A survey of 7000 property owners in the seven counties bordering Lake Ontario in New York State was conducted to examine the relationships among motivations, constraints, facilitators, demographic and experiential characteristics, and fishing participation for resident anglers who did not have a preference for catching a specific fish species (i.e., ‘no-preference’ resident anglers). Understanding the relationships among these elements is important for fisheries promoters and business owners seeking to attract this large angler market. A total of 1303 questionnaires were returned, 681 of which were completed by anglers; 210 of these anglers self-identified as “no-preference” anglers. Two factor analyses (i.e., for motivations and facilitators/constraints) confirmed nine motivations and ten facilitators/constraints for “no preference” anglers. Path analysis results indicate that level of commitment to fishing (facilitator), economic costs associated with fishing (constraint), and nurture (passing on fishing knowledge and traditions to others; motivation) directly influenced fishing participation for responding no-preference anglers; several motivations, constraints, facilitators, and demographic characteristics indirectly influenced participation as well.