Fish and Game Angler Opinion Survey on Website

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game wants to know what anglers think about fishing opportunities in Idaho and has posted the 2006 Angler Opinion Survey on the Internet. Since 1968, Fish and Game has surveyed angler opinions every five to six years. The survey also was mailed recently to about 10,000 randomly selected resident and non-resident anglers across Idaho. The survey seeks opinions about fishing opportunities and management direction to be used in completing the 2007 to 2012 Fisheries Management Plan. Opinion surveys are mailed to random anglers to avoid sampling bias. This information provides a valid statistical analysis of the responses and assists in showing what the angling public wants from Fish and Game. The random mail survey allows Fish and Game to project results from a sample to the whole population of anglers. Fish and Game also has posted the 2006 survey on its website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov to hear from more anglers. Responses to the Internet survey will not be a random. These results will have some bias that prevents Fish and Game from projecting them to the entire angler population. But information from both surveys will help Fish and Game propose draft fish management direction for the next six years. The Fish and Game Commission is expected to act on the management plan later this year. The survey will take an estimated average 25 minutes to complete.