The following schedule is from the 72nd Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies which was held October 21-24, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
AUTHORS: Michael J. Maceina, Patrick L. Snellings, Terry R. Hanson – School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University; Diane Hite, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Auburn University
ABSTRACT: We described sociodemographics and expenditures of black bass (Micropterus spp.) anglers participating in eight different tournament types on Lake Guntersville, Alabama. In 2013, we estimated 9,035 anglers fished in 259 tournaments. Most anglers were middle-upper aged, Caucasian males, with an annual household income of over US$75,000, and who had participated in tournaments for over 15 years. Fishing quality experience (poor to excellent) was positively related to the number of fish weighed-in. Differences in tournament types among anglers were related to travel distance, expenditures, non-Caucasian participants, resident location, number of times fishing on Lake Guntersville, entry fees, and club membership. Anglers spent $4.5 million (average about $500 per tournament for each angler) that generated $208,000 in state and local tax revenue over a one-year period. However, expenditures varied by over an order of magnitude among different tournament types. Discrimination of unique tournament types was an important variable in understanding the complex sociodemographic and economic aspects of competitive black bass tournaments.
