Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Oklahoma
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Understanding the diversity of anglers’ perception and valuation of fishing in Oklahoma streams is important by ODWC biologists for management. How anglers value the quality and experience of fishing at Illinois river and how they compare it with other tributaries of Lake Tenkiller (Baron Fork, and Caney Creek) may help in understanding and managing the expectations of anglers in these and similar-sized streams in the Ozark region of Oklahoma. Questions such as the value of river trips, total welfare loss if streams were inaccessible, and attitudes and preferences of anglers in maintaining high-quality fishing experience would provide invaluable information to fishery managers and help develop sound management strategy for ODWC. Survey-based valuations such as choice modelling coupled with creel surveys would allow researchers to fully evaluate the black bass fisheries in these systems.