Fishing Victoria Forum

SURVEY OF FISHERS AND BOATERS GETS UNDERWAY

Media release

Wednesday 10 July 2019

SURVEY OF FISHERS AND BOATERS GETS UNDERWAY

A new survey of recreational fishers and boaters gets underway this month to better understand the social and economic value of these pastimes in Victoria.

Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said the previous study into the value of recreational fishing and boating is now more than five years old and a more current assessment is required to inform management approaches and investment decisions.

“The new survey, to be undertaken by Ernst & Young, is a partnership between the VFA and Better Boating Victoria, which was established to deliver on a commitment of the State
Government’s $35 million Target One Million plan for fishing and boating,” Mr Dowling said.

The new study will provide up-to-date estimates of:
• direct and indirect output;
• direct and indirect value added;
• direct and indirect full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.
• total annual recreational fishing participation.
Better Boating Victoria CEO Gary Gaffney said the survey will increase the knowledge base about the value boating brings to the community and help inform future boating strategies.

The study will collect data on recreational fishing and boating using a secure online survey of at least 1,000 participants.

The online survey will be conducted this month and next with the results to be analysed and modelled to determine the economic value of recreational fishing and boating sectors.
Ernst & Young will produce three reports in spring: one for recreational fishing, one for boating, and one for recreational fishing and boating combined. All reports will be made publicly available.
Submissions are welcome, particularly regarding what recreational fishing and/or boating means to you, your family, your business and your community. All submissions will be considered and assist with the final reports.
Submissions can be emailed to helen.myroniuk@vfa.vic.gov.au by 16 August 2019 or for more information email dallas.d’silva@vfa.vic.gov.au

Media contact: Marc Ainsworth 0448 512 213

so is there a link to this ONLINE survey?

fishingvic wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:22 am

SURVEY OF FISHERS AND BOATERS GETS UNDERWAY

......“The new survey, to be undertaken by Ernst & Young, is a partnership between the VFA and Better Boating Victoria, which was established to deliver on a commitment of the State Government’s $35 million Target One Million plan for fishing and boating,” Mr Dowling said.

.............The study will collect data on recreational fishing and boating using a secure online survey of at least 1,000 participants.

From my perspective.... conducting a sample survey of 1% of the recreational fishing (and boating) community (Target 1 Million campaign) and from those results extrapolating statistics to wholly represent Victorian social and economic values, further more those results eventually will be used to support government action or inaction via policy is a rather poor investment by the VFA and Better Boating Australia.

One percent in anyone's language would not seriously reflect the full spectrum of the fishing and boating community's social & economic values and contributions. Make it meaningful and survey 10%, or more...... 1000 people for all the waterways, lakes, fresh and salt must be like 2 people to survey in every geographic 'area'. Doesn't sound very representative to me.

Rant over, here who else wants a soap box.

I think I heard somewhere that once a sample size gets over about 800 or so adding more participants doesn’t give you any more reliability as long as the sampling method gives you a random sample.

Biggest issue is that online surveys are self selecting (i.e. not random) so you’re going to get a bias towards groups of people that are highly motivated to do the survey. In this case it might mean casual fishermen who only go out once or twice a year are underrepresented while people who get right into it are over represented.

I agree with 4liters. The sample size doesn't concern me as much as the method of sampling. The fishingvic post is confusing. It talks about a survey, and that implies the same standard set of questions for each respondent, but it then invites "submissions" from respondents. If they are relying on submissions alone they are going to have to try to make sense of a random assortment of responses with no guarantee that all of the responses will provide the information they need to draw conclusions. It all sounds a bit airy fairy to me.

Sound bit fishy to me.