Maine's Voluntary Anglers

This program solicits sports fish catch information from anglers who keep diaries of their fishing trips. The data yield statewide information on the number, size, and species composition of the catch; catch rates; and the contribution of stocked fish.

This program will be continued indefinitely because it returns high yields for the relatively small costs that include providing diaries, mailing them to and retrieving them from anglers, and summarizing data. Participants are now recruited opportunistically. An organized recruitment methodology would increase the number of participants.