What is an Angler Survey?
Angler survey is a general term referring to any method of sampling used to collect recreational fishery information (catch, effort, angler profiles and opinions etc.). An angler survey can be conducted on site (access, roving, and aerial) or off site (mail, telephone, door-to-door, and voluntary). On-site methods, also known as creel surveys, have been used extensively on various Michigan waters to estimate angler effort, harvest, and catch. Fisheries Division has completed creel surveys on over 400 inland waters since 1940 and conducted surveys annually on many selected sites on the Great Lakes since 1985. Mail and voluntary surveys have also been used to collect angler information at various geographical scales.

Michigan's Statewide Angler Survey Program
Angler surveys in Michigan are conducted as part of the Statewide Angler Survey Program (SASP). The angler survey program is one of the largest statewide programs in Fisheries Division.  SASP consists of staff from the Institute for Fisheries Research (2), Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station (2), Fisheries Division office in Lansing (1), and more than 40 creel clerks throughout the state.

The objectives of Michigan's Statewide Angler Survey Program are:

1. to manage a continuous record of sport fishing effort, catch and harvest, catch and harvest rates, and catch composition for important Great Lakes, tributary, and inland fisheries of the state of Michigan.
2. to provide consistent protocols and data collection methods, and program oversight; and
3. to provide timely data analysis of recreational fisheries statistics for Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division managers, research biologists, and the public.

Creel surveys have provided essential information, which is necessary to evaluate status and trends in fish populations and fisheries (Ryckman and Lockwood 1985), characterize a fishery (Herman 1989), evaluate fishing regulations (Lockwood et al. 1995), or evaluate fish stocking (Wagner et al. 1994) and other management practices (Alexander et al. 1979, Schneider and Lockwood 1979, Beyerle 1984, and Galbraith and Schneider 1984). Hayes et al. (2003) recommended that on-site angler surveys should be the primary method used for stocking evaluation.

Creel surveys are providing critical information for ongoing stock identification and assessment activities. For example, these data can be used to identify Great Lakes, tributary and inland fish stocks and to determine their abundance, spatial distribution, movements, and contribution to fisheries. In addition, these data have been, and will continue to be, used to develop, test, and improve decision models that reflect the dynamics, structure, and management of fish communities and fisheries.

Responsibilities of Institute for Fisheries Research

Research Biologist (Scientific aspects of SASP):
* Incorporate new techniques and technologies
* Refine survey procedures
* Advanced data analysis
* Peer-reviewed publications
* Overall study/survey design.

Technician Specialist (Data management):
* Collect and integrate data from field units into master database
* Data checking
* Contact creel clerks to resolve problems with data
* Troubleshoot problems with PDAs
* Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC)
* Formatting and manipulation of data.