Internet Socio-Economic (iSEA) survey of freshwater recreational fishing in B.C.
Current status: Open
This survey opened on May 14, 2024 and will close to new input on June 7th, 2024.
In a joint effort with the British Columbia (B.C.) Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, we are conducting a survey on the activity and expenditures of freshwater recreational fishers in British Columbia. Our goal is to collect information about recreational fishing in British Columbia to track the ongoing importance of freshwater recreational fishing to B.C.’s communities, and to support economic analysis.
We have worked with B.C. for many years as signatories to the 1985 Canada-British Columbia General Fisheries Agreement, which provides for collaboration between the federal and provincial governments specifically in the areas of conserving and managing aquatic living resources and their habitat. We are responsibile for protection of freshwater salmon and B.C. is responsible for all other freshwater species.
The input gathered through this process will be used to establish how freshwater fishing affects economic activity in BC. The value of this information is much increased by a high number of recreational fishers responding to all of the survey questions.
Join in: How to participate
If you are selected to complete this survey, you will receive a link to the online survey via email in May 2024.
The Province of British Columbia has retained the services of PRA Inc., an independent consulting company, to conduct this online survey on their behalf, including contacting you by email. PRA Inc. has extensive experience designing and conducting online surveys.
Privacy notice
Information security is provided by PRA Inc., which has its own rigorous security measures in place.
PRA Inc. has been given access to your name and email address by the Province of BC to simply deliver the survey to you. Your contact information was disclosed to PRA Inc. in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). No personal information connected to your B.C. Freshwater Recreational Fishing licence has been shared with DFO or any other third party. This information remains confidential and protected in accordance with the provincial FOIPPA.
Who is the focus of this survey
If you hold a freshwater fishing licence for the 2023 to 2024 fishing season in BC, you may be selected to complete this survey. The survey seeks to compile all your freshwater fishing activity and costs for the period between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 regardless of the number of licences you purchased.
Whether you hold one or more licences, your survey answers should reflect all of your freshwater fishing activity and expenditures for the indicated period. This means you need only complete one survey.
We would like to thank you in advance for your contribution to this study.
Key questions for discussion
Your input will be sought around the following questions:
- Where you fished
- When you fished
- Species you were fishing
- What you caught
- What you kept
- How much you spent on the activity (e.g. equipment, fuel, transportation and other costs, such as bait or lures, etc.)
- If you did not retain exact amounts for your costs, please provide your best estimate
Results will help inform planning initiatives. They will also improve our understanding of recreational fisher behaviour, expenditures and target species, and how recreational fishing contributes economically to coastal communities and the province.
We will not use the information collected to identify fishers or their fishing bag limits.
Survey results
Related links
- Information to help you fill out the iSEA survey
- Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada, 1990 to 2015
- B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Contact us
Email: iSEA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
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