Internet Socio-Economic (iSEA) survey of freshwater recreational fishing in B.C.

Current status: closed

The survey closed to new input on May, 25, 2023.

In a joint effort with the British Columbia (B.C.) Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and Ministry of Forests, we are conducting a survey on the activity and expenditures of freshwater recreational fishers in British Columbia. Our goal is to track the ongoing importance of freshwater recreational fishing to B.C. communities, and to support economic analysis.

Under the 1985 Canada-British Columbia General Fisheries Agreement, we collaborate with the Province of B.C. to conserve and manage aquatic living resources and their habitat. We are responsible for the protection of freshwater salmon while the Province of B.C. is responsible for all other freshwater species.

Until 2015, information on recreational freshwater fishing in B.C. was collected through the Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada. Given the significant contribution of the freshwater recreational fishery to the economy of B.C., as well as conservation measures in recent years, this survey gives us the opportunity to continue to track the importance of freshwater recreational fishing to B.C. communities.

Join in: How to participate

Complete the survey online

To complete the survey, use the link that was sent to you in an email from PRA Inc.

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

The survey is being sent to randomly selected adult freshwater fishing licence holders.

If you hold an annual or short-term B.C. freshwater fishing licence for the 2022/23 fishing season, you may be selected to complete the recreational freshwater survey. The survey will ask you about your freshwater fishing activity and costs for the period between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, regardless of the number of licences you held. If your name is selected, you will receive an email notification in March 2023.

The accuracy of our results increases with the number of survey participants so it is important that as many selected people participate as possible. We would like to thank you in advance for your contribution to this study.

What is the focus of this survey

We are carrying out this survey to continue to build our information about the importance of freshwater fishing. All of the information we gather through this online survey will be used to determine recreational freshwater fishing effort and expenditures. This information helps track the economic importance of recreational fisheries on the communities and the province.

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.

The survey will ask you:

where you fished
when you fished
which species you fished for
which species 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)

If you held more than one licence during the survey period, for example if you held several one-day licences, please provide your total freshwater fishing activities and expenditures for all licences in one survey.

If you did not retain exact amounts for your costs, please provide your best guess.

Contact us

Email: iSEA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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