Increasing sampling efficiency in creel surveys

Rising costs and increasing demands for limited marine resources dictate that managers monitor the status and utilization of these resources efficiently. Seventy-two percent to 100% of all weekend sport boat anglers completing a trip from 0700-1800 hours could be interviewed from 1000-1800 hours in Texas bay systems. A comparison of mean daily trailer boat counts suggests that optimum estimates of fishing pressure within a year can be made by stratifying data into 2 periods (13 November to 8 April; 9 April to 12 November).