We present the outcomes of a pilot socioeconomic survey conducted at Brisbane Water, New South Wales (NSW). The project evaluated a cost-effective framework for site-specific socio-economic monitoring, originally developed for freshwater impoundments. Our aim was to assess its application in a multi-species coastal setting, its utility within a longitudinal, multi-site monitoring approach, and its potential relevance to recreational fishing and multi-sector harvest strategies.
Data collection and indicator tracking are structured around three conceptual elements of the recreational angling experience: demand, activity, and outcomes. The survey instrument is administered within a 15-minute intercept window, and econometric analysis indicates that sample sizes between 36 and 76 can yield statistically significant Consumer Surplus curves across different site types. When evaluated against 29 generic management objectives relevant to NSW saltwater fisheries, the instrument provided data for 23 of the identified objectives, including standalone metrics to track 15 objectives of interest to fisheries agencies and angler bodies.
Based on the empirical findings from the Brisbane Water trial and the foundational literature, we discuss how relationships between catch rates, consumer surplus, and angler satisfaction by motivation class can be interpreted within recreational and multi-sector harvest strategy frameworks. We conclude that the framework supports a range of potential uses in a harvest strategy context. Namely, developing consensus around sector-specific management objectives; generating analyses capable of linking harvest levels to the behavioural outcomes of resource users over time and; in the context of an appropriately designed wider monitoring program, the approach is capable of registering how management interventions (such as bag or size limit changes) manifest across a network of monitoring sites, including mapping shifts in fishing effort and site desirability.
The results suggest this monitoring framework can efficiently complement existing biological and catch data collection initiatives, for recreational fisheries in NSW and across other Australian jurisdictions.