identified bull trout and 85% correctly identified WSCT. For non-resident anglers, 45% 

 correctly identified bull trout and 5 1 % correctly identified WSCT. 



Thirty-five of 237 interviewed anglers (15%) expressed a desire to harvest fish. 

 Of the 35 harvest anglers, only 7 (20%) correctly identified all five species of trout, 

 compared to 42% of catch and release anglers. However, a majority (66%) of the harvest 

 anglers identified both WSCT and bull trout correctly, compared to 61% of the catch and 

 release anglers. Fifty-two percent of anglers that attempted to identify WSCT 

 misidentified it as a brown trout. Of all anglers that attempted the fish ID test, 50% 

 misidentified bull trout as brook trout. 



Ninety percent of all anglers correctly identified rainbow trout, but only 46% of 

 harvest anglers compared to 63% of the catch & release anglers could correctly identified 

 brown trout (Figure 60). Thirty-six percent of all the harvest anglers misidentified brown 

 trout as brook trout. Brook trout were correctly identified by 50% of the catch & release 

 anglers compared to 26% of harvest anglers. 



How anglers learned to identify trout species. 



Fifty-nine percent of all anglers who identified four of five trout species correctly 

 answered fishing experience as their means of learning to identify trout (Table 1 8). Forty- 

 one percent claimed their fish identification knowledge came fi-om fishing regulations 

 and 26% indicated MFWP signs contributed to their knowledge to trout identification. 

 Learning to identify trout species from a parent or family member accounted for 16%. 

 Books, fin ends, educational programs, and guides contributed < 10% to an angler's 

 knowledge of trout identification. 



Table 18. How anglers on the Blackfoot River system learned to identify trout. 



How Anglers Learned to Identify Trout Number of Responses 



Total number of anglers 110 



Fishing Regulations 45 



Fishing Experience .„ 65 



MFWP Signs & Advertisements ' 29 



Friend 5 



Book 10 * 



Parent / Family Member 18 „.:.'., - 



School/Education Programs/ Previous Survey 1 



Guides 7 ,4 ,».,, , 



Other (Internet, Hatchery) 2 



Rating the amount of public access and use by angler 



Anglers and guides were asked to rate the availability of public access and the 

 majority (90%) of all participants interviewed rated the amount of access to be about 

 right. Eight percent indicated that there is not enough public access and 2% claimed 

 there is too much access. 



Participants interviewed were also asked to rate the amoimt of use by other 

 anglers or recreationists observed at the location they were fishing. Most survey 

 participants (52%) rated the amount of use as light, 38% rated it very light, and 9% 

 answered slightly crowded. Less than 1% rated use as very crowded (Figure 61). 



«,* 87 



