Estimated Average Daily Instantaneous Numbers of 
Recreational and Commercial Fishermen and Boaters in 
the St. Andrew Bay System, Florida, and 
Adjacent Coastal Waters, 1973 
DOYLE F. SUTHERLAND! 
ABSTRACT 
In the St. Andrew Bay system and adjacent coastal waters, 92.0% of the estimated recreational 
fishing effort was for finfish, 3.7% for crabs, 2.7% for scallops, 1.4% for oysters, and 0.2% for shrimp. 
Coastal waters were the most used area for finfish fishing (36.2%), followed by St. Andrew Bay 
(31.8%), North and West Bays (21.6%), and East Bay (10.4%). Of the estimated effort, 43.5% was from 
fixed platferms extending over water, 30.8% from private boats, and the remaining 25.7% from shore- 
line platforms, charter boats, and water. The most popular method of finfish fishing was with a rod 
and reel (93.9%). 
The annual number of daytime anglers was estimated io range from 208,400 to 303,200 with 
associated expenditures ranging from $4.2 to $6.1 million. The estimates are based on the number of 
anglers actually seen fishing. The number of transit anglers and other recreational fishermen 
probably equal or exceed the basic estimates. The average daily instantaneous number of occupants of 
transit motorboats alone was estimated to reach 52 in North and West Bays, 32 in East Bay, 392 in St. 
Andrew Bay, and 207 in coastal waters. 
The distribution of commercial fishing effort among fisheries was estimated to be 34.7% for 
shrimp, 33.3% for oysters, 22.0% for finfish, 8.9% for scallops, and 1.1% for crabs. The principal area 
for each fishery was: East Bay for shrimp (36.5%), oysters (85.7%), and crabs (85.2%); coastal waters 
for finfish (44.1%); and St. Andrew Bay for scallops (84.4%). The highest estimated average daily in- 
stantaneous number of active and transit commercial fishermen in each fishery was 66 for shrimp, 37 
for oysters, 91 for finfish, 19 for scallops, and 7 for crabs. 
INTRODUCTION 
Recreational fishing, boating, water skiing, snorkel- 
ing, scuba diving, and similar activities attract millions 
of persons to marine and estuarine waters each year. The 
demand for recreational space increases as the popula- 
tion grows and leisure time lengthens. Maintenance of 
the aesthetic values and biological productivity of the 
coastal zone, consequently, becomes more difficult. 
Vast quantities of living resources are harvested an- 
nually by fishermen. Many are occasional fishermen; 
others are incessant; some fish for sport, others for food, 
and still others for combinations of sport, food, and 
economic gains. Few game and food fishes escape their 
attention. Many edible invertebrates also are harvested. 
Data on recreational fishing in marine waters are 
generally unavailable or inadequate for mangement con- 
siderations. Commercial fisheries, however, are well 
documented annually, nationwide. Estimates of salt- 
water angling effort and catch are sparse, although such 
data were obtained in 1960, 1965, and 1970 by the Bureau 
of Census for the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 
Panama City Laboratory, Southeast Fisheries Center, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, NOAA, Panama City, FL 32401. 
and the National Marine Fisheries Service (Clark 1962; 
Deuel and Clark 1968; Deuel 1973). Estimates of salt- 
water angling effort for specific areas have been made by 
Richards (1962), Moe (1963), Miller and Gotshall (1965), 
and Pinkas et al. (1967). Attempts to assess the value of 
recreational angling for State and local areas have been 
made by Ellis et al. (1958), Brown et al. (1964), Gilbert 
and Nobe (1969, cited by Gordon et al. 1973), and Gor- 
don et al. (1973). 
This report presents the results of a 1-yr study under- 
taken to: 1) provide resource managers with compara- 
tive statistics on recreational and commercial fishing ef- 
fort in the St. Andrew Bay system and adjacent coastal 
waters; 2) determine the socioeconomic value of this area 
to recreational and commercial fishermen; and 3) con- 
tribute to the development of methods for obtaining 
useful statistics on recreational fishing in the coastal 
zone. The term effort as used in this paper is defined as 
the number of fishermen and persons that were counted 
or estimated. 
STUDY AREA 
The study area was limited to the St. Andrew Bay sys- 
tem and adjacent coatal waters (Fig. 1) located in Bay 
