Angler surveys along with other modern research techniques provide managers with information needed to justify regulations to protect resources, to increase resources through stocking and habitat improvement, and to justify access improvement. However, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) receives little or no information from anglers concerning their activities on the majority of public waters. An online angler diary (OAD) system could substantially increase the number of water bodies from which TPWD receives at least anecdotal angler information. In order to create an efficient means of collecting and sharing angler data, the Inland Fisheries Division has asked the Resource Information System (RIS) team to create the OAD as a web-based application. The OAD will allow anglers to enter their fishing results via the internet creating a method for anglers to keep a private record of their own fishing experiences, providing the public with access to aggregate information from anglers statewide, providing TPWD with valuable data from anglers fishing on reservoirs where typical creels are rarely conducted, and providing TPWD with a contact list of anglers for focus group surveys through angler login accounts. Inland Fisheries staff will be able to compare online angler diary information with available TPWD creel information as a means of validating OAD fisheries data.
