Recreational anglers’ responses toward the importance of fishing trips: a factor-cluster segmentation approach

Using data collected from the 2013 National Saltwater Angler Survey, this study examined respondents’ answers to fifteen statements regarding the importance of fishing trips to discern patterns from individuals’ preferences, and to classify groups exhibiting common patterns of responses. These statements were condensed into five dimensions using the principal components analysis. Empirical results based on the two-stage cluster analysis identified three groups of respondents. Discriminant analysis was conducted to identify significant differences among the clusters. A series of statistical tests employed that can detect the gender and region differences on the importance of fishing trips factors and groups. Results of this study may provide insight into the understanding of the importance of fishing trips among saltwater recreational anglers for saltwater recreational fishing planning and management purposes.