2007 Survey of the Recreational Cod Fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador

Angler Profile

Over 41% of cod anglers lived on the Avalon Peninsula, with another 22.6% living in the Central and NE coast areas of the province.  Given that almost 50% of all households in the province are on the Avalon Peninsula, the preponderance of anglers in this area was somewhat expected. As well, due to the limited access to coastal waters for most large communities in Labrador, the low percentage of cod anglers resident in Labrador was equally expected (Table 3).

About 55% of cod anglers fished in NAFO sub-division 3L, with an additional 25% fishing in NAFO sub-division 3K (Table 4). With the provincial population living adjacent to NAFO sub-division 3L, the numbers of anglers fishing in this area was not surprising. However, the number of anglers fishing in sub-division 3K is slightly disproportionate to the population adjacent to this area (about 17% of the population lives adjacent to 3K). A check of anglers fishing in this sub-division showed that 22% of anglers fishing in this coastal area were visiting from other residence areas of the province. By contrast, just over 5% of anglers fishing in sub-division 3L lived outside the coastal areas adjacent to the sub-division.

When compared to the general population, the representation of anglers younger than 35 years of age was lower than that found in the general population (Figure 1). Anglers under 35 represented about 23% of the angling population while this age group in the general population accounted for almost 40% of individuals in the province.  For anglers between 35 and 64, however, their representation was considerably higher than individuals in this age group in the general population (64% compared to 46%). Anglers 65 years of age and over were fairly representative of that age group in the general population.