Anglers’ perception and attitudes towards angling related marine litter and a conservation program in Argentina

This study was designed to analyzes the perceptions and attitudes of recreational anglers towards the fishing litter issue and a conservation program seeking to promote the responsible management of waste derived from recreational fisheries at a coastal marine Reserve in Argentina. A total of 248 recreational anglers were surveyed between December 2019 and March 2020 at the Mar Chiquita Reserve. The survey included: (1) social and demographic characteristics of the anglers' profile; (2) anglers' perceptions about the Mar Chiquita Reserve and marine litter; and (3) anglers' perception on the conservation program. The average respondent included a coastal angler, who identifies with the male gender, is about 49 years old, and mainly lives in cities that are close to the fishing site. Most of the anglers think that the litter generated during their practice could lead to some threat to the ecosystem. More than 85% of the anglers responded that they returned home with the litter generated during a fishing day while 68% of them also said that they disposed of the litter in some type of bin located within the protected area. The conservation program is recognized by most of the anglers; however, not all of them use the bins installed in the territory by this program. From the different attributes in the conservation program that were assessed by the anglers, it can be observed that the frequency with which the bins are emptied not satisfy the users’ needs and affected the use of the bins. The results presented here are input to consider recreational anglers as key actors not only for the conservation program being studied, but also to design participative management opportunities in the coastal environment.