Report on the Public Opinion on Fish and Wildlife Management Issues...in the Southeastern U.S.

The survey revealed 87 differences in responses between Floridians and southeasterners as a whole, including these top 10 "very highly significant" differences (excerpted from report):

• A shorter duration residency in Florida than in other home states.
• Fewer have gone hunting in Florida than in other home states in the last 5 years.
• More disapprove of legal hunting
• More disagree landowners should be allowed to develop land regardless of wildlife impacts
• More have been saltwater fishing in the last 12 months
• Disagree that efforts to conserve wildlife habitat are adequate
• Say development/urban sprawl is an important habitat issue
• More do not consider themselves to be a hunter
• Fewer consider legal hunting opportunities to be important
• More have kayaked or canoed in the last 12 months

Findings specifically related to Florida (excerpted from report):

• 32% of Floridians could come close to naming the FWC as the state conservation agency (69% could not name the agency; +).
• 22% said FWC is doing better after the merger than before (only 3% said worse)
• Slightly less than 1 in 5 (19%) of the randomly contacted Floridians had contacted the FWC for information or assistance. This was most likely by phone (64%) and most often dealt with nuisance wildlife removal (20%), followed by hunting (17%, plus 5% about hunting licenses), or fishing (14% plus 7% about fishing licenses).
• Overall, 84% were satisfied with their contact with FWC.
• When surveyors asked an open-ended (top-of-mind) question pertaining to FWC funding, unspecified taxes, state taxes and federal taxes were the top three replies, totaling 48%. Surprisingly, only 12% mentioned fishing and hunting licenses, and only 1% specifically mentioned federal aid.
• Most felt fishing and hunting license fees are properly priced.
• As to supporting license exemptions: 50% support exemptions for seniors, 45% for youth exemptions and only 25% supported the shoreline exemption. Overall, 25% did NOT support ANY exemptions. o Most thought user fees should be increased to cover management of fish and wildlife, especially if new opportunities were provided.
• Most thought user fees should be used to support fish and wildlife management.
• More Floridians think our water quality (46% (+)) is unhealthy, than think it is healthy (41%). Most consider water quality to be an important issue, and 26% think industrial waste is the biggest problem, followed by wastewater treatment (21%), litter (17%) and agricultural runoff (16%).
• Questions about land use development vs. fish and wildlife yielded 87% agreeing that land development should be restricted to protect fish and wildlife.
• 71% agreed that hunting and fishing are part of scientific management of wildlife populations.
• The Internet (34%) is the most popular source of fish, wildlife and outdoor recreational information for Floridians, followed by newspapers (16%; +) and magazines (11%).
• USFWS and FWC officers and biologists are perceived as more credible than university professors (+; also more thought professors were not at all credible), PETA (+), local sportsman’s organizations (-) or environmental organizations (+).
• Approval for legal recreational fishing was 93% , for legal recreational hunting was 69% and for legal regulated trapping was 42% (-).