Using diaries to estimate fishing effort and fish consumption: A contemporary assessment

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Abstract
This paper examines both the strengths and weaknesses of the diary method, focusing on a recent use of the method for measuring both fishing participation and fish consumption. A diary was sent to the 1,202 anglers willing to keep a record of fish consumption and fishing trips to Lake Ontario and other New York waters in 1992. Participants were contacted by telephone every three months to retrieve information recorded in the diary. A subsample of participants was sent a postcard every three weeks between telephone calls to serve as a reminder of the project. Diaries were returned at the end of the year and compared with information received during the telephone follow‐ups. We found no evidence for a conditioning effect bias, but did find an item‐mismatch rate of 5–7% between information gathered during the telephone follow‐ups as compared with that written in the diary. The postcards were successful at alerting participants to potential recording errors on a gross level. Possibly, more use could be made of the postcards (or equivalent frequent reminder) in the future to point out more specific potential recording errors. We found postcards (i.e., intended as constant reminders of the project) to be of little value for long‐term retention of participants. Low participation rates in diary projects (43% of original participants remained active at the end of the year) can introduce biases in estimates associated with who remains active in the project. We found differences in diary participation rates associated with age, education and residence area.