Consumptive Orientation of Anglers in Engerdal, Norway OYSTEIN AAS* BJORN PETTER KALTENBORN Eastern Norway Research Institute, Post Box 1066 Skurva, N-2601 Lillehammer, Norway ABSTRACT / In a study of consumptiveness among Swedish and Norwegian anglers in Engerdal, eastern Norway, three segments of low-, mid-, and high-consumptive anglers were identified by replicating a methodology of an earlier study of North American anglers. The Engerdal anglers were somewhat more catch-oriented than the North American anglers. Anglers in Norway fish to satisfy a complex set of experience preferences. Low-consumptive anglers rate nature experiences higher than mid- and high-consumptive anglers. High-consumptive anglers have a somewhat narrower range of experience preferences and are more oriented towards competitive aspects of fishing. All anglers generally support management efforts directed toward restricting other types of use of the waters, such as reducing pollution and reducing local fishermen's leisure gill-net fishing. They also support stocking of fish, but oppose actions restricting angling. However, low-consumptive anglers do not oppose angling restrictions to the same degree as mid- and high-consumptive groups. Low-consumptive fishermen show a higher degree of specialization and report higher overall satisfaction with their fishing trips than the other two groups. The harvest of freshwater fish resources for commer- cial, subsistence, and leisure purposes has a long and rich history in Nolway. Today, angling as a recreational activity is widespread and popular among Norwegians. Like other recreational activities, sport fishing or an- gling can be seen as a collection of related activities people carry out to realize complex needs and desires for experiences and benefits. The multiple motivations and satisfactions associated with angling are well docu- mented from North America (Driver and others 1991, Holland and Ditton 1992) and some other countries (Haworth 1983), but have not, to our knowledge, been reported in studies from any of the Scandinavian coun- tries. A parallel approach in research and management of angling centers on the issue regarding the role of catching fish (Driver 1985, Matlock and others 1988, Ditton and Fedler 1989). Fedler and Ditton (1986) have examined the degree of consumptiveness among fish- ermen as a tool for segmenting users and explaining behavior and satisfaction. In Norway, the role of the catch merits particular attention, since leisure fishing in this part of the world today is a composite of traditional subsistence fishing, angling influenced by early British sportsmen, and mod- ern leisure needs (Aas 1993). It is sometimes posited KEY WORDS: Angling; Motivation; Consumptiveness;Attitudes; Cul- tural comparison *Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed. that Scandinavian anglers are different from their coun- terparts in other Western countries because of a differ- ent history and different cultural contexts. This suggests that the long and distinct tradition of harvest-oriented, subsistence-like fishing has produced a population of fishermen with more or less unique preferences, atti- tudes, and expected outcomes. The pressure on fish stocks in Norway generally is less significant than in the United States and Great Britain. Norway has only 4.3 million inhabitants, and a further 40,000 anglers from abroad visit Norway each year. These people have access to fishing on a long coast line (35,659 km), more than 500 rivers with anadromous sahnonides (Atlantic salmon Salmo salar), and an area of 16,390 km '2 of freshwater surface, available for inland fisheries, most of which supports fishing for brown trout, S. trutta, and other sahnonides attractive for angling. From purely biological concerns, the need for strict regulation is consequently smaller. In Norway the per capita participation in leisure fish- ing is among the highest of the industrialized countries. More Ihan 50% of the population above 15 years of age fish at least once per year. In the age group 10-15 years of age as many as 75%-80% fish every year (Aas 1993). At the national level, angling is more dominant than other more traditional forms of fishing (use of a variety of catch-efficient equipment, including gill nets, drift nets, seines/trawls, traps, and a wide diversity of local adaptions to these). However, in rural inland districts, and along the coast, traditional forms of fishing may equal or be more dominant than modern sport fishing. Environmental ManagementVol. 19, No. 5. pp. 751-761 9 1995 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.