The 2000/01 National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey (NRIFS) yielded the first comprehensive assessment of recreational fishing in Australia. Core components were a telephone-based screening survey of households followed by a phone/diary survey in which fishing and expenditure was monitored.

From a methodological perspective, exceptionally high survey response rates, a comprehensive approach to non-response calibration and representation are features that have been recognised internationally as benchmarks for such surveys. However, the complexity of the NRIFS and sheer quantity of data collected meant that analysis was not straightforward and simple statistical approaches were not available.

Since the NRIFS, several jurisdictions have identified the need to provide on-going state-wide and regional information about their recreational fisheries, with the NRIFS methodology seen as cost effective in providing such information. For instance, Tasmania and SA will be conducting state-wide surveys in 2007/08 and Victoria and WA are undertaking regional surveys using the methodology.

While the efficacy of the phone/diary methodology in collecting detailed and robust data has been established, options for data analysis need to be developed and more fully integrated. Specifically, analytical routines need to interface directly with the databases and be flexible enough to enable a range of queries to be run efficiently and be repeatable. The development of an analytical module would represent a significant advancement in the provision of recreational data and will have immediate and on-going application in a number of jurisdictions. This project directly addresses AFMF and national recreational R&D priorities relating to assessment of non-commercial fishery impacts.