Robert A. Robertson

Recreational Displacement and Overall Satisfaction: A Study of Central Iowa's Licensed Boaters

Data were collected from a stratified random sample of boat owners in eight contiguous counties in central Iowa to examine the extent to which recreational displacement from Red Rock Reservoir in c...

Effect of information on attitudes towards offshore marine finfish aquaculture development in northern New England

Abstract Social science can make important contributions to understanding the prospects for offshore marine aquaculture development because many of the potential barriers that may restrict its development are social and institutional rather than biological or technical. This study collects baseline data on attitudes towards offshore marine aquaculture held by a key stakeholder group. It also investigates the influence of information on attitudes towards marine aquaculture. Data reported in this study were collected from visitors to a seafood festival in coastal New Hampshire. The formal objectives of this research were to determine what effect, if any, two‐sided information on the potential advantages and disadvantages of marine aquaculture has on attitudes towards marine aquaculture and how prior familiarity with aquaculture moderates the effect of information. The findings from this study indicate that two‐sided information has a negative effect on attitudes, especially among individuals who are unsure of their level of familiarity with the issue.

Cooperative Research Program Goals in New England: Perceptions of Active Commercial Fishermen

Abstract Cooperative fisheries research will continue to expand throughout the United States with the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which called for the development of regionally-based cooperative research programs nationwide. We report on a survey of individuals actively engaged in commercial fishing in New England (N = 295) that asked how important and achievable cooperative research programmatic goals are and why. One goal, “the promotion of partnerships between fishermen and scientists,” was particularly important to fishermen because partnerships are believed to be in everyones interests, enhance the quality of the science, lead to better management decisions, improve the professional relationships between fishermen and scientists, and speak to a fishermens sense of professional duty. However, fewer respondents considered the partnership goal achievable because of a wide range of obstacles. Based upon the findings and published studies on the perceptions of scientists and manger...

Teaching Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Management in U.S. Universities

Human dimensions is a general term used to describe the application of the social sciences to natural resource-related problems and issues and is one of the newest areas of emphasis in wildlife management circles. The main objectives of this study were to complete an inventory of university courses in human dimensions of fish and wildlife management in the United States, to collect descriptive information on the institutions and faculty offering these courses, and to document the educational format and focus of courses offered. The inventory identified approximately 25 natural resource-related programs in U.S. universities that offer courses focused solely on human dimensions; the majority of these have been instated within the last 15 years, demonstrating the increased attention and emphasis in this area. This inventory was conducted to provide a preliminary assessment of the capacity of U.S. institutions of higher learning to provide training in human dimensions for current and future wildlife managers and to identify any strengths or deficiencies in providing this critical instruction.

Voluntary compliance as a scenic roadway preservation tool: the case of Wisconsin's Rustic Road Programme

Abstract The preservation of scenic roadways is a growing concern. The State of Wisconsin, USA, administers a scenic roadway programme called Rustic Roads. The programme includes over 50 county, town and municipal roads varying in length from 2 to 40 kilometres. This paper begins with a review of various voluntary approaches to resource protection techniques recommended for the preservation of scenic roadways. This is followed by a description of the voluntary approach associated with the Rustic Roads programme. The paper concludes with a critical review and evaluation of the programme.