Using Video Recording as an Alternative to Measuring Angling Pressure at Two Minnesota Metropolitan Lakes

Authors: Mark L. Nemeth, Leah R. Motzko, and Jacquelyn N. Bacigalupi

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fishing in the Neighborhood program manages over 60 small lakes in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Sizes of the lakes managed and comparatively high cost of traditional angler creel surveys make alternative methods of measuring fishing pressure desirable. Surveys using digital cameras and recording equipment to record fishing activity were conducted from April through September 2005 at two lakes: Powderhorn (12 acres) in Minneapolis and Wolfe (3 acres) in the adjoining suburb of St. Louis Park. City-owned parkland surrounds both lakes. At each lake, two cameras were positioned to record activity on the fishing pier and along the shoreline during daylight hours. There were an estimated 1,129.0 (SE=93.8) total angler hours of fishing pressure at Powderhorn Lake and 94.1 (SE=7.9) angler hours per acre. At Wolfe Lake, there were an estimated 1,623.7 (SE=112.3) total angler hours and 582.6 (SE=41.2) angler hours per acre. Compared to traditional creel surveys, remote camera surveys are a cost-effective and efficient way for measuring fishing pressure on small lakes with relatively low fishing pressure. One can obtain high confidence in pressure estimates; however, demographic and catch information are difficult to collect with this method.