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The Delta: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Recreation Survey —Chapter IV. Results of the Fishing Survey

The results of this fishing survey provides information on how a random sample of licensed anglers used the Delta for recreation in 1996. The data for this survey was compiled from questionnaires completed and returned by the anglers. The questionnaire asked the respondents about many aspects of their use of the Delta for recreation, including fishing activities, such as fishing from a boat, fishing from shore and fishing in a tournament, and non-fishing recreation activities such as picnicking, camping, and sightseeing. They were also asked to provide information regarding: (1) the adequacies of the existing recreation facilities; (2) how their use of the Delta for recreation has changed over the last five years; and (3) the amount of money they spent on their last trip to the Delta.

The results, as provided, are divided into two sections: fishing recreation and other recreation (non-fishing).

Fishing Recreation
  1. . Activities, group size and participation days
    • Respondents were asked if they participated in specific fishing-related activities, how many people in their group typically participated in these activities, and how many days did they participate in each activity in 1996. Fishing from a boat was the most popular fishing activity. The survey indicates that 362 respondents, or 88% of all respondents who answered this question, participated in this activity. Fishing from shore was the second most popular fishing activity with a 74% participation rate. Fishing in a tournament was the least popular of the three fishing activities with only 14% of the respondents participating.
    • Although fishing in a tournament ranked last in terms of numbers of participants, it ranked first in terms of average group size, with an average of 6.3 people. Fishing from shore and fishing from a boat were smaller groups, each with an average of 2.9 people.
    • Delta anglers who fished from a boat spent the most days fishing, averaging 14.3 days a year. Fishing from shore was a close second with 13.9 days, followed by fishing in a tournament with an average of 3.5 days.
    • In terms of total annual activity days, fishing from a boat was the most common type of fishing activity. This activity accounted for 11.8 million activity days. This number was calculated by multiplying the number of anglers using the Delta, by the percent of anglers who participated in fishing from a boat, by the average number of people per group, by the average number of days anglers participated in this activity in a year. Fishing from shore ranked second with 9.6 million activity days. Fishing in a tournament was .2 million activity days.
  2. Times when fishing occurred
    • Anglers were asked what months of the year, days of the week, times of the day they fished in the Delta.
    • Days of the week. About 29% of the respondents fished on Saturday. The second most popular day was Sunday, with about 24% fishing on that day. Friday was the busiest weekday (14%) and Monday the slowest (7%).
    • Times of the day. Most of the anglers used the Delta in the morning hours between 8 AM and Noon (53%). The early afternoon, from Noon to 4 PM, was a distant second with 25% of the fishing. The late evening hours between 8 PM and midnight were the least popular with less than 5% of the total responses.
    • Months of the year. The Delta received the most use by anglers during the summer months. June and July were the most popular months, averaging 2.7 days of use. May was second with 2.6 days, followed by August and September, both averaging 2.5 days.
  3. Locations where fishing activities occurred, by zone
    • Anglers were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in each type of fishing activity. For all fishing activities, Zone D received the most use, followed by Zones E and C.
    • Zone A. This zone is the Sacramento River corridor, from the City of Sacramento south to Courtland. The inventory of recreation facilities in the Delta developed by the DPC indicates that two private and one public fishing access sites are located in Zone A.
    • Survey respondents were asked to identify the zone, or zones, where they participated in several fishing activities. For Zone A, a total of 106 responses were returned. Of these, 50.9% fished from a boat and 44.3% fished from shore. Only 4.7% fished in a tournament.
    • The survey compared the fishing participation in Zone A with the total fishing participation in all zones combined. Few anglers used Zone A. A higher percentage of anglers fished from shore than fished from a boat, 13.8% vs. 10%, respectively. A small percentage of anglers participated in fishing tournaments in this zone (7.2%).
    • Zone B. This zone includes the Yolo Bypass, Cache Slough, and the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel. Opportunities for fishing are very limited in this zone. There are no designated fishing access sites in Zone B.
    • Within Zone B, over half (54.2%) of the fishing was from a boat. More than a third fished from shore (39.5%), while 6.3% participated in a tournament.
    • The survey compared the fishing participation in Zone B with the total fishing participation in all zones combined. This zone was used less than Zone A. As in Zone A, a slightly higher percentage of anglers fished from shore (5.9%) than fished from a boat (5%).
    • Zone C. This is the north Delta. It includes the Sacramento River from Courtland south to State Route 12 and all stretches of the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers which lie within the Delta. The City of Isleton and Snodgrass Slough are located here. Five private and three public fishing access sites are also here.
    • The survey depicts the level of use which occurred within Zone C, by type of fishing activity. In this zone: fishing from a boat was again the most common activity (57.1%), followed by fishing from shore (35.1%), and fishing in a tournament (7.7%).
    • The survey compared the fishing participation in Zone C with the total fishing participation in all zones combined. This zone received more use than Zones A and B. The three types of fishing received a consistent level of participation: 17.3%, 17.7%, and 18.8%.
    • Zone D This is the west Delta, which includes the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. There are four private and 12 public fishing access points.
    • The survey depicts the level of use which occurred within Zone D, by type of fishing activity. Fishing from a boat was the dominant activity in this zone, receiving almost two-thirds of all responses (62.6%), followed by fishing from shore (28.4%), and fishing in a tournament (8.9%).
    • The survey compared the fishing participation in Zone D with the total fishing participation in all zones combined. This zone was, by far, the most popular for fishing from a boat, garnering 40.3% of all use in the Delta. It was even more popular as a site for fishing in a tournament (44.9%).
    • Zone E. This zone is the east Delta. It is bordered on the north by State Route 12, on the east by Interstate 5, and on the south by State Route 4. It includes portions of the City of Stockton.
    • The survey depicts the level of use which occurred within Zone E, by type of fishing activity. Fishing from a boat (56.5%), fishing from shore (36.6%), and fishing in a tournament (7.0%), ranked their usual one, two and three.
    • The survey compared the fishing participation in Zone E with the total fishing participation in all zones combined. In this zone, as in Zone C, the three types of fishing received a consistent level of participation: 19.4%, 19.9%, and 20.0%.
    • Zone F. This zone is the south Delta. State Route 4 forms its northern boundary, Interstate 5 its eastern border, Interstate 205 is its southern boundary. Discovery Bay and Clifton Court Forebay are located in this zone.
    • The survey depicts the level of use which occurred within Zone F, by type of fishing activity. Fishing from shore, not fishing from a boat, was the most common activity in Zone F. While the majority of anglers fished from shore (51.6%), almost as many fished from a boat (44%). Fishing in a tournament received 4.3%.
    • The survey compared the fishing participation in Zone F with the total fishing participation in all zones combined. Zone F was not a popular location for any type of fishing. About 14% of those who fished from a boat in the Delta, did so in this zone. A small percentage fished from shore or in a tournament here.
  4. Locations where each type of fishing activity occurred, by type of activity
    • Fishing from a boat. This activity occurred most often in Zone D (40.3%). The second most popular zone was E (19.4%), followed closely by Zone C (17.7%).
    • Fishing from shore. This activity was dispersed fairly evenly throughout the Delta. Zone D was still the most popular with (29%). Zones E and C were second and third, with 19.9% and 17.3%, respectively. Zones A and F were not far behind, attracting 13.8% and 14.1% of the anglers, respectively.
    • Fishing in a tournament. Almost 45% of all tournament fishing occurred in Zone D. Most of the remainder was equally split between Zones C (18.8%) and E (18.8%). There was little reported tournament fishing in Zones A (7.2%), B (4.3%), and F (4%). However, the number of respondents was very low, so the results should be viewed with caution.
  5. Adequacy of fishing facilities
    • Respondents were asked if there were enough facilities in the Delta to meet their non-fishing recreation needs. Respondents were asked to answer questions with an "N/A" response if they were not sure about availability of a particular type of facility.
    • In general, the respondents indicated that most types of facilities were adequate or more than adequate. These included: bait and tackle shops, shore line access points, public parking, boat launch ramps, and fuel docks.
    • However, respondents reported that fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, and public restrooms were inadequate. Respondents rated all these facilities about equally inadequate. The survey indicated, 55% of the respondents viewed public restrooms somewhat or very inadequate, 57% viewed fishing piers as somewhat or very inadequate, and 61% viewed fish cleaning stations the same.
Other Recreation (Non-Fishing)
  1. Type of activities, group size, and participation days

    Respondents were asked to identify the non-fishing recreation activities they engaged in while in the Delta. Sightseeing was the most common activity with 52% of the respondents indicating that they participated. Boating and viewing wildlife tied for second, each with 49%, while board sailing ranked last (3%).

    Walking for pleasure ranked the highest in terms of average annual recreation days, averaging almost 12.2 days annually. Viewing wildlife ranked second, while swimming ranked third. Attending special events has the fewest average days of participation (three).

    Tent camping and picnicking had the highest number of participants per group with an average of 5.2 people. Boating, with an average of 4.9, ranked second.

  2. In annual activity days, boating, with 7.1 million activity days, ranked the highest. This activity represented 14.7% of the total number of activity days for all activities by anglers. The number of annual activity days was calculated by multiplying the number of licensed anglers who used the Delta, by the percentage of survey respondents who participated in a specific activity, by the average group size for each activity, by the average number of days of participation for each activity. Swimming and viewing wildlife came in second (6.2 million participation days) and third (5.5 million participation days), respectively.
  3. Locations where other activities (non-fishing) occurred, by zone
    • Anglers were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in each type of non-fishing activity. Their responses show the number of respondents, and percentage of responses. Zone D was the most popular zone for every type of non-fishing activity. Zone C was the second most popular, followed by Zones E, A, F, and B.
    • Zone A. This zone is the Sacramento River corridor, from the City of Sacramento south to Courtland. The inventory of recreation facilities in the Delta developed by the DPC indicated that Zone A includes one private campground, two private picnic areas, two private and one public fishing access sites, one private historic site, and two hiking trails/paths.

      Survey respondents were asked to identify the zone, or zones, where they participated in non-fishing activities. The three most common non-fishing activities in this zone were sightseeing (16.9%), viewing wildlife (13.7%), and boating (12.5%).

      The survey compared the participation in non-fishing activities in Zone A with the total non-fishing participation in all zones combined. Overall, this zone did not receive a lot of use, only about 6%-20% of most activities. The activities with the highest level of participation were sightseeing (20.5%), visiting cultural or historical sites (20.4%), and bicycling (19.4%).

    • Zone B. This zone includes the Yolo Bypass, Cache Slough, and the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel. Opportunities for recreation are very limited in this zone. There is only one picnic area and no designated historic sites, trails, or wind surfing areas.

      Zone B received the most use for sightseeing (17.3%), and viewing wildlife (15.8%), and boating (13.5%). Hunting on land represented almost 10% of all activity in this zone.

      The survey compared the participation in non-fishing activities in Zone B with the total non-fishing participation in all zones combined. In general, this zone received very little use, 9% or less, for all activities except hunting on land. About 19% of all hunting on land occurred in this zone.

    • Zone C. This is the north Delta. It includes the Sacramento River from Courtland south to State Route 12 and all stretches of the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers which lie within the Delta. The City of Isleton and Snodgrass Slough are here. It includes 12 public and private campgrounds, five private and three public fishing access sites, four public historic sites, two hiking trails/paths, and one private windsurfing area.

      In general, participation in non-fishing recreation in Zone C was evenly distributed over many activities. Although sightseeing (15.3%), boating (13.4%), and viewing wildlife (12.9%) were again the three most common activities, no single activity dominated.

      The survey compared the participation in non-fishing activities in Zone C with the total non-fishing participation in all zones combined. In general, this zone received a moderate amount of use for most activities. About one-third of all sightseeing (32%) and visiting cultural or historical sites (36.3%) occurred in this zone.

    • Zone D. This is the west Delta, which includes the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Brannan Island State Recreation Area, with its large picnicking and camping facilities, is located here. One other public campground and 18 private campgrounds are also in this zone. There are four hiking trails/paths, and eight windsurfing areas in this zone.

      In Zone D, sightseeing (13.1%), boating (12.7%), and viewing wildlife (12.6%), were again the top three non-fishing activities. The percentage of participation in the remaining activities was fairly evenly distributed, ranging from 1% to 9.4%.

      The survey compared the participation in non-fishing activities in Zone D with the total non-fishing participation in all zones combined. This zone received a high level of use for most activities. About one-half of all RV camping (48.6%) and hunting on land (49.3%) occurred in this zone. The percentages of participation in boating (45%), viewing wildlife (45.5%), photography (41.8%), and sightseeing (45.2%) were almost as high.

    • Zone E. This zone is the east Delta. It is bordered on the north by State Route 12, on the east by Interstate 5 and on the south by State Route 4. It includes portions of the City of Stockton.

      The survey indicated, sightseeing (16%), boating (15.4%), and viewing wildlife (12.3%) were the activities which dominate recreation use in this zone. These three activities total 43.7% of all recreation participation in this zone. None of the other activities received more than 11% of the responses.

      The survey compared the participation in non-fishing activities in Zone E with the total non-fishing participation in all zones combined. In general, this zone received a moderate level of use for most activities. Swimming (25.1%), boating (29.5%), viewing wildlife (24%), photography (24.6%), sightseeing (29.7%), picnicking (25%), and board sailing (25.9%) occurred in this zone.

    • Zone F. This zone is the south Delta. State Route 4 forms its northern boundary, Interstate 5 its eastern border, and Interstate 205 its southern boundary. Discovery Bay and Clifton Court Forebay are located in this zone. Recreation facilities are limited to two campgrounds and one trail/path.

      In Zone F, swimming (14%) is the most common activity. Viewing wildlife (9.8%) has dropped from third place to a rather distant fourth place. All other activities garnered less than 10% of the total use. Because of the small number of responses for each activity in this zone, the results should be viewed with caution.

      The survey compared the participation in non-fishing activities in Zone F with the total non-fishing participation in all zones combined. This zone received a low level of use for most activities. Less than 20% of all recreation activities occurred in this zone. Highest ranked were swimming (19.7%), tent camping (17%), bicycling (15.3%), and sightseeing (15.1%).

  4. Locations where other recreation (non-fishing) occurred, by type of activity

    Anglers were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in each type of non-fishing activity. Zone D was the most popular zone for every type of non-fishing activity. Zone C was the second most popular, followed by Zones E, A, F, and B.

    • Swimming. Almost one-third (32.9%) of all respondents who participated in swimming, did so in Zone D. This was not surprising because the DPC's inventory of recreation facilities indicated that most of the swimming beaches were located in Zone D. Zones E (20%) and C (19.2%) were ranked second and third.
    • Tent camping. The results of the survey for tent camping were consistent with swimming and most other non-fishing activities. Over one-third (35.6%) of all tent camping in Zone D. Another one-third of tent camping occurred in Zones E (21.2%) and C (16.1%).
    • RV camping. RV campers were even more concentrated in Zone D than tent campers. The percent of RV campers using Zone D (44.4%) exceeded the percent of RV campers using Zones C (13.7%) and E (7.7%) combined. About three-fourths of all RV campers used Zones C, D, and E.
    • Boating. Almost one-third (31.9%) of all respondents boated in Zone D. Zones C (20.6%) and E (20.9%) almost tied for second place. As with most other activities, about 75% of all boating occurred in Zones C, D, and E.
    • Hunting. Respondents who hunted, preferred Zone D (47.2%). However, Zones C (13.9%) and E (8.3%), were not that popular with hunters. Instead, Zone B was the follow-up choice of 18.1% of the respondents.
    • Viewing wildlife. With this activity, the zones were ranked: Zone D (33.6%), Zone C (21%), and Zone E (17.7%). Almost 75% of the respondents who participated in this activity, did so in these three zones.
    • Photography of nature. Zone preference for this activity was very typical in that less than one-third of the respondents participated in Zone D (31.7%) and a little over one-third used Zones C (21.1%) and E (18.6%).
    • Sightseeing. Respondents who participated in sightseeing in the Delta spent the most time in Zone D (29.8%). A somewhat larger percentage divided their time between Zones C (21.2%) and Zone E (19.6%). Very few visited Zone B (5.9%).
    • Bicycling. With virtually no dedicated bicycle trails or bike lanes in the Delta, the opportunities for this activity were limited to sharing narrow Delta roadways. Over one-third of the cyclists used Zone D (35.1%). Zone A was the second most preferred zone (18.2%), with bicyclists from Sacramento and West Sacramento traveling into the Delta. The number of respondents who bicycled was low (77 total), however, so the results should be viewed with caution.
    • Attending Special Events. Zone C received the most use for this activity (38.5%). The City of Isleton, and the communities of Walnut Grove and Courtland, which host large special events each year, are all located in this zone. Zone D ranked second (30.8%), followed by Zone E (14.6%).
    • Visiting cultural or historical sites. Zone C was the preferred location for visiting cultural or historical sites (28.3%). Cultural and historical sites in Zone C include three historic districts in Locke, Isleton, and Walnut Grove. Zone D ranked second (26.9%), followed by Zone A (15.8%) and Zone E (15.2%).
    • Walking for pleasure. With few hiking trails or bicycle paths available in the Delta, most walking for pleasure probably occurs when respondents are participating in other activities such as camping, picnicking, or sightseeing. Zones used for walking are the same zones typically used for these other activities. Slightly over one-third (36.4%) used Zone D and about one-third used Zones E and C, 18% and 16%, respectively.
    • Picnicking. About one-third of the respondents who picnicked in the Delta preferred Zone D (34.8%), and followed by Zones C (20.6%) and E (17%).
    • Board sailing or wind surfing. Suitable locations in the Delta for this activity are very limited, due to the need for strong, consistent winds, and a suitable beach for launching and landing. One such area is Windy Cove, located next to Brannan Island State Recreation Area. In as much as Windy Cove is located in Zone D, it is no surprise that most board sailors use this zone (52.9%). Zones E (23.5%) and C (11.8%) were ranked second and third. Note: The number of respondents for this activity is low (17 total).
  5. Adequacy of other (non-fishing) facilities

    Respondents were asked if there were enough facilities in the Delta to meet their other (non-fishing) recreation needs. They indicated that most of the existing facilities were adequate or more than adequate. These included tent campsites, RV campsites, picnic sites, public parking, places to buy food, marinas, scenic vistas/overlooks, hiking trails, wildlife vistas, and board sailing access.

    Facilities which most respondents viewed as somewhat or very inadequate included swimming beaches, public restrooms, bicycle trails, and hunting areas.

    The shortage of swimming beaches was cited by the largest percentage of respondents. Almost two-thirds (61.4%) indicated that they were either somewhat or very inadequate. Hunting areas were rated as the next most inadequate (58.7%), followed by restrooms (50.7%), bicycle trails (49%), and hiking trails (44.8%).

    The respondents indicated that there was an abundance of marinas. Almost three-quarters (71.2%) indicated that the number of existing marinas was adequate, while another 9.5% indicated that there were more than enough marinas, and another small group (2.1%) indicated that there were too many marinas.

    Respondents were asked to check "N/A" if they were unfamiliar with the availability of certain types of facilities. A majority of respondents checked "N/A" for tent camping sites, bicycle trails, hunting areas, and board sailing access sites. In addition, a significant number of respondents checked "N/A" for RV camping sites and hiking trails.

Economic Considerations
  1. Expenditures by anglers

    Survey respondents were asked how much the group spent for specific goods and services during their last trip to the Delta. Groups spent an average of $22.30 per trip for lodging inside the Delta. If they stayed outside the Delta, the average amount spent increased to $30.29.

    Groups spent an average of $26.84 for food and drink purchases in the Delta and $26.51 outside the Delta.

    Group expenses for supplies, gasoline, groceries, repairs, parking, public transportation, souvenirs, and gifts, averaged $28.21 inside the Delta and $40.01 outside the Delta.

    Expenses for recreation activities, equipment purchases and rental, launch fees, admission and permit fees, tours, guides, and lessons, averaged $17.61 inside the Delta and $14.48 outside the Delta.

    To estimate the average daily expenditures per person, the above group expenditures were divided by the average number of people per group (2.9) and by the average number of days per trip (2.4). The estimates per day spent inside the Delta are $13.57. The estimates per day spent outside the Delta are $15.91.

  2. County of origin - Survey respondents

    Survey respondents who received the postcard questionnaire were asked if they used the Delta for fishing or other recreation in 1995. The county of residence for those respondents who returned the questionnaire and indicated that they used the Delta indicated the highest ranking counties as: Sacramento County (10.7%); San Joaquin County (10.0%); Alameda County (8.0%) and Santa Clara (8.0%), tied; Solano County (7.6%); San Mateo County (3.8%); Placer (3.6%), and Los Angeles (3.6%, tied); and Stanislaus (3.1%).

  3. Distances Traveled to get to the Delta

    Survey respondents were asked how far they traveled to get to the Delta during their last trip. Most respondents traveled less than 50 miles (53%). The average distance traveled, one-way, was 70.8 miles.

  4. Size of Groups

    Survey respondents were asked how many people traveled in their vehicle during their last trip to the Delta. Nearly half the groups (45%) consisted of two people. The average size of all groups was 2.9 people.

  5. Length of stay in the Delta

    Survey respondents were asked how many days and nights they spent on their last trip to the Delta, including travel time. Slightly half (56%) of the respondents stayed in the Delta only one day. This is not surprising considering most of the respondents lived within 50 miles of the Delta. Another one-third stayed two to four days, while the remaining 10% stayed five days or longer.

    Survey respondents were asked if they stayed overnight in the Delta. About 41% of the respondents stayed overnight, while 59% did not. Those who stayed overnight, one-third stayed one night (33%), while less than one-third stayed two nights (31%).

Other Issues
  1. Participation in night fishing

    Survey respondents were asked if they fished at night. Thirty-eight percent (38%) indicated that they did, while 62% did not.

  2. Observation of law enforcement patrol boats

    Survey respondents were asked if they observed law enforcement patrol boats while in the Delta. The vast majority (77%) reported that they did, while 23% did not.

  1. How the anglers use of the Delta for recreation has changed during the last five years

    Survey respondents were asked to indicate how their participation in specific recreation activities in the Delta had changed over the last five years.

    In general, participation in most activities declined slightly, i.e., the number of respondents who indicated that their participation had decreased slightly or significantly, exceeded the number of respondents who indicated that their participation increased slightly or significantly. These included: camping, photography of nature, bicycling, and attending special events. The drop in participation was more precipitous for other activities including: fishing, swimming, board sailing, and hunting. Hunting showed the greatest decrease.

    Only two activities showed a slight increase: walking for pleasure and sightseeing.

    All other activities remained about the same including: boating, picnicking, viewing wildlife, and visiting cultural or historical sites.

    • Fishing. This activity was down considerably. The survey showed that 42% of the respondents indicated that fishing had decreased, either slightly or significantly. This was the second highest percentage decrease for any of the recreation activities listed.
    • Swimming. This activity also showed a significant decrease in participation. Nearly half of the respondents indicated that swimming had remained about the same (46%), while almost as many respondents indicated that it had decreased (41%). Only 14% reported an increase.
    • Boating. Participation in boating remained about the same (40%). The remaining 60% about equally divided, 29% had increased their use, while 31% had decreased.
    • Camping. There was a considerable drop in camping. While one-half of the respondents who answered this question indicated that their camping activity remained about the same (48%), more respondents indicated that their camping had decreased (34%) than had increased (18%).
    • Hunting. Of all activities, hunting showed the most significant decrease in participation. Slightly over half (51%) of the respondents indicated that their participation in hunting had decreased, either slightly (23%) or significantly (28%). About one-third indicated that their hunting remained about the same (32%), while only 13% showed a slight increase, and 4% reported a significant increase.
    • Viewing wildlife. This activity remained about the same. The majority of respondents who answered this question indicated that their participation had remained about the same (56%). The others were equally divided, either increasing or decreasing their participation in this activity.
    • Photography of nature. There was a slight drop in this activity. There was significant percentage of users whose participation remained about the same (60%). Those who increased their participation slightly (15%) equaled those whose participation decreased slightly (15%). However, there were more who decreased their participation significantly (9%) than increased significantly (2%).
    • Sightseeing. This was one of the two activities which showed a slight increase in participation (the other activity was walking for pleasure.) Although the activity level of most participants remained about the same (55%), and those who did significantly more sightseeing were equal to those who did significantly less sightseeing, there were more who increased slightly (19%), than those who decreased slightly (14%).
    • Bicycling. This was another activity which showed a decline. Less than half of the respondents indicated that bicycling in the Delta remained about the same (47%). The percent of respondents reporting a slight increase equaled those reporting a slight decrease (17% vs. 15%), while those reporting a significant decrease, outnumbered those who reported a significant increase (14% vs. 7%). However, the number of respondents is again very low (21 total) and results may not be accurate.
    • Attending special events. This activity showed a slight decrease, with more respondents showing a significant decrease than a significant increase (12% vs. 3%). Slight increase and slight decrease were even.
    • Visiting cultural or historical sites. Participation in this activity remained about the same. However, it should be noted that 338 respondents checked N/A, indicating that almost two-thirds of all respondents did not provide an opinion on this activity.
    • Walking for pleasure. This was one of the two activities which showed some increase in participation. More respondents indicated that their participation had increased (25%), rather than decreased (18%).
    • Picnicking. Participation in this activity was stable. Almost two-thirds of the respondents indicated no change in activity (63%), while about an equal number of respondents indicated an increase in this activity (18%) vs. a decrease (19%). About half of the respondents indicated that this question was not applicable, implying that they did not picnic in the Delta in 1996.
    • Board sailing. This activity showed a significant decrease in participation over the last five years. A significant 29% indicated that their use decreased while only 13% indicated an increase. Only a few responded to this question (14 total), therefore, these participation rates may not accurately reflect changing participation in this activity.
  2. Reasons given by respondents for not recreating in the Delta

    The survey year revealed that approximately 77% of all licensed anglers in California did not use the Delta in 1996. The survey revealed that over half (53%) of those who did not use the Delta indicated that it was "too far from home." The second and third most common answers were that they were "not familiar with recreation opportunities" (43%) and that they did "not have enough time" (27%).

    Respondents who did not use the Delta, and did not give "too far from home" as a reason, were analyzed as a sub group. The survey revealed that "not familiar with recreation opportunities" was the most common reason (51%).

  3. Age and sex of respondents

    Respondents were asked to provide limited information regarding their age and sex. This data was needed to establish basic demographic information. The vast majority of respondents were male (83%), and that 35-44 and 46-55 were the most common age groups, representing 55% of all respondents.