Real time data from big time fun: Harnessing the power of mobile technology and social media for better species management

Data collection for saltwater fishing among recreational anglers has proven to be an arduous task with current methodologies until now. With the advent of social media and mobile phone application technologies, a solution for the systemic problems could be at hand. Technology buy-in is well established in the American public and it represents a compelling opportunity for better species management through improved data collection among recreational anglers. According to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and a February 2, 2012 workshop on Opt-In Angler Panels, they concluded the following, “The types of recreational fishing information collected vary from program to program, but a key similarity of all opt-in online angler panel is a probability sample, and consequently quite unlikely to accurately represent all anglers...this means that traditional analysis methods may be inappropriate for use with opt-in angler panel data and that opt-in anger panel data will likely be biased, depending on the variables being examined”[1]. Umaxoutdoors proposes important solutions for this problem through the HookHunt mobile application and corresponding social media website www.hookhunt.com.