On Wednesday, April 30, at 12:10, Claudia Matzdorf Brenner will present her master's thesis in Coastal and Marine Management, titled: Motivations of marine fishing tourists in the Westfjords, Iceland.

Her thesis advisor are Trude Borch from the Norwegian food reseach centre Nofima, and the reader is Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir, lecturer in tourism studies at Hólar University, Iceland.

The presentation will be in room 1-2 at the UW and everyone is welcome.

Abstract

The reasons why people go fishing, as for any other form of outdoor recreation, are vast. With fishing becoming an important part of global tourism, knowledge on the motivations of fishing tourists is essential for the future development of this nature-based tourism form. This thesis analysed the motivations among marine fishing tourists in the Westfjords, Iceland. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the general background, angling experience, motivations, satisfaction and awareness of management strategies of marine fishing tourists visiting the Westfjords from July to September 2013 (n=165). Most respondents were male (92%), experienced anglers (51%) and from Germany (70%). Even though most anglers fished for “relaxing” (74%) and “being outdoors” (70%), the main reason for choosing the Westfjords as a fishing destination was “big fish” (84%). Anglers are discerning about their catches and the size of fish was the most important catch related attribute. The importance of the natural environment was shown for both the general fishing experience and the fishing experience in the Westfjords, which might indicate that the anglers also want to experience a different type of nature. Satisfaction levels for all of the provided aspects were generally high (“Very satisfied”). Most anglers were aware of existing management regulations and even though they considered them when choosing a fishing holiday destination, other attributes such as environmental qualities or infrastructure/services seemed more important. Despite this, motivational aspects should be included in resource management and development to better match anglers’ motivations and secure compliance to regulations.