Expedited Form

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Social Science Program

Expedited Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys
1.

Project Title ⎢
Submission
Date:

2.

Abstract:

Isle Royale National Park Inland Lakes Creel Survey

4/22/08

Isle Royale National Park, located in Lake Superior, has 42 named inland lakes within its
boundaries. Fishing pressure, in terms of species fished for and angler hours, is not well
understood for Isle Royale’s inland lakes. Isle Royale proposes to conduct an inland lakes
creel census in 2008 to help determine relative information on species presence and
abundance, fishing pressure, and any observations of spiny water flea, an aquatic exotic
species, in the park’s inland lakes.
(not to exceed 150 words)

3.

Principal Investigator Contact Information
First Name:
Title:

Isle Royale National Park

Street Address:

800 East Lakeshore Drive

Phone:
Email:

Last Name:

Battle

Chief, Natural Resources Division

Affiliation:

City:

4.

Jean

Houghton
906-487-7154

State:
Fax:

MI

Zip code:

49931

906-487-7170

[email protected]

Park or Program Liaison Contact Information
First Name:

Jean

Last Name:

Title:

Chief, Natural Resources Division

Park:

Isle Royale National Park

Park
Office/Division:

Houghton Headquarters

Street Address:

800 East Lakeshore

City:
Phone:
Email:

Houghton
906-487-7154
[email protected]

State:
Fax:

MI

Battle

Zip code:

906-487-7170

49931

Project Information
Isle Royale National Park

5.

Park(s) For Which Research
is to be Conducted:

6.

Survey Dates:

7.

Type of Information Collection Instrument (Check ALL that Apply)
‰

Mail-Back
Questionnaire
ˆ

8.

06/01/08

(mm/dd/yyyy)

X On-Site
Questionnaire

‰

to

Face-to-Face
Interview

10/20/08

(mm/dd/yyyy)

Telephone Survey

‰

Focus
Groups

Other
(explain)

Survey Justification:
(Use as much space as
needed; if necessary
include additional
explanation on a
separate page.)

Social science research in support of park planning and management is mandated
in the NPS Management Policies 2006 (Section 8.11.1, “Social Science Studies”).
The NPS pursues a policy that facilitates social science studies in support of the
NPS mission to protect resources and enhance the enjoyment of present and future
generations (National Park Service Act of 1916, 38 Stat 535, 16 USC 1, et seq.).
NPS policy mandates that social science research will be used to provide an
understanding of park visitors, the non-visiting public, gateway communities and
regions, and human interactions with park resources. Such studies are needed to
provide a scientific basis for park planning, development, operations,
management, education, and interpretive activities.
The objectives of this project are to: a) gather data regarding fishing pressure for
Isle Royale’s inland lakes fishery; b) gather information on anglers’ observation
of the presence of exotic invasive species, such as spiny water flea; and c) gather
data from anglers regarding presence of different fish species in remote
backcountry lakes of the park.
Isle Royale National Park is 571,790 acres and over 99% of its approximately
135,000-acre land mass is designated as federal wilderness. No roads exist within
the park’s boundaries, and access to specific sites, such as its 42 named inland
lakes, is by foot, and often cross-country (no trail access is available to many of
the park’s lakes.) Terrain is rugged, composed of a series of rocky ridges and
swampy swales over most of the main island, which is 45 miles long and 9 miles
at its widest point. All of these factors make surveys such as a traditional
interview-type creel survey difficult, time-consuming, and costly.
Work on the island’s inland lakes has been limited. The most comprehensive
inland lakes survey was conducted in 1929 by the University of Michigan, when
physical and biological sampling occurred on 38 lakes, followed by the USGS’s
comparison of 32 inland lake fish communities in 1995-1997 (Kallemeyn, 2000.)
Other studies have focused on specific lakes or stream segments. Creel data are
even rarer. Other than an unpublished creel census performed in 1960 by a park
ranger on Siskiwit Lake, no creel data for inland lakes exist prior to the 1997
census (Kallemeyn, 2000). Fishing regulations for inland lakes have been based
for the most part on inland lake and stream regulations of the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, with little knowledge of fishing pressure from
anglers or ongoing collection of data on the inland fish communities, such as
population sizes and community structure.
The park is in the process of completing its Fish Management Plan (FMP), an
interagency effort that will document research and management to date, and will
recommend needed research and management actions to guide future efforts for
park managers. The draft FMP contains a recommendation that the park collect
information on fish populations, fishing pressure, presence of exotic species, and
effectiveness of fishing regulations for its inland lakes. One technique for doing
this is a traditional creel survey, where a technician interviews anglers and checks

angler catch during or immediately after their fishing interval. At Isle Royale, this
would require stationing several technicians across the park because of the
distance between 10-12 survey lakes located in a 405 square-mile roadless area.
Because of the prohibitive expense involved in stationing creel clerks throughout
the park to gather creel survey data for an entire 6-month season, this method can
only be employed on a limited basis (on a ≥ 20-year interval). Similarly, the park
does not have adequate staff to conduct species assemblage or abundance surveys
using trap nets or similar capture methods on a regular cycle (5 previous surveys
of multiple inland lakes have been conducted in the last 103 years, 3 of which
occurred prior to 1950.)
A voluntary creel census provides important information to natural resource
management staff. Anglers keep a record of their fishing effort and catch for each
lake they visit (see survey sheet.) The results from this type of survey supplement
limited park knowledge about species presence, angler effort, and overall fishing
pressure at the lakes that are visited.
Angler logbook surveys can be conducted more frequently, and the relative results
can be compared qualitatively to provide the park with some information on fish
communities across its inland lakes system. This same method was used in 1997,
for the same reasons: as a way to gather relative information on fish communities
across the park’s remote backcountry lakes. While the data collected are not used
directly to determine management actions, they do act as the only source of
information on backcountry angler use of inland lakes at a regular, 10-year
interval. The angler logbook survey method can potentially produce estimates of
total fishing effort and harvest that are as accurate as a traditional face-to-face
creel survey, at 20% of the cost (Pollock et al, 1994.)
9.

Survey Methodology: (Use
as much space as needed;
if necessary include
additional explanation on a
separate page.)

(a) Respondent universe: Adult (18 and older) backcountry anglers who fish the
park’s inland lakes between June 30, 2008 and October 20, 2008.
(b) Sampling plan/procedures: This is a census sample of all anglers visiting the
park during the survey period. Sampling will be directly related to issuing
backcountry permits to anglers who plan to fish in the park’s inland lakes. All
persons entering the backcountry must receive a permit directly from park
staff, and survey forms will only be handed out to those who identify
themselves as backcountry anglers when asked at permit issuance. Survey
distribution days will correspond with park visitor center hours. Anglers’
entrance into the backcountry is regulated through visitor center offices on
the mainland and on the island. Island access is limited, so the sample is
expected to be a census of all backcountry angling parties who legally
register with the park (>90% of backcountry anglers.) If there are multiple
anglers in a single party, each angler will get his/her own survey form. This
will ensure that data cover all aspects of each angler’s time spent fishing on
each inland lake that he/she fishes. This survey method corresponds with the
methods of the 1997 creel survey described above and is a cost-effective way
to conduct a creel census when staff are not available to conduct face-to-face
interviews in remote areas (Kallemeyn, 2000). Sample days and times are
limited only by the respondents’ trip dates. Respondents will record angling
information for each angling event during their trip. Average backcountry
trips are 4 nights per party (Isle Royale Draft Wilderness and Backcountry
Management Plan, 2005).
(c) Instrument administration: Surveys will be distributed only to willing
participants. Visitor center staff will distribute forms to backcountry anglers
(hikers who plan to fish interior lakes) when they issue required backcountry
permits. Staff will record the permit number for each survey distributed.
Anglers will be instructed that the survey is voluntary, and the park requests
completion of the form during the backpack trip or prior to leaving the park.

Survey forms can be handed in when exiting the park (the park’s isolated
island status and limited access points causes all non-boaters to pass through
a visitor center to enter and exit the park.) Collection boxes will be placed
outside of each visitor center so that respondents may deposit their survey
forms when the visitor centers are closed. Boxes will be clearly marked and
secured. Forms will be collected periodically from visitor center staff by
natural resources staff. Natural resources staff will compile the data from the
survey forms, enter results into a database, and analyze results, comparing
them to the 1997 creel survey results.

(d) Expected response rate/confidence levels: The total number of backcountry

anglers is estimated to be a maximum of 200. This number is based on
backcountry use overall, and the number of fishing rods transported by the
park and private ferries (fishing rods are checked separately before
passengers enter the ferry boats. Ferries are the main transportation method
for backcountry travelers.) The expected response rate is 65%. Creel studies
have average response rates around 70% (Passaic River Study Area:
Creel/Angler Survey 2001, 70%), so the estimated 65% response rate is
reasonable.
The margin of error is +/- 5.1% at a confidence level of 95% (assuming a
finite population of 200 backcountry anglers).

(e) Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias:

Observations regarding gender, group size, the presence of children, and the
number of anglers in each group, as well as the reason for refusal (if given)
will be recorded for non-respondents. These items will be used to compare
non-respondents with respondents. Implications of non-response bias (if any)
for park planning and management will be discussed in the final report.
(f) Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or
instrument (recommended): We are using a modified design developed for
the 1997 survey, by NPS and USGS fish biologists (Kallemeyn, 2000.)
Review by the MWR fish biologist, and by the 1997 survey designer, USGS
fish biologist (retired) Larry Kallemeyn, as well as internal park review, has
occurred. The park is choosing this method as a way to gather some
qualitative information on species assemblages, sport fishing pressure, and
the presence of an invasive species, spiny water flea.
10.

Total Number of
Initial Contacts |
Expected Respondents:

13.

Reporting Plan:

200

130

1
1.

Estimated Time to
Complete Initial
Contact | Instrument
(mins.):

2

15

12.

Total
Burden
Hours:

39

Anglers will complete the survey form during or at the end of their
backpacking/fishing trip. Survey forms will be collected from visitor centers by
Natural Resource Division staff. Data will be entered into a database and a final
report will be issued no later than 12/31/08 as part of the NPS project funding
requirements for Natural Resource Project Proposals (NRPP) Regional Block
Allocations. The final report will compare results with the 1997 creel census and
data tables. A copy of all survey reports will be archived with the NPS Social
Science Program, for inclusion in the Social Science Studies Collection.

Bibliography
Kallemeyn, L.W. 2000. A Comparison of Fish Communities from 32 Inland Lakes in Isle Royale National Park, 1929 and
1995-1997. U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Science Report 00004.
Pollock, K.H., Jones, C.M., and T.L. Brown. 1994. Angler Survey Methods and Their Applications in Fisheries
Management. American Fisheries Society: Bethesda, MD.