This thesis is composed of two studies: (1) an assessment of the vertical habitat use of swordfish Xiphias gladius in the Florida Straits; and (2) a systematic description of the southeast Florida recreational swordfish fishery. First, the vertical distribution of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) was assessed in relation to diel cycles and lunar phase from data gathered utilizing popup satellite archival tags (PSATs). Seven tags were deployed in the Florida Straits during this study from recreational and commercial fishing vessels; two fish died shortly after deployment, and the remaining five were included in the analysis. Tags were deployed for periods ranging from 120 to 151 days and recorded data on temperature, depth, and light level every ten seconds. Transmitted data was summarized into one hour histograms. Swordfish vertical distribution in response to diel cycles was characterized by typically spending daytime hours below 500 m and nighttime hours in waters less than 75 m. Swordfish distribution differed significantly in response to lunar phase, with animals occupying successively deeper depths in response to increasing lunar illumination. This study is consistent with the widely accepted hypothesis that the swordfish vertical distribution is a function of ambient light levels. However, in contradiction to this hypothesis was the observation of a number of daytime surfacing events recorded by the tags. This less pronounced but frequent behavior is hypothesized as a mechanism to warm the fish?s body after extended daytime feeding dives to great depths. A recreational fishery targeting swordfish in southeast Florida has gained popularity in recent years. However, little data is currently available on the fishery and its participants. A survey was distributed to recreational swordfish anglers at local swordfish fishing club meetings and a swordfish fishing tournament to describe the fishery and its participants. Questions were organized into four sections: demographics, fishing habits, cost, and views on regulations. A total of 38 surveys were completed by anglers and included in the study. Recreational swordfish fishermen in southeast Florida were mainly Caucasian, with the largest group by percentage ranging from 41-50 years of age. Most fishers surveyed had over 20 years recreational fishing experience, with less than 10 years experience targeting swordfish. Anglers typically fished out of center console boats ranging from 21-35 feet, and usually made less than 50 trips per year. Costs associated with the fishery typically exceed those associated with general recreational saltwater fisheries by thousands of dollars (USFWS, 2006). Fishers were divided in their views on the current recreational swordfish regulations. Forty percent of anglers surveyed were unsatisfied, 37% were satisfied, and 23% remained neutral.

Much outdoor recreation occurs on publicly owned land and water resources, or involves use of these public resources. Consequently, an economic problem arises concerning the value of recreational resources which do not have a conventional market price. Without a price to guide the allocation of resources, it is difficult to obtain optimal decisions in allocation of these publicly owned natural resources among alternative uses, including recreation, timber, and domestic livestock production. In Oregon, the big game resource has a great impact on the economy of the state. Positive values of this resource are related to recreational use and to income generated which benefit local economies. Negative values of big game include its competition for resources used for timber production and/or livestock grazing. In order to better assess the value of the big game resource, an attempt has been made in this thesis to improve demand models from which the net economic value of the Oregon big game resource can be derived. The data used in this study were obtained from the questionnaires mailed to a random sample of Oregon big game hunters during the fall of 1968. The travel cost method was used to estimate the demand for big game hunting, based on the actual behavior of the hunters. Several algebraic forms of the travel cost demand equation were estimated for the Northeast and the Central regions of Oregon. The concept of consumers' surplus was used to estimate the net economic value for the Oregon big game resources. Net economic value for the Northeast and Central regions of Oregon in 1968 dollars was approximately $14.3 million, based on the exponential demand function. Net economic value for the same two regions was approximately $11 million, based on the linear demand function. An attempt was made in this study to predict the changes in consumers' surplus from changes in the number of deer and elk harvested. Note that the regression models in this thesis implied that a ten percent increase in harvest would increase the consumers' surplus of hunters by more than ten percent. However, the hypothesis that a ten percent increase in harvest would increase consumers' surplus by exactly ten percent was not rejected by a statistical test. Therefore, a good deal more research is needed to determine the value of marginal changes in the number of deer and elk harvested. It is thought that the estimation of net economic value in this study for the Northeast and Central regions of Oregon will be useful from the viewpoint of big game management and resource allocation in Oregon. / Graduation date: 1981

The primary objective of this study was to explore the potential of an airborne infrared scanner for the census of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and elk (Cervus canadensis) in the Intermountain West. Flight altitude was varied in hopes of achieving species separation, and ground studies were conducted, using a hand-held radiometer and captive deer, to find the optimum time of morning to census. The problems and potentialities of infrared imagery scanning systems for censusing big game are discussed and compared to visual aerial census methods.

No description available.

There is an increasing recognition that conservation projects need to provide tangible benefits to the communities involved in them. In Africa a common method of providing economic benefits to communities is to sell the right to hunt wildlife in conservation areas. The Makasa Nature Reserve is a joint project between a conservation body and a community. The reserve is a conservation project that aims to provide economic benefits to the community involved. There are a number of possible income generating strategies for the Makasa Nature Reserve. This study is an examination of the revenue that the reserve could generate from game hunting. There are a number of wildlife species on the reserve that can be hunted but buffalo are the most attractive to hunters and the most lucrative for the reserve. In order to determine the number of buffalo that can be harvested a two-stage approach was used. Firstly, a deterministic mathematical model of the buffalo population was developed in the study. This model was used to establish age structures of the buffalo population which will maximise a given objective function. An age structure that has a harvest level that will maximise the revenue of the reserve was selected as being the most appropriate for the buffalo population at Makasa. In the second stage a stochastic model of the buffalo population was developed which incorporated environmental and demographic stochasticity. A management policy for the buffalo population, which was based on the age structure that maximises revenue, was developed. The stochastic model was used to aid the development of the management policy and to determine the average harvesting rate of buffalo from the Makasa reserve. Using the information gathered on the harvesting rate of buffalo and combining it with the likely harvesting rate of other species from the reserve, it is possible to get a broad picture of the likely economic potential of game hunting on the Makasa Nature Reserve. This approach of determining the offtake of the economically dominant species in the reserve and then combining this information with the likely offtake of other species in the reserve can be generalised and applied to similar reserves. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the Internet.

The diversity of wildlife resources and the highly-developed trophy hunting and game ranching industry make South Africa a sought-after destination for travelling hunters. Significant economic, social and ecological benefits result from the annual visits of 16 000 hunters. These benefits, in turn, accelerate industry competition. To maintain or increase the clientele base, hunting providers should continue to manage and improve their clients’ safari experiences. This research investigated visiting hunters’ South African safari experiences by measuring their perceptions of service quality, satisfaction and behavioural intention. The results of the research could assist hunting providers in identifying areas where service expectations are not met and understanding the impact of service quality and satisfaction on clients’ loyalty. The literature study contextualised the South African trophy hunting industry within the tourism environment, the realms of wildlife tourism, and the characteristics of hunting tourism. An overview of tourism services, service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioural intention was also provided. The resulting conceptual model hypothesised relationships among the safari experience variables (service quality, satisfaction and behavioural intention). ii The empirical data were collected by means of a mail survey, using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 2 000 foreign hunters who had participated in a South African hunting safari at least once between 2003 and 2007. Two hundred and thirty six completed questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 13.2%. The majority of the hunters were male, aged between 40 and 60 years, and from the United States of America and Europe. Hunters perceived the level of service quality delivery by hunting providers to be relatively high and were generally satisfied with their South African safaris. As a result, they were willing to return for another hunting experience and were very likely to speak positively about their experiences. By performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a three-factor (augmented services, core services and supporting services) service quality construct was identified and confirmed. Multiple regression analyses found that core services was the strongest predictor of overall satisfaction; overall satisfaction was significantly related to revisit intention; and revisit intention significantly predicted word-of-mouth intention. An empirical model was accordingly constructed to replace the original conceptual model. iii It is recommended that South African hunting safari providers should: {u10007A} use the suggested measuring instrument to monitor their performance of service quality delivery on a regular basis; {u10007A} train their employees to ensure that they are knowledgeable and well prepared for field guidance and to promote ethical hunting practices; {u10007A} ensure an abundance of game and a wilderness atmosphere in the hunting area; {u10007A} conduct focus group studies to further understand the factors that shape clients’ perceptions of the safari experience; and {u10007A} invest in developing long-term relationships with existing clients.

One-way escape gates and earthen escape ramps are structures used to enable deer to exit the highway right-of-way along fenced roads. I compared the use of one-way escape gates and earthen escape ramps by mule deer on two highways in Utah to determine if deer exhibited a preference for either structure. Results showed that earthen escape ramps were used by mule deer 8-11 times more frequently than one-way gates. Highway mortality data suggest that the installation of the escape ramps likely reduced mortality of mule deer in both study locations, because we could not attribute reductions in mortality to decreased population densities of mule deer in either location. Because they provide a topographic solution for exiting the right-of-way, escape ramps may reduce deer mortality along other game-fenced highways throughout the United States. Management recommendations that address the placement and spacing of escape ramps will help wildlife and highway personnel implement the use of these ramps in other locations. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted to determine if the cost of ramp installation was offset within a reasonable time period by the monetary savings associated with reduced deer-vehicle collisions. The cost-effectiveness of installing the earthen escape ramps at both locations was determined by using the number of successful ramp crossings and potential deer mortality levels to generate projected monetary losses associated with varying mortality levels. The assumption was made that at least some of these deer that crossed successfully would have been involved in a deer-vehicle collision had the ramps not been in place. Six arbitrary levels of potential mortality (from 2% to 15%) were generated based on those assumptions. These percentages were multiplied by the number of successful deer crossings at each location to generate potential deer mortality numbers. The number of deer mortalities was then multiplied by the average economic loss of a deer-vehicle collision ($3,845) to obtain an estimate of the mitigated benefits of installing the ramps through 1999. These values were compared to the cost of installing ramps at each location to determine the amortization period. Results showed that the cost of installation of earthen escape ramps is very rapidly offset by the benefits gained in deer survival and reduced automobile collisions. At the 2% mortality level, the cost of ramp installation in both locations was offset by the monetary savings associated with reduced deer-vehicle collisions by the second year. Heavy use of the escape ramps as well as reduction in mortality observed at both study sites indicate that the mitigation benefits may be much greater than those projected at the 2% mortality level. Installing earthen escape ramps on big-game fenced highways is a very cost-effective way to further reduce deer mortalities along roadways.

Dissertation (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The use of helicopters has become almost universally accepted as the method of choice in the enumeration of large ungulates in Southern Africa. In most cases decisions affecting management of these populations are made based on a single count result. In all these instances the within technique variance is ignored, often leading to decisions based on type I or type II statistical errors where the within technique variance is misconstrued as the population change. Many studies have investigated the issue of accuracy of counting methods and a few have quoted precision values for various methods. Very few have, however, investigated power and those extant have approached the problem from a prospective point of view and predicted power values. This study has made use of replicated counts from 12 sites of the original 23 in four vegetation types of the then Transvaal Province. The study sites vary in terms of size and all counts were undertaken with an experienced, trained team in which only four observers were used. A comprehensive post hoc analysis of the results of the field surveys shows precision and power to vary widely according to species and vegetation type and concludes that gamecounting results are largely site specific. A decline in observations during the course of four hours of survey is demonstrated and although the exact cause cannot be determined, correction factors have been constructed for two vegetation types. Observers are shown to differ from one another in observation profile during the course of surveys. This study demonstrates, describes and quantifies the existence of several phenomena suspected to exist by experienced game counters, biologists and wildlife managers and makes proposals in terms of improving the data returned from expensive aerial surveys. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suider-Afrika word die gebruik van 'n helikopter vir die tel van hoefdiere byna algemeen aanvaar as die metode wat voorkeur geniet. In meeste gevalle word besluitnemings rakende die bestuur van hierdie populasies gebaseer op die resultate van 'n enkele telling. In al die gevalle word tegniekverwante afwykings buite rekening gelaat en dit het die gevolg dat bestuursbesluite gebaseer word op tipe I en tipe II statistiese foute, en dit lei weer op hulle beurt dat tegniekverwante afwykings verkeerdelik geïnterpreteer word as die rede vir veranderings in die bevolkings. Verskeie studies het al die feitegeskil omtrent die akkuraatheid van telmetodes ondersoek en sommige het herhaalbaarheidswaardes vir die verskillende metodes aangehaal. Baie min het egter statistiese mag ondersoek en die wat dit wel gedoen het, het prospektiewe magsanalise as uitgangspunt gebruik en statistiese magwaardes voorspelom die probleem aan te spreek. Hierdie studie het gebruik gemaak van herhaalde tellings van 12 gebiede uit die oorspronklike 23 in vier veldtipes geleë in die ou Transvaal Provinsie. Die studiegebiede verskil in groottes. Alle tellings is deur 'n bekwaamde opgeleide span gedoen wat slegs vier waarnemers ingesluit het. 'n Omvattende post hoc analise van die resultate van die veldopnames dui aan dat herhaalbaarheid en statistiese mag baie varieer met betrekking tot spesies en veldtipes en word die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat wildtellingsresultate grootliks gebiedsgebonde is. In Afname in waarnemings gedurende die verloop van In vier uuropname, is waargeneem en alhoewel die ware oorsaak nie vasgestel kan word nie, is korreksiefaktore bereken vir twee veldtipes. Dit blyk dat waarnemers van mekaar verskil het met betrekking tot hul waarnemingsprofiele gedurende die verloop van die opnames. Hierdie studie dui aan, beskryf en kwantifiseer die bestaan van verskeie verskynsels wat vermoedelik bestaan het by ervare wildtelIers, bioloë en wildlewebestuurders en maak voorstelle met betrekking tot die verbetering van data wat tydens duur lugopnames ingesamel word.

The objectives of this research, were to investigate the characteristics and develop a profile of the game and hunting industries of KwaZulu-Natal, and to undertake a comparison between the game and hunting industries in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The comparative part of this study was completed using results obtained from a study done in 2002 in the Eastern Cape (van Niekerk, 2002). The main farming activities in KwaZulu-Natal are large livestock production and sugar cane production. In recent years, private landowners in KwaZulu-Natal have undergone a transition from livestock production to game ranching due to the problems faced and the cost implications of the HIV epidemic, stock theft, difficulties faced with changes in the labour laws and the increasing number of land claims against farmers. Although the game and hunting industries are relatively young industries in KwaZulu-Natal they contribute significantly to the economy of the province. Not only is greater conservation of the biodiversity more effective in game ranching but it is also proving to yield great economic returns. The increase in game ranching in recent years is namely due to the monetary value placed on wildlife, the increased value in ecotourism and its value as an earner of foreign exchange, less dependency on unskilled labour than that of livestock farming and lower rates of animal loss through theft compared to that of livestock farming. In KwaZulu-Natal game numbers indicate that impala have the greatest population amongst the respondents, followed by nyala, blesbok, common reedbuck, kudu and blue wildebeest, whilst other game species occur in smaller numbers. Respondents in KwaZulu-Natal indicate that nyala is the largest economic earner for them followed by buffalo, whereas in the Eastern Cape (2002), kudu and springbok provide the greatest income for the province. In KwaZulu-Natal income generated from hunting is second to that of live game sales compared to the Eastern Cape (2002) where hunting is the most important form of game utilisation in terms of income generated. At the time of this study, respondents in KwaZulu-Natal reported an income of R 15 382 397 generated from live sales and R 13 561 459 from hunting. These respondents also indicated that the total value of game utilised annually was in excess of R 30 million. Although game utilisation is occurring on a sustainable basis, there is room for greater utilisation of some game species which, if undertaken correctly, can increase the revenue for the province significantly and also contribute positively to further sustainability of the game populations. KwaZulu-Natal’s competitive advantage is derived from the fact that there is an abundance of game on the ranches, quality trophy animals are available, the number of game species available for hunting and quality of service rendered to hunters by the professional hunters and ranch owners. This study has clearly shown that there is a need for further investigation into the game and hunting industries in KwaZulu-Natal.