SENSE OF PLACE AND SPECIALIZATION AMONGST STEELHEAD FISHERMEN
Open Access
- Author:
- McKinney, Matthew Christian
- Graduate Program:
- Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- November 11, 2011
- Committee Members:
- Deborah Lee Kerstetter, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Deborah Lee Kerstetter, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- Fishermen
Sense of Place
Specialization
Place Attachment
Steelhead - Abstract:
- Sense of place is the connection that exists between humans and nature; this connection is often a result of both place identity and dependence (Tuan, 1977). For example, fishermen have “depended” on fishing holes for their resource, but it is unclear to what extent they “identify” with them, especially when level of specialization (i.e., orientation toward their equipment, the resource and the social setting; Bryan, 1979) is accounted for. In this study I focused on fishermen rather than other types of recreationists because fishing has decreased significantly for the past two decades (Pergams & Zaradic, 2008). The decline in fishing poses a challenge for resource managers who are tasked with generating revenue to maintain their resource and, more importantly, establishing and supporting humans’ connection with nature. More specifically, I explored sense of place and specialization among one type of fisherman—steelhead anglers—by asking, “How do steelhead fishermen of varying levels of specialization differ in the way they describe their sense of place for their fishing locations?” To obtain high quality data, I explored steelhead fishermen’s sense of place, as impacted by specialization, through interviews, photo elicitation, and surveys. Steelhead fishermen described their sense of place through referencing the fish, the location, the environment, and the experience. Additionally, sub-themes arose within each of these sense of place themes. The themes were verified through referencing the photos derived through the photo elicitation process. In an effort to determine whether fishermen differed in their response to the themes, specialization clusters were created. The results indicated that these clusters differed in their “sense of place.” For example, “Environment” became more important as “Experience” increased. “Location” based sense-of-place responses were most prevelant among anglers with lower economic commitment. And, “Fish” sense-of-place thematic elements were most referenced by highly specialized anglers. Discussion regarding the meaning of the results, their contribution to extending the literature and potential for future research is included.