Stated Preference Choice Experiments (SPCE)

In 2000, NMFS began using SPCE mail surveys to elicit anglers’ preferences for management options. These surveys allow the estimation of welfare changes, effort changes, and economic impacts stemming from common recreational regulations like bag, size limits, and seasonal closures. Generally these surveys are designed focusing on single species or small groups of species. If multiple species are included, effort substitution between species can also be forecast.