Supporting the choice of the sports fishing site

In this study, a cardinal choice model is presented for analysing the preferences of fishermen and for comparing fishing sites at the Ruunaa sports and recreation fishing area in eastern Finland. The aim is to help fishermen who have little or no prior information about the area to choose the best possible fishing site in line with their preferences. In addition, by applying the model, preferences of fishermen can be gathered in order to support the management planning of the area. A decision hierarchy, consisting of the influences of the choices, is first constructed. Preferences are accommodated by pairwise comparisons between choice criteria, the comparisons being made by the fisherman. The fishing sites are evaluated with regard to choice criteria by experts. On the basis of comparisons, the parameters of an additive choice model are estimated using the eigenvalue method as presented by T. L. Saaty. Both quantitative and qualitative choice criteria can be considered. The fishing site with the highest value in the model is recommended as the most suitable choice. Principles of the model and its estimation can be applied to other choice problems as well.