Catch and effort from a recreational trolling fishery in a large lake

Over recent decades recreational fisheries have grown substantially throughout the world. Despite this increase, catches from recreational fisheries have often been ignored in fisheries management, although this is now being remedied. Monitoring recreational fisheries can be expensive, and the primary means used for monitoring is angler (creel) surveys, typically funded from sales of fishing licences. The studies presented in this thesis examine different approaches to monitoring recreational trolling fisheries’ catch and effort, where fishing licenses are not required and there are no reporting requirements. I present results from a complemented roving/mail-in survey undertaken during 2013-2014 to estimate recreational effort and catch of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) in the largest lake in the European Union, Lake Vänern, Sweden. I also evaluate different angler catch reporting methods (mail-in, tournament reports and face-to-face interviews) and compare catch rates within and among spring and fall fishing periods. In addition, mail-in survey data are examined for recall bias.   I estimate that 28.7 tonnes of salmon and trout combined were harvested by the recreational trolling fishery in 2014, more than the commercial and subsistence fisheries combined. Seasonal differences in both recreational effort and catch were observed. Effort, in boat hours, was significantly higher in spring than in fall. Catch rates of trout were higher in fall than in spring, but there were no seasonal differences in catches of salmon. Harvest per boat day did not differ significantly among catch reporting methods, indicating that all three methods could be useful for managers interested in harvest rates. In contrast, total and released catch per boat day differed among reporting methods, with tournament anglers catching more fish in total. Finally, there was little evidence for recall bias in mail-in surveys, indicating that mail-in surveys are useful for collecting unbiased catch data. My study is the most comprehensive angler survey to date for Lake Vänern, and my results should be of immediate use to local fisheries managers and should also be of interest to researchers and managers interested in estimating catch and effort for fisheries at large spatial scales.

Quality in palliative care from the patient perspective : Instrument development, perceptions of care received and the importance of care

The overall aim was to investigate the quality of palliative care from the patient perspective, to adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Quality from Patients’ Perspective instrument specific to palliative care (QPP-PC) and investigate the relationship between the combination of person- and organization-related conditions and patients’ perceptions of care quality. Methods: In the systematic literature review (I), 23 studies from 6 databases and reference lists in 2014 were synthesized by integrative thematic analysis. The quantitative studies (II–IV) had cross-sectional designs including 191 patients (73% RR) from hospice inpatient care, hospice day care, palliative units in nursing homes and home care in 2013–2014. A modified version of QPP was used. Additionally, person- and organization-related conditions were assessed. Psychometric evaluation, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Main findings: Patients’ preferences for palliative care included living a meaningful life and responsive healthcare personnel, care environment and organization of care (I). The QPP-PC was developed, comprising 12 factors (49 items), 3 single items and 4 dimensions: medical–technical competence, physical–technical conditions, identity–oriented approach, and socio-cultural atmosphere (II). QPP-PC measured patients’ perceived reality (PR) and subjective importance (SI) of care quality. PR differed across settings, but SI did not (III). All settings exhibited areas of strength and for improvement (II, III). Person-related conditions seemed to be related to SI, and person- and organization-related conditions to PR, explaining 18–30 and 22-29% respectively of the variance (IV). Conclusions: The patient perspective of care quality (SI and PR) should be integrated into daily care and improvement initiatives in palliative care. The QPP-PC can measure patients’ perceptions of care quality. Registered nurses and other healthcare personnel need awareness of person- and organization-related conditions to provide high-quality person-centred care.