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¦ DETERMINE ANNUAL FISHERMAN HARVEST AND UTILIZATION BACKGROUND Creel survey programs have been conducted and results published annually by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Wyoming Game and Fish Department since the reservoir was opened to sport fishing in November 1963. Information collected included angling pressure, creel rates, harvest, species composition, and age and growth. Such information is used to monitor fishing quality and provide a sound basis to make refined management decisions. Various creel survey techniques have been employed and have been summarized by Schmidt et al. (1980b). From 1964 through 1966, angler interviews and pressure counts were confined to a few major access areas. From 1968 through 1969, as the number of access areas increased, an access point-traffic index system was used. Counts were made at four primary access points and pneumatic traffic counters were used at the remaining areas. Beginning in 1970, a more intensive survey was initiated because of the increasing number of access areas, campgrounds, and boat ramps. Pressure estimates were calculated from counts made by pneumatic car counters on all access roads, while creel data were collected during day long road-blocks and boat ramp surveys. In 1972, the system was modified to eliminate use of the pneumatic car coun- ters. Total fisherman use was calculated from data collected by the Forest Service from four electroni c car counters on the major access roads. The per- centage of fishing use was determined from traffic classification road block surveys conducted in 1972. No further traffic classifications were made in sub- sequent years. til Forest Service pressure estimates were used in 1975 and 1976, but by 1976 it was obvious that traffic flow patterns had changed due to completion of a new road connecting Dutch John, Utah to Rock Springs, Wyoming and paving of the road from Mountain View, Wyoming to Manila, Utah. Estimates of fishing use projected from car counter data were considered unreliable. In 1977, new Forest Service personnel eliminated three of the four traffic counters, rendering the survey method unusable. As a result, a new survey to estimate fishing pressure directly from aerial counts of anglers was carried out in 1978. No direct esti- mates of fishing pressure were made in 1979, 1980 or 1981 due to the high cost of the aerial survey. The angler interview survey was continued in 1979, 1980, and 1981, with 1978 pressure estimates used to calculate harvest. The aerial counts were again conducted during 1982, along with an intensive angler inter- view survey. Fishing pressure at Flaming Gorge has fluctuated between a low of 549,437 man-hours in 1964 and a high of 2,234,222 man-hours in 1976, although the latter figure is probably erroneously high due to the questionable nature of counts. The estimated fishing pressure for 1978 and 1982 aerial creel surveys were approximately 700,000 and 671,000 man-hours respectively, compared with a range of 1 to 1.5 million man-hours in most other years. Creel rate has declined steadily since the high of 1.28 fish/man-hour in 1965 to an estimated 0.17 fish/man-hour during 1980. Creel rates increased to 0.28 fish/man-hour in 1981 and 0.24 fish/man-hour during 1982. Total harvest -22- r