Recreational fishing is a culturally important activity that dramatically impacts the Great Lakes region’s ecology and economy. Maintaining the fishery requires constant ecological monitoring to inform and make strategic management decisions, such as the number of fish to stock in each lake in order to meet angler demand. State agencies have stocked non-native Pacific salmon to maintain a popular sport fishery since the 1960s. However, this long-standing management goal is balanced with the simultaneous goal of restoring native lake trout to the Great Lakes, despite the conflicting nature of these two objectives. These types of management investments continue despite a lack of clear data on angler populations, species preferences, or the role Pacific salmon anglers play in overall recreational fishing participation. This is largely because Great Lakes fisheries management decisions are made by state agencies that lack the resources and expertise required to conduct or integrate extensive social science research related to fisheries. The goal of this empirical research is to understand how fisheries managers interpret and apply social science research findings in decision-making, focusing specifically on how decisions about stocking non-native Pacific salmon are impacted by data on angler demographics. We use focus groups and interviews conducted at the annual Lake Committee Meetings of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and in meetings with fisheries managers to understand how managers, interpret, consider, and use social science findings analyzing declines among Great Lakes pacific salmon anglers. This project and presentation will contribute to our understanding of how managers in decision-making roles react to and feel they are able to incorporate human dimensions information into their day-to-day and long-term decisions. The project will also build knowledge about how social scientists, natural scientists, and managers can better coordinate to inform and make effective environmental management decisions.