Recreational displacement: the case of anglers on the Greenstone River, New Zealand.

This chapter explores the extent of regulation-induced recreational displacement in the Greenstone River, a nationally important trout fishery in New Zealand, where regulations were introduced to manage growing numbers of domestic and international anglers. By comprehensively investigating the nature and scope of recreational displacement, the insights generated from this study are likely to be of considerable relevance for management agencies tasked with planning, and indeed controlling, sensitive natural resources for the ongoing enjoyment of visitors.

Recreational displacement: the case of anglers on the Greenstone River, New Zealand.

This chapter explores the extent of regulation-induced recreational displacement in the Greenstone River, a nationally important trout fishery in New Zealand, where regulations were introduced to manage growing numbers of domestic and international anglers. By comprehensively investigating the nature and scope of recreational displacement, the insights generated from this study are likely to be of considerable relevance for management agencies tasked with planning, and indeed controlling, sensitive natural resources for the ongoing enjoyment of visitors.

Linking anglers, fish, and management in a catch-and-release steelhead trout fishery

Fisheries are complex social–ecological systems with multiple potential linkages between fish and anglers. Understanding these linkages helps to support effective fisheries management. We examine the social–ecological dynamics of a recreational fishery by assessing relationships between fish, anglers, and a management intervention. We focus on catch-and-release steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fisheries on six rivers within the Skeena River watershed, British Columbia, Canada, the location of a recent management intervention. First, based on analyses of annual steelhead trout abundance and annual angler effort information, we found that years with a higher abundance of returning steelhead trout were associated with years of higher catch rates and angler effort. Second, based on analyses of nonresident angler effort, we discovered that a new management intervention provided periods of lower angler effort, but effort was apparently redistributed to other rivers and time periods. Third, responses from angler interviews post-management intervention revealed that anglers were more satisfied if they caught more fish and experienced less crowding; at higher crowding levels, higher catch rates were required to increase angler satisfaction. In conclusion, we found that this recreational fishery is influenced by both human dimensions and natural ecological dynamics such as fish population fluctuations.

Multispecies and Watershed Approaches to Freshwater Fish Conservation

<em>Abstract</em>.—Waquoit Bay is a coastal estuary located on the south side of Cape Cod. The primary rivers feeding the bay, the Quashnet and Childs rivers, are small, coldwater, groundwater-fed streams. Most of the watersheds of both rivers were originally set aside in the 1600s as a plantation for the Native American Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. The rivers were heavily modified in the late 1700s by the building of mill dams and later in the 1800s by cranberry agriculture. The anadromous Brook Trout <em>Salvelinus fontinalis </em>fisheries in both rivers were acclaimed in the early 1800s. Anadromous river herring <em>Alosa </em>spp. runs were created on both streams by connecting the streams to Johns Pond, a natural kettle hole pond. After anadromous Brook Trout populations declined due primarily to habitat loss, efforts were initiated in the 1950s to restore anadromy to Brook Trout in Cape Cod rivers by overstocking with hatchery Brook Trout. After this project, land protection along the river started with the purchase of abandoned cranberry bogs. Both rivers were heavily stocked with Brown Trout <em>Salmo trutta </em>in the 1970s and 1980s to create a sea-run Brown Trout fishery. In 1976, Trout Unlimited began an ongoing habitat improvement project in the Quashnet River. In the 1970s and 1980s, the rapid development of Cape Cod threatened the watershed. In 1988, the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was formed and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts purchased land in the watershed to preserve it as open space. As part of the purchase agreement, a potential well site was reserved, which led to studies by the U.S. Geological Survey on the hydrology of the Quashnet River and the impact of potential wells. In the early 1990s, fisheries management shifted away from the stocking of Brown Trout to focus on the native Brook Trout fishery. The Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, a consortium of landowners centered on Waquoit Bay, was formed in 1995. In 1997, the contaminant ethylene dibromide from the former Otis Air Force Base Superfund site was found to be entering the upper Quashnet River. This led to the creation of a system of berms and groundwater extraction systems. The failure of part of the berm system led to concerns about fisheries impacts, and a restoration plan was developed. A Brook Trout passive integrated transponder tagging project was initiated on the Quashnet River in 2007, and the Brook Trout population has been annually sampled since 2000. In 2008–2010, adult wild Brook Trout from the Quashnet River were transplanted to the Childs River and a wild Brook Trout population was reestablished. Nitrogen loading from the watershed has become a major issue for the Waquoit Bay estuary, causing algae blooms and water-quality impacts. The fisheries of the Waquoit Bay tributaries have been protected and enhanced by an ongoing combination of land protection, fisheries management and research activities, and habitat improvements involving a wide variety of partners. Watershed development and potential climate change continue to threaten both the estuarine resources of Waquoit Bay and the native freshwater and diadromous fisheries of its tributaries.

The trout fishery of the upper Medway watershed, Nova Scotia, 2016-17

During the spring of 2016 and 2017, the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI), in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, conducted an angler creel survey in the Medway Lakes Wilderness Area that is located within the upper Medway watershed. Since 2012, public access to this region was improved to numerous lakes and streams, increasing the risk of overexploitation and the illegal introduction of invasive fish species. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of the fishery for Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, investigate the possible presence of invasive Smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, and Chain pickerel, Esox niger, and inform anglers of the effects of invasive species on local biodiversity. Over the course of this two-year study, a total of 264 anglers spent 1017 hours to catch 1279 trout, of which 74% were released. Median length of retained Brook trout was of 25 cm and the maximum length was 43 cm. The majority of the catch was 2+ and 3+ years old. Angler catch rates were similar to nearby Kejimkujik National Park and greater than in the Tangier Grand Lakes Wilderness Area. The study area does not currently appear to be inhabited by invasive fish species. Most of the anglers interviewed lived nearby and had a long history of fishing in the upper Medway watershed. The study provides baseline data from the trout fishery which could be used to evaluate management strategies and future impacts of invasive fish species.

Returns from matching management resolution to ecological variation in a coral reef fishery

When managing heterogeneous socioecological systems, decision-makers must choose a spatial resolution at which to define management policies. Complex spatial policies allow managers to better reflect underlying ecological and economic heterogeneity, but incur higher compliance and enforcement costs. To choose the most appropriate management resolution, we need to characterize the relationship between management resolution and performance. We parameterize a model of the commercial coral trout fishery in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, which is currently managed by a single, spatially homogeneous management policy. We use this model to estimate how the spatial resolution of management policies affect the amount of revenue generated, and assess whether a more spatially complex policy can be justified. Our results suggest that economic variation is likely to be a more important source of heterogeneity than ecological differences, and that the majority of this variation can be captured by a relatively simple spatial management policy. Moreover, while an increase in policy resolution can improve performance, the location of policy changes also needs to align with ecological and socioeconomic variation. Interestingly, the highly complex process of larval dispersal, which plays a critical ecological role in coral reef ecosystem dynamics, may not demand equally complex management policies.

THE FISHERY FOR SPECKLED TROUT, Salvelinus fontinalis, OVER A 28 YEAR PERIOD IN THE TANGIER GRAND LAKE WILDERNESS AREA, NOVA SCOTIA

The Tangier Grand Lake Wilderness Area (16,000 ha) is located about 100km east of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and supports a popular fishery for speckled trout. The purpose of this study was to assess the status of the trout fishery and address concerns related to over-exploitation. Angler check points were occupied during 1979 and 2007 on an access road to sample the catch of anglers during the May-June period of heavy angler activity. In 1979, a total of 1380 interviewed anglers spent 6889 hours to catch 1852 trout. In comparison, a total of 178 interviewed anglers spent 1363 hours to catch 593 trout during 2007. The differences associated with sample size between survey years reflect sub-sampling in 2007 rather than a change in angler activity. The majority of anglers retained less than three trout and of the total trout caught, anglers released 19% in 1979 and 50% in 2007. Catch per hour, size, age, and growth rate of trout were similar between surveys. Results indicated that there was little change in this fishery between the 28 years separating the two creel surveys.