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Coregonus populations across their Holarctic range have often undergone unexplained collapses. Here, we document causes of collapse for two of the largest Coregonus populations in the world, cisco (C. artedi) in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, and Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, during the 1950s. We used simulation models, rank‐order correlations, and historical literature to evaluate effects of overfishing, interactions with introduced rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), and overwinter bottom hypoxia on both cisco populations. Fully selected exploitation rates for cisco were alarmingly high (0.82–0.84), correlations and anecdotal evidence suggested negative interactions with rainbow smelt, and extensive areas of hypoxia coincident with cisco declines suggested incubation of cisco embryos was impaired regionally. Our findings suggested that negative effects of rainbow smelt were mainly responsible for the cisco population collapse in Green Bay and that overfishing and hypoxia had suppressed the Saginaw Bay cisco population before rainbow smelt caused its final collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management and conservation of fisheries and aquatic resources are inherently applied activities. Therefore, when knowledge generated from research and monitoring, or knowledge that is held by practitioners and other actors (e.g., Indigenous elders, fishers), fails to inform those applied decisions, the persistent gap between knowledge and action is reinforced (i.e., the knowledge–action gap). In the healthcare realm, there has been immense growth in implementation science over the past decade or so with a goal of understanding and bridging the gap between knowledge and action and delivering on evidence‐based decision making. Yet, within fisheries and aquatic sciences, the concept of implementation science has not received the same level of attention. We posit, therefore, that there is an urgent need to embrace implementation science to enhance fisheries and aquatic management and conservation. In this paper, we seek to describe what implementation science is and what it has to offer to the fisheries and aquatic science and management communities. For our context, we define implementation science as the scientific study of processes and approaches to promote the systematic uptake of research and monitoring findings and other evidence‐based practices into routine practice and decision making to improve the effectiveness of fisheries management and aquatic conservation. We explore various frameworks for implementation science and consider them in the context of fisheries and aquatic science. Although there are barriers and challenges to putting implementation science into practice (e.g., lack of capacity for such work, lack of time to engage in reflection, lack of funding), there is also much in the way of opportunity and several examples of where such efforts are already underway. We conclude by highlighting the research needs related to implementation science in the fisheries and aquatic science realm that span methodological approaches, albeit a common theme is the need to involve practitioners (and other relevant actors) in the research. By introducing the concept and discipline of implementation science to the fisheries and aquatic science community, our hope is that we will inspire individuals and organizations to learn more about how implementation science can help deliver on the promise of evidence‐based management and decision making and narrow the gap between research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]