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Fishing in streams and rivers is a popular outdoor recreation activity in eastern Oklahoma, where most anglers target black bass (Micropterus) species. Since the early 1990s, when the last assessment of black bass fishing in the region was conducted, broadscale factors such as harvesting behavior, state fishery regulations, and bass population dynamics have changed. In 2018, we conducted creel and fish tagging surveys in three tributaries of Lake Tenkiller (Caney Creek, Baron Fork, and Illinois River) that differed in size and accessibility to provide current estimates of catch, harvest, and effort directed toward black bass. We then related these estimates to angler socioeconomic characteristics. The amount of angler effort was concomitant with stream size and accessibility, being greatest in the largest stream with the most access (Illinois River). However, catch rates were highest in the medium‐sized stream (Baron Fork). Harvest rates and exploitation were near zero in all systems. Anglers fishing Caney Creek, the smallest and least accessible stream, were nearly all local, coming from zip codes ~42 km away, with low median household incomes compared to anglers at the other streams who came from a broader array of more distant zip codes and had higher median household incomes. Anglers fishing the smallest stream were also more interested in harvesting fish and having higher creel limits than anglers at the other two systems. In the Oklahoma Ozark Highlands, stream size and accessibility appear to be a significant factor in angler demographics, potentially necessitating different management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula (AG) is a long‐lived fish of growing management and conservation interest. Situated on the border of Texas and Oklahoma, Lake Texoma supports one of the last robust AG populations in Oklahoma; however, a genetic evaluation of this population is lacking. We genotyped AG individuals with 17 microsatellite loci, 7 of which also cross‐amplified in three sympatric Lepisosteus species: the Longnose Gar L. osseus (LN), Shortnose Gar L. platostomus (SN), and Spotted Gar L. oculatus (SP). Bayesian assignment analyses conducted in STRUCTURE and NewHybrids confirmed that a field‐identified hybrid was an F1 AG × LN and identified five other individuals that were suspected backcrosses (three LN × SN; two SN × SP). Alligator Gar had the lowest observed heterozygosity (0.179) and the lowest allelic richness (1.682) among the nonhybrid individuals of the four gar species examined. We also examined the potential for population structure and differences in pairwise relatedness (r) between two areas where AG are commonly encountered within Lake Texoma: the Red River and Washita River arms. No population structure was detected using noninformative or location priors in STRUCTURE, and estimates of r produced by the TrioML estimator in COANCESTRY were not significantly different between arms (overall mean r = 0.199). Point estimates of effective population size ranging from 16.3 to 29.2 suggested that the AG population may be vulnerable to the effects of inbreeding depression and random genetic drift. Results provide a genetic status assessment of AG in Lake Texoma and a baseline for future management and conservation decisions within Lake Texoma and surrounding regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishing in Oklahoma's rivers and streams provides a unique experience for anglers in the state. Despite its popularity, information on total demand and economic benefits associated with stream fishing is limited in the state. Research on the role of site quality indicators, such as fish size and quantity, on recreational fishing has shown mixed results. Whether fish size or quantity plays an important role in determining fishing demand and economic value may have important management implications. We estimated the demand and economic value of fishing under varying scenarios by using anglers' responses to hypothetical behavioral questions related to fishing in Ozark Highland streams and rivers in Oklahoma. We asked how intended number of trips might change in the future given hypothetical increases in catch rates of fish, catch rates of trophy-sized fish, and catch rates of preferred fish species, in combination with anglers' trip-related data. Under current conditions, we estimated consumer surplus per person per trip to be $55 and aggregate value across all stream anglers in Oklahoma to be $68.51 million. Changes in marginal benefits varied among hypothetical scenarios of fish size and abundance but was maximized with a 25% increase in catch rates of trophy-sized fish. The study findings contribute to the understanding of the economic benefit of fishing in streams and suggest that fish size, rather than fish quantity, is more important to stream anglers in the area. • Little is known about economic benefits associate with stream fishing in Oklahoma. • Past research on the role of fish size and quantity on fishing demand and economic value has shown mixed results. • A travel cost and contingent behavior models were estimated for recreation fishing in Oklahoma streams and rivers. • Results illustrate huge economic benefits of fishing in Oklahoma streams and rivers. • We found that increase in fish size and quantity increase fishing demand and economic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]