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Multidisciplinary approaches to conservation and wildlife management are often effective in addressing complex, multi-factor problems. Emerging fields such as conservation physiology and conservation behaviour can provide innovative solutions and management strategies for target species and systems. Sensory ecology combines the study of 'how animals acquire' and process sensory stimuli from their environments, and the ecological and evolutionary significance of 'how animals respond' to this information. We review the benefits that sensory ecology can bring to wildlife conservation and management by discussing case studies across major taxa and sensory modalities. Conservation practices informed by a sensory ecology approach include the amelioration of sensory traps, control of invasive species, reduction of human-wildlife conflicts and relocation and establishment of new populations of endangered species. We illustrate that sensory ecology can facilitate the understanding of mechanistic ecological and physiological explanations underlying particular conservation issues and also can help develop innovative solutions to ameliorate conservation problems.

Abstract--We evaluated the conservation benefits of the use of circle hooks compared with standard J hooks in the recreational fishery for Atlantic istiophorid billfishes, noting hooking location and the presence [...]

Abstract--Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) have been used to study movements, habitat use, and postrelease survival of large pelagic vertebrates, but the size of these tags has historically precluded their [...]

Abstract--Short-duration (5- or 10-day) deployments of pop-up satellite archival tags were used to estimate survival of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) released from the western North Atlantic recreational fishery. Forty-one tags, [...]

Recreational fishing is a popular activity around the globe, generating billions of dollars in economic benefit based on fisheries in marine and inland waters. In most developed countries, recreational fisheries are managed to achieve diverse objectives and ensure that such fisheries are sustainable. While many anglers fish during daylight hours, some target fish species during the night. Indeed, sensory physiology of some species makes them vulnerable to capture at night, while being more difficult to capture during the day. However, night creates a number of challenges for recreational fisheries assessment and management. In some jurisdictions, fishing is prohibited at night (through both effort and harvest controls) or there are specific restrictions placed on night fisheries (e.g., no use of artificial lights). Here, we summarize the science and management of recreational fisheries at night covering both inland and marine realms. In doing so, we also provide a review of different angling regulations specific to night fisheries across the globe, as well as the basis for those regulations. We discuss the extent to which there is both need and opportunity to actively manage anglers who are targeting fish at night and how this differs from fisheries that occur during lighted periods. We provide two case studies, one for white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson, 1836) and one for walleye [Sander vitreus (Mitchill, 1818)], for which nighttime closures have been used as a fisheries management tool to control effort and harvest (illegal harvest in the case of the sturgeon case study). Based on the synthesis, we conclude that natural resource management agencies should decide if and how they need to manage recreational fisheries at night, recognizing the practical challenges (e.g., compliance monitoring, stock assessment) with doing so in the dark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, is a large member of the family Acipenseridae, historically reaching lengths of at least 4.6 m in length (with some estimates of 5-6 m). In North America, A. o. oxyrinchus occurs in major rivers and coastal environments along the east coast from Labrador, Canada to Florida, USA; there are also naturally occurring European populations in the Baltic and North Seas. There is evidence that at least 35 North American rivers historically supported spawning populations, although only about 27 rivers are currently known or suspected to support spawning populations. All North American populations are greatly reduced from their historical levels of abundance. The commercial fishery for A. o. oxyrinchus reached its height in the late 1800s, and, in part, caused a population crash from which the species has not yet recovered. In 2012, the species was listed as threatened or endangered under the US Endangered Species Act throughout its range in the United States. It remains unlisted under the Species At Risk Act in Canada although two populations are listed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Nevertheless, the Atlantic Sturgeon remains the subject of a regulated commercial fishery in Canada. There is a growing understanding of the biology of A. o. oxyrinchus, and this paper reviews the current state of knowledge of its biology, ecology, life history, conservation, and recovery, and provides an overview of the historical fisheries for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the taxonomic diversity, geographic distributions, life history, ecology and fisheries of tarpons, ladyfishes and bonefishes (members of the subdivision Elopomorpha), which share many life history and habitat use characteristics that make them vulnerable to environmental and anthropogenic stresses in coastal environments. This assessment of Red List status for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature reveals three species considered near threatened or vulnerable, three species of least concern, and 11 data-deficient species. Although the taxonomy of tarpons appears stable, it is less so for ladyfishes and bonefishes. In aggregate, these species are distributed circumtropically and foray into temperate zones. Although they spawn in marine habitats, larvae of many species disperse into estuarine habitats, which are declining in area or degrading in quality. Several species support high-value recreational fisheries, or culturally important small-scale commercial and artisanal fisheries. Nonetheless, no formal stock assessment exists for any species, so improved data collection, information sharing and assessment techniques should facilitate socio-economic development of individual fisheries. Catch-and-release recreational fisheries that promote conservation of tarpon and bonefishes in some regions are promising models to improve the conservation status of these fishes elsewhere, as well as the economic development of these fishing communities. Most tarpons, ladyfishes and bonefishes likely face significant challenges from anthropogenically mediated habitat loss and alteration, and several are vulnerable to both habitat degradation and overfishing. Broader protection and enhancements to fisheries habitat in all regions will benefit these as well as many other coastal fishery species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the conservation benefits of the use of circle hooks compared with standard J hooks in the recreational fishery for Atlantic istiophorid billfishes, noting hooking location and the presence of trauma (bleeding) for 123 blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), 272 white marlin (Kajikia albida), and 132 sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) caught on natural baits rigged with one of the two hook types. In addition, we used pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) to follow the fate of 61 blue marlin caught on natural baits rigged with circle hooks or on a combination of artificial lure and natural bait rigged with J hooks. The frequencies of internal hooking locations and bleeding were significantly lower with circle hooks than with J hooks for each of the three species and were significantly reduced for blue marlin caught on J hooks than for white marlin and sailfish taken on the same hook type. Analysis of the data received from 59 PSATs (two tags released prematurely) indicated no mortalities among the 29 blue marlin caught on circle hooks and two mortalities among the 30 blue marlin caught on J hooks (6.7%). Collectively, the hook location and PSAT data revealed that blue marlin, like white marlin and sailfish, derive substantial conservation benefits from the use of circle hooks, and the negative impacts of J hooks are significantly reduced for blue marlin relative to the other two species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]