Engaging Recreational Fishers in Management and Conservation: Global Case Studies

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.00977.x Keywords: anglers; Atlantic salmon; cutthroat trout; Great Barrier Reef; marine protected areas; recreational fishing; rockfish; stakeholders; taimen; westslope cutthroat trout; yellowfish Abstract: Abstract: Globally, the number of recreational fishers is sizeable and increasing in many countries. Associated with this trend is the potential for negative impacts on fish stocks through exploitation or management measures such as stocking and introduction of non-native fishes. Nevertheless, recreational fishers can be instrumental in successful fisheries conservation through active involvement in, or initiation of, conservation projects to reduce both direct and external stressors contributing to fishery declines. Understanding fishers' concerns for sustained access to the resource and developing methods for their meaningful participation can have positive impacts on conservation efforts. We examined a suite of case studies that demonstrate successful involvement of recreational fishers in conservation and management activities that span developed and developing countries, temperate and tropical regions, marine and freshwater systems, and open- and closed-access fisheries. To illustrate potential benefits and challenges of involving recreational fishers in fisheries management and conservation, we examined the socioeconomic and ecological contexts of each case study. We devised a conceptual framework for the engagement of recreational fishers that targets particular types of involvement (enforcement, advocacy, conservation, management design [type and location], research, and monitoring) on the basis of degree of stakeholder stewardship, scale of the fishery, and source of impacts (internal or external). These activities can be enhanced by incorporating local knowledge and traditions, taking advantage of leadership and regional networks, and creating collaborations among various stakeholder groups, scientists, and agencies to maximize the probability of recreational fisher involvement and project success. Abstract (Spanish): Involucrando a Pescadores Recreativos en el Manejo y la Conservacion: Estudios de Caso Globales Resumen: Globalmente, el numero de pescadores recreativos es considerable y esta incrementando en muchos paises. Esta tendencia se asocia con el potencial de impactos negativos sobre la disponibilidad de peces mediante la explotacion o medidas de manejo como el aprovisionamiento e introduccion de peces no nativos. Sin embargo, los pescadores recreativos pueden jugar un papel decisivo en el exito de la conservacion de pesquerias mediante su participacion activa en, o en el inicio de, proyectos de conservacion para reducir los factores estresantes, tanto directos como externos, que contribuyen a la declinacion de las pesquerias. El entendimiento de las preocupaciones de los pescadores por el acceso sustentable al recurso y por el desarrollo de metodos para una participacion significativa puede tener impactos positivos sobre los esfuerzos de conservacion. Examinamos un conjunto de estudios de caso que demuestran una participacion exitosa de pescadores recreativos en actividades de manejo y conservacion en paises desarrollados y en desarrollo, regiones templadas y tropicales, sistemas marinos y dulceacuicolas y en pesquerias de acceso abierto y cerrado. Para ilustrar los beneficios y retos potenciales de involucrar a pescadores recreativos en el manejo y la conservacion de pesquerias, examinamos el contexto socioeconomico y ecologico de cada estudio de caso. Disenamos un marco conceptual para comprometer a pescadores recreativos que enfoca diferentes tipos de compromiso (coercion, intercesion, conservacion, diseno de manejo [tipo y localidades], investigacion y monitoreo) con base en el grado de responsabilidad de las partes interesadas, la escala de la pesqueria y la fuente de impactos (interna o externa). Estas actividades se pueden mejorar mediante la incorporacion del conocimiento y tradiciones locales, el aprovechamiento de las redes regionales de liderazgo y la creacion de colaboraciones entre los diferentes grupos de interes, cientificos y agencias para maximizar la probabilidad de la participacion de pescadores recreativos y el exito del proyecto. Author Affiliation: (*)Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 92707, U.S.A., emailgraneke@pdx.edu ([dagger])Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, U.S.A. ([double dagger])U.S. Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 2965, Portland, OR 97204, U.S.A. (s.)Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia (**)Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, P.O. Box 1379, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia ([dagger][dagger])Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, 1000 Valley Road, M.S. 186, Reno, NV 89512, U.S.A. ([double dagger][double dagger])Sport Fishing Institute, 67 McKenzie Crescent, Sidney, BC V8L 5Y7, Canada (s.s.)C.A.P.E. Estuaries Programme, CapeNature, Private Bag 5014, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa (***)Trout Unlimited, 329 Crater Lake Avenue, Medford, OR 97504, U.S.A. ([dagger][dagger][dagger])Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada ([double dagger][double dagger][double dagger])Institute of Inland Fisheries, Im Konigswald 2, 14469 Potsdam-Sacrow, Germany (s.s.s.)Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Muggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany, and Humboldt-University of Berlin, Institute of Animal Sciences, Inland Fisheries Management Lab, Philippstrasse 13, Haus 7, 10115 Berlin, Germany Article History: Paper submitted July 18, 2007; revised manuscript accepted January 14, 2008.Correction added after publication 15 July 2008; Authorship was amended for accuracy. Article note: (****) Authors contributed equally