Harvest Regulations

• Lecture Outline

– Objectives of regulations

– Type of regulations

• Assignments

– Management of undesirable fish species pp. 403 - 430 in Inland Fisheries Management

– Second draft of paper due November 11

“Fisheries have been regulated on the basis of politics, social pressure, gear competition, prejudice, whim, and sometimes for biological reasons” (Everhart and Youngs 1981)

Objectives of regulations

1) Biological

a) Protect fish from overexploitation

b) Regulate the level of type of fishing effort

c) Influence the species and size composition of the catch

2) Sociological

a) Providing angler a valid expectation for fishing success (obtain OSY)

3) Informational

a) Statistics of license sales

Types of Regulations

1) Licenses and Permits

a) Privilege license or stamps for certain waterbodies (e.g., trout stamp)

b) Limited entry

i) Mostly commercial fisheries

c) Scientific collecting

2) Size limits

a) Minimum size limits

i) Protect spawning potential of a population

ii) Allow longer period of growth before harvest

iii) Increase predation levels on forage species

iv) Increase harvest of large individuals

v) Mixed results

vi) Can cause “stockpiling” in productive waters

vii) Modal size just below minimum limit

viii) Density-dependent effects limit population

b) Maximum size limits

i) Rare

ii) Used on cutthroat and sturgeon populations with few sexually mature adults

c) Slot limits

i) Protect fish of an intermediate size

ii) Harvest of fish below slot – uses surplus recruits

iii) Increase growth rate of fish that grow through intermediate size to harvestable size

iv) Typically shifts the size structure of largemouth bass populations

v) Inverse slot limits for threatened species

3) Creel Limits

a) The allowable fish, either in number of weight that can be harvested during a particular time period

b) Sociology

i) Gives an angler a target

c) Not effective in reducing total exploitation

i) Only a small proportion of anglers harvest their limit regularly

d) “High grading”

i) The release of small fish when larger fish are captured

e) Possession and seasonal limits

i) Important to consider law enforcement

ii) Quotas

f) Catch and release

i) Objective to reduce fishing mortality

ii) Dependent on hooking mortality

4) Seasons

a) Close season during peak spawning

b) Seasonal partitioning of regulations

c) Safety concerns

d) Hours

5) Closed areas

a) Below dams

b) Areas with presence or absence of T&E species

c) Contaminant accumulations

d) Stocking areas

e) Allow establishment of fishery

6) Gear restrictions

a) Objective to decrease angling efficiency and reduce hooking mortality

b) Fly-fishing only

c) Single, barbless hook

d) Number of hooks per line

e) Time gear is out

f) Types of bait

i) Reduce hooking mortality

ii) Stop introduction of nonindigenous species

g) Commercial fishing restrictions

i) Increases cost

Some estimates of hooking mortality

Species	Gear	Hooking mortality
Brook trout	Lure, treble hook	8
	Lure, single barbless hook	3
Smallmouth bass	Spinner	0
	Live minnow	11
Walleye	Lures	0
	Leeches	10
Bluegill	Worm-baited hook	88
	Artificial lure	28
Crappie	Live bait	29