The Process of

Fisheries

Management

Chapter 5

Goal for this Topic

Understand the process of fisheries

management

Objectives for this Topic

Develop and apply steps in the process of

fisheries science and management to a real

problem

Describe forces that shape fisheries

management

Review: Fisheries Science and

ManagementDefinition

Purpose

Process

Biota

Habitat

Humans

Conserve

Functional Ecosystems

Life support systems

Ecosystem Perspective

Fish mgt and

science

Handout

What is the PROCESS of

FISHERIES?

Class work and discussion to figure this

out…

A question you get…

What should I do to my large pond to

improve trout fishing and catching “good-

sized” fish through the year, every year?

How should I manage my 75-ac property

for attractive grouse hunting?

How do you respond?

What do you do for the farmer /

landowner?

How do you respond? Which

one(s) do you pick?

A. Do a controlled burn

B. Stock more fish

C. Limit fish harvests

D. Remove aquatic vegetation

E. Mow down briars

F. Add aerators

G. Dig the pond deeper and wider

H. All of these

I. None of them

Discussion: Your Job

Develop a plan to sustain a viable fishery

Outline briefly described from start to finish

Assess Current Conditions

Understand what you got

Goals and Objectives

Dictated by current conditions

Debated and agreed upon

– researchers

– managers

– stakeholders

Goals

Goal: Restore and maintain a self-sustaining

productive large mouth bass fishery and

associated native fauna

Goal: Improve the striped bass fishery in Raystown

Lake

What is an example of a goal?

1. Read 35 journal articles per month on fish

ecology

2. Be a renowned ecologist

3. Subscribe to the journal Ecology

4. Give invited talks to school kids on science and

ecology 3 times per year

5. Have membership in 5 different national and

international professional societies in ecology

and fish fields

Objectives: In 5 years, IBI community score at least

78/100; catch 3 fish > 9 inches per hour;

sample the range of ages and sizes of all

species by electrofishing; P, N, DO levels meet

standards

Objectives

Objectives: are SMART

Problems

Problems: Thermal pollution; water quality; chicken

farm; foreseeable problems? – housing

development, sewer development in future

Actions

Evaluation

Revision

The Management Process

Are outcomes consistent with objectives?

Actions and/or Recommendations

To meet management goals and

objectives and reduce negatives

– Population management

– Habitat manipulation

– People management (i.e., control)

The management process

Current conditions

Goals

Objectives

Problems

Actions/Recommendations

Evaluation

Revision

The Management Process

is

adaptive—iterative process

Current Conditions

Handout

Stakeholders

Fisheries Management

Stakeholder driven, goal-oriented, cyclic

process that is self-evaluating and

adaptive.

The Process of Fisheries

Management

So fisheries management is…

– The use of interdisciplinary information in a

multi-organizational decision making process

that results in actions to achieve goals

established for aquatic resources.

Thought for today: …”it does seem somewhat perverse that we must argue for the

conservation of the natural resources upon which our very survival depends.” Closs

et al. 2015. Conservation of Freshwater Fishes. Cambridge Univ Press.

1. Assemble stakeholders/partners2. Assess current conditions

3. Set goals

4. Set objectives

5. ID impediments

6. Design and implement

strategy, actions

7. Evaluate progress

8. Improve, revise, adapt plan

Role of science

Feasible objectives

Assess current conditions

ID limiting factors, understand ecological

pattern/process

Predict response to management action

Make strategic recommendations

Monitor effectiveness

Fisheries

Management vs. Science

Need

Action

Decision

Question

Project

Results and

Synthesis

Forces that Shape Fisheries

Management Process

Fig. 5.2

Fig. 5.2

Forces that shape management

Science, ecology

Socio-cultural things:

tradition, pragmatists

vs. purists

Economics & Politics