By Scotty Kyle

In the previous blog on Fishery Management I told you why we need it. Now let’s turn our attention to some of the tools that are used to manage fisheries around the world. I’ll mostly limit my attention to those that apply for recreational anglers. Regulating commercial fisheries is an interesting, but separate topic. First, let’s briefly go through the main tools of fisheries management. Then we’ll go into detail on how exactly they are set and work. 

Tools of Fisheries Management

Direct fisheries management with specific rules around species, numbers, sizes of fish to be caught can assist in optimising fishing, protecting stocks and ensuring “sustainability”. Further rules around fishing techniques, such as tackle specifications and “catch and release” can make marked reductions in fish mortality without necessarily reducing the appeal and quality of sport angling.   

Licensing

Fishing licenses pursue two main goals. First, they limit the number of people who go fishing in a certain area. Then, more importantly, they raise money for conservation. I’ve been told that in Germany, if you want to get a fishing license, you need to pass an exam similar to the tests you take to get a driver’s license. That’s going a bit too far in my opinion, but it sure would be nice if all anglers had a basic level of knowledge, e.g. could identify major fish species. Licensing can work well, especially if the money brought in is clearly used to implement sensible management, but it sometimes meets resistance. 

Catch and Release

When you need to protect a certain species, the problem is that anglers don’t always have control over what takes their bait or lure, and sometimes only realize what they caught after they land the fish. Catch and release regulations are a way to overcome this problem, as the protected species may be more or less safely let go back into the water. This is quite an efficient way of reducing impacts on stocks while allowing sport fishing. 

Size and Bag Limits

Bag limits dictate how many fish an angler can kill and keep, and size limits how big a fish can be before you can keep it. Usually, there’s a minimum limit – e.g. trout longer than 16 in. should be released, bigger can be kept. But if we’re dealing with a slow-growing high-value fish, then there can also be a length above which all fish must be released, to protect the oldest and most valuable individuals. Sometimes small fish are abundant and it makes sense to allow many to be killed, so the size limit may be low and the bag limit high. 

Seasons and Area-Based Fishing Bans

Some parts of rivers, lakes, and shore regions are critical for survival of certain fish species. A prime example are spawning areas. But establishing protected areas can be a good idea even outside spawning. There can even be multiple layers of areas with different degrees of protection. For example, in the iSimangaliso World heritage site in South Africa, there are areas of shore with no fishing allowed. Outside these there are “buffer zones” where catch and release takes place, and in the neighbouring areas, size and bag limits apply. 

Restrictions on Fishing Equipment

Unlike commercial fishing, for recreational angling it doesn’t matter much what rods and rigs you use, as long as you abide by other restrictions. Still, management can also include aspects like using barbless hooks or not using gaffs. This helps reduce mortality after release, and so minimizes the damage to fish populations. 

Fisheries Management Tools: Problems and Solutions

With all these concepts the difficulty is often in the implementation. As in many aspects of life, how you do it may be more important than what you do. In the past, many regulations were based on assumptions and “conventional wisdom”. Some were excellent, but others  were misleading and counterproductive. Science keeps bringing in new data, that forces us to rethink our approach to some rules and regulations. Not all old regulations are wrong but, when new information becomes available or a fish status changes, we need to review the rules. Here are a few examples of problems we faced and solutions we developed. 

Rules Should Be Species-Specific

Trout are an excellent example of this. When I fished in Scotland there was one set of bag and size limits for brown and rainbow trout.  While everything seemed fine and both species looked similar, science tells us that, although both are called “trout”,  they are actually separate genera with different growth rates. One marked difference is that brown trout can live past twenty years while nearly all rainbow trout are dead by six years old. So, rules sensible for rainbow trout can be inappropriate for browns. 

Size Matters, But So Does Sex

Size limits are an example where we need to review past restrictions in the light of new information. In my work with fisheries in South Africa, new information on fish kept being discovered and impacting our management. One species, the seabream (Acanthopagrus vagus), had a size limit of 30 cm (11.8 in.) and only fish above this could be killed. Then, a small fish we had tagged as male was recovered as a female. This seemed unlikely, till it happened again, and again.

Now we know that within the Sparidae family some species change sex from male to female, others from females to males; some change repeatedly, while others remain one sex. All the seabream seemed to change from male to female and this happened at about 30 cm! Our rules forced all legal killing on only female fish, essential to recruitment. As a consequence of this finding,  we reduced the size limit but also the bag.

Small Limits May Be Better Than No Limits

Bag limits can be simple and address all sorts of issues from distributing scarce fish among many anglers to trying to wipe out alien species. In some waters a “no-take” approach is appropriate and can be sensibly and fairly implemented. In others, possibly with a traditional fishery or impoverished residents, it can be split with sport anglers fishing for “fun” while others to obtain essential protein.

In South Africa shad (Pomatomus saltator) was a commonly caught coastal fish until stocks collapsed – mostly due to overfishing. Management implemented a “shad ban” where no shad could be killed. This was strongly unpopular. Then, as stocks recovered a little, the ban was lifted to one fish per person. That limit was much better accepted by the community, and apparently more fishermen abided by it. Now the limit is five and most anglers are happy again. 

Mind The Migration

Many marine species are migratory and, at times, can be abundant. It is tempting not to regulate these species, as overfishing in one area doesn’t seem to decrease their numbers much. But it’s important to remember that, if it happens all across their migration routes, the stocks can be depleted very quickly. 

Off South Africa, species such as king mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) can appear in great numbers and, as they are excellent food, commercial fishing took place. Management implemented a limit of 10 per person, giving anyone more than enough fish for their families and friends, but preventing commercially viable fishing. This was reduced to five in Marine Protected areas to reduce catches there. 

Community Resistance

Some fishers are open to restrictions, while others resent or reject them. Fishermen who perceive fish only as a food source often find the concept of catch-and-release aliens. If a community has been fishing somewhere for generations without any licenses, it may find it oppressive, when they have to pay or need to move elsewhere to fish. In fact, there may be resistance to any form of control. Communication and education can help and, as the idea is that regulations are there to optimise and sustain the fishery, the anglers should be able to be convinced of the benefits of appropriate management.

Follow the Rules, Always!

I really enjoy fishing, but rarely kill fish now, except when I catch an invasive species. Back in Scotland as a kid, I used to kill and eat every legal trout I caught – that’s what everyone did those days. But after years of doing field research in fish, I came to realize the importance of fisheries management. 

Simply put, in this world, with an ever growing population, and an ever increasing demands of this population, if we don’t practice fisheries management, we’ll soon destroy fish stocks. Appropriate management will help fish stocks and improve our fishing pleasure, and it is up to every one of us to promote sensible fishery management, even though it may look like an uphill struggle, as misinformation and greed is common and trust in institutions, and even science, is not improving. 

I would also like to implore all my readers to follow all fishing regulations at all times. True, occasionally they may be misguided, but in most cases they are based on solid science, and, to reiterate, if we do nothing, we’ll end up with nothing. Like you, I want my children to enjoy catching fish legally and sustainably, but it won’t happen unless all of us do our part. 

Next in ‘Science and Conservation’

Advanced Fishing Lore: Fishery Management and Why We Need It

by Scotty Kyle

I grew up on the west coast of Scotland and often visited a small fishing village on holiday. We would go out on the fishing boats for day trips, where we would catch herring in large quantities close to shore. Over the years the trips got longer, and the catches dwindled – then stopped. The fishers changed to trawling for Norway lobster but in a few years the same happened. The village is now a holiday destination with almost no fishing.  CONTINUE READING