Angler Characteristics and Management Implications in a Large, Multistock, Spatially Structured Recreational Fishery

Management of recreational fisheries involves understanding how anglers interact with the fishery resource. Managers must understand the source (spatial distribution), efficiency, and behavior of angler effort in order to develop optimal management strategies in a social-ecological framework. We interviewed anglers (n = 1,956) and assessed fish populations in 21 lakes that are part of a multistock, spatially structured fishery for Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Our objective was to assess the spatial behavior, harvest behavior, and catch efficiency of anglers and to understand the strengths of interactions between anglers and fish populations in three regions within this large fishery. Our results suggest a diverse angler population that varied in its behavior and its impact on the fishery. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis, we identified four distinct angler groups based on three variables that directly described how anglers interacted with the fishery (spatial distribution, catchability, and harvest behavior). Angler characteristics varied between groups, and the relative proportions of the four discrete angler groups varied among management regions. Substantial variation in angler characteristics across groups and variation in the relative distribution of the groups across regions imply that a one size fits all management approach is not optimal for this fishery. Instead, strategies that are attuned to angler characteristics would constitute a better approach for managing this large, spatially structured fishery. Received April 18, 2012; accepted March 10, 2013