Testing and Refining the Assumptions of Put-and-Take Rainbow Trout Fisheries in Alberta

Bibliographic Data

ID15327159
AuthorsWilliam F Patterson (0000-0001-7588-7038, Alberta Conservation Association, corresponding author), Michael G Sullivan (0000-0001-8363-3476, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas)
Year2013
Volume18
Issue5
Pages340-354
Publication date2013-09-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Dimensions of Wildlife (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1087-1209 • E-ISSN: 1533-158X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10871209.2013.809827
OpenAlexW2090614523
LanguageEN
References cited53

Stocking catchable-size trout to create sport fisheries is based on a simple conceptual model: stocking more fish creates better fisheries that attract more anglers. Organizations typically stock variable densities of fish (i.e., cost) and expect correlated responses in catch rate and angler effort (i.e., benefit). We tested the assumptions inherent in stocked rainbow trout fisheries in Alberta and found no correlation between these costs and benefits of stocking. Rather, stocking low or high densities of trout created low-density stocks that supported low-catch-rate fisheries, but attracted many anglers if catch rates exceeded 0.08 trout/angler-hr and lakes were close to anglers’ homes. We propose a fiscally responsible model of stocking (i.e., stock minimum numbers of fish to remain above an optimal catch rate at lakes selected to attract anglers) that allows managers to either increase stocking sites or reduce stocking costs while maintaining angler effort

Biology · Business · Catch and release · Fish · Fish stock · Fisheries management · Fishery · Fishing · Geography · Rainbow trout · Recreational fishing · Stock (firearms · Stock assessment · Stocking · Trout · Fish Ecology and Management Studies · Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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