Reviving the unique potential of recreational fishers as environmental stewards of aquatic ecosystems

Abstract

Recreational anglers have been key players in aquatic conservation, but this role is increasingly obscured. Other environmental sectors are now more visible stakeholders engaged with biodiversity. Recreational fishing has relevant environmental and moral implications, but these can be resolved via improved governance and management. More difficult is replacing the stewardship capacity provided by anglers. When analysed against a novel environmental stewardship framework based on place and identity, care, knowledge and agency, we find that marginalizing anglers could diminish aquatic biodiversity conservation. This outcome is likely because excellence in recreational fishing involves habituation of skills and ethical imperatives associated with sustainable and responsible use of fish populations. These dimensions are probably not so pertinent and correspondingly less developed in other nature stakeholders. Importantly, catching and killing wild animals catapults anglers into a food web and associated ecological conscience that most other outdoor activities cannot generate. As a result, recreational fishing often engenders feelings of care and responsibility for aquatic systems that support personal well‐being, bridging the stewardship value‐action gap through development of local assessment, management and evaluative competencies and associated agency. Transdisciplinary cooperation with scientists, managers and policymakers can unleash the stewardship potential of recreational anglers and engage their capacity for the common good.

How urbanization is shifting the context of nature experiences from economic to recreational

“…They argue that striving for excellence in fishing is synonymous with the development of skills that can only be acquired through years of immersion in habitat and the environmental influences to which it is exposed. This intensive involvement not only generates knowledge and skills, but also leads to a specific ecological consciousness (Shephard et al., 2023).…”

Stay or go? Geographic variation in risks due to climate change for fishing fleets that adapt in-place or adapt on-the-move

“…While we chose to analyze fleets defined by common fishing grounds and ports of landing as one type of community, there are other units of community analysis that are equally or more compelling (e.g., communities-of-place defined shoreside, [100,101]; and fisher networks emergent as communities-of-practice [102,103]). Different rubrics for describing communities may lead to greater or lesser emphasis on mobility and diversification as primary metrics to index adaptive capacity.…”

Anadromous trout from opposite sides of the globe: biology, ocean ecology, and management of anadromous brown and cutthroat trout

“…catch and release) in all environments occupied by resident and anadromous life histories can increase catch rates in marine waters, given the close association of resident and anadromous forms as described previously. Additionally, involving anglers in conservation and recovery work has been proven effective to achieve shared goals associated with fishing opportunity and protection of the resource and should be explored more broadly (Shephard et al 2023). Overall, fishing regulations that consider life history diversity, such as those that protect juveniles, kelts and individuals migrating at the beginning and end of the typical run, combined with improved passage and habitat, are the most important tools to support the long-term recovery and sustainability of anadromous trout as has been adopted in the Shetland Islands and elsewhere (King et al 2021).…”