Linking anglers, fish, and management in a catch-and-release steelhead trout fishery

Fisheries are complex social-ecological systems with multiple potential linkages between fish and anglers. Understanding these linkages helps to support effective fisheries management. We examine the social-ecological dynamics of a recreational fishery by assessing relationships between fish, anglers, and a management intervention. We focus on catch-and-release steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fisheries on six rivers within the Skeena River watershed, British Columbia, Canada, the location of a recent management intervention. First, based on analyses of annual steelhead trout abundance and annual angler effort information, we found that years with a higher abundance of returning steelhead trout were associated with years of higher catch rates and angler effort. Second, based on analyses of nonresident angler effort, we discovered that a new management intervention provided periods of lower angler effort, but effort was apparently redistributed to other rivers and time periods. Third, responses from angler interviews post-management intervention revealed that anglers were more satisfied if they caught more fish and experienced less crowding; at higher crowding levels, higher catch rates were required to increase angler satisfaction. In conclusion, we found that this recreational fishery is influenced by both human dimensions and natural ecological dynamics such as fish population fluctuations.